July 29, 2002

Ralph F. Helblig, 53
Ralph F. Helblig, 53, of Bluffton, died in 1994. Surviving are a son, Michael of Kendallville; a daughter, Tiffany Helblig of Bluffton; two sisters, Melaine Prater of Bluffton and Annetta Helblig of Indianapolis. Services at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday will be at Thomas Funeral Home in Garrett, where calling hours are today from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Burial will be in Union Cemetery at Garrett. Memorials to Parkview Hospital.

Rosemary Rice, 83
Mother of Shirley A. McIntyre of Ossian, Rosemary Rice, 83, of Fort Wayne, born in Fort Wayne and was a homemaker. Her husband, Leonard Albert, died in 1998. Services will be conducted Tuesday at 10 a.m. at D.O. McComb & Sons Lakeside Park Funeral Home, 1140 Lake Ave., Fort Wayne, where calling hours are today from 7 to 9 p.m.. Burial will be in Highland Park Cemetery.

Infant Kamree Suzanne Shaffer
Kamree Suzanne Shaffer was stillborn Saturday, July 27, at Dupont Hospital in Fort Wayne. Surviving are her parents, Michael D. and Sheila A. Shaffer, both of Butler; and her grandparents, Sherman and Christine Crager, both of Butler, and Dena Shaffer of Ossian. A private graveside service will be conducted Tuesday at Butler Cemetery. Arrangements are by Feller Funeral Home at Waterloo.

J. Donald Foust, 87
J. Donald Foust, 87, known for the breeding of Morgan horses, born in Plainville Oct. 16, 1914, a son of William Charles and Flora Hastings Foust. His marriage at Huntingburg on April 7, 1940 was to Helen Hasler, who survives. Additional survivors two daughters, Mrs. Wayne (Donna) Adams of Lebanon and Mrs. Larry (Ann) Miller of Indianapolis; a son, Wayne Foust of Greencastle; two sisters, Marguerite Crews of Lewisburg, Pa., and Shirly Raysdale of West Lafayette; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Two sisters and a brother are deceased. Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Dover Christian Church with Rev. Mike Frazier and Rev. Jerry Holdman officiating. Burial will be in Harlan Cemetery in Hancock County. Visitation hours at Russell & Hitch Funeral Home in Lebanon will be Tuesday from 4 to 8 p.m. and at the church Wednesday for one hour prior to services. Memorials to Dover Christian Church or to Plainville Parkview Christian Church.

July 30, 2002

Jay E. Hall, 80
A brother of Mrs. Howard (Glenna) Plummer of Petroleum, Jay E. Hall, 80, of rural Van Buren, born in Washington Township, Grant County, Sept. 10, 1921, to Ernest H. and Gladys J. Stalling Hall. His marriage on Sept. 12, 1943 was to Iris J. Krieg, who survives. Surviving, in addition to his wife and the sister in Petroleum are two sons, Gary of Indianapolis and Terry of Orlando, Fla.; a daughter, Mrs. Tom (Marsha) Morbelli of St. Louis, Mo.; four brothers, Maris of Muncie, Loren Clair of Warren, Phillip of Sun City, Ariz., and Glenn of Avon Park, Fla.; two other sisters, Wilma Embree of Van Buren and Mrs. Gareth (Martha) Weaver of Marion; his mother-in law, Joy C. Krieg of Berne; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the United Methodist Church at Van Buren with Dr. Blake J. Neff officiating. Burial will be in Grant Memorial Park at Marion. Visitation hours at the Ferguson Funeral Home in Van Buren will be Wednesday from 2 to 8 p.m. and at the church Thursday for one hour prior to services. Memorials to the church or to the American Diabetes Association.

July 31, 2002

William F. Gibson, 96
A retired railroad worker, William F. Gibson, 96, of Bluffton, born in Allen County July 4, 1906, a son of William H. and Ella Danehy Gibson. His marriage at Fort Wayne on May 26, 1961 was to Naomi C. Webb, who Cemetery at Fort Wayne, Calling hours at the memorial chapel will be Thursday for one hour prior to services. Memorials to St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Jay H. Smith, 85
Jay H. Smith, 85, a lifetime farmer in Wells and Huntington Counties, born in Wells County Dec. 17, 1916, a son of Arthur E. and Effie Mae Hite Smith. His marriage on Dec. 25, 1940 was to Ruth M. Brumbaugh, who survives. Additional survivors are a son, Ardith J. Smith of Markle; two daughters, Mrs. McCoy (Sonja S.) Bartlett of Fort Worth, Texas, and Cheryl A. Heral of Fairbanks, Alaska; two sisters, Mrs. Guy (Delight) Wiley and Hope Worster, both of Huntington; seven grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Three brothers and a sister are deceased. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Myers Funeral Home Markle Chapel with Gerald O. Moreland officiating. Interment will be in the Markle Cemetery. Visitation hours will be Thursday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 at the funeral chapel. Memorials to Family Hospice of Northeast Indiana

Karl Robert Ehrman, 85
A retired Adams County farmer, Karl Robert Ehrman, 85, of Decatur, born in Kirkland Township, Adams County, Feb. 12, 1917, a son of William H. and Elsena Leimenstoll Ehrman. His marriage on July 24, 1959 was to Velma F. Adams, who died at 1:18 a.m. Wednesday, July 31, at his residence in New Haven. Mr. Inman was a brother of Maxine Crum of Ossian and Doyt E. Inman of Bluffton. He was a member of Colony Heights Church of Christ on Tillman Rd. He was died Tuesday, July 30, at Kosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw. Born in Fort Wayne, he retired from the City of Warsaw after 30 years of employment. Surviving also are his wife, Bonnie; three daughters, Doreen Slone, Rita Miller and Laura Blair, all of Warsaw; a son, Daniel of Warsaw; two brothers, Kenneth of Howe and Glen of Tucson, Ariz.; five grandchildren; and two stepgrandchildren. Services at 1 p.m. Friday will be at McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel in Warsaw, where calling hours are today from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery at Warsaw.

Aug. 2, 2002

John Robert Shaw, 89
John Robert Shaw, 89, of Bluffton, died at 8:50 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Parkview Huntington Hospital. Mrs. Walton, with her husband, worked on the family farm and also worked as a machine operator at Memcor in Huntington for 13 years, retiring in 1988. She was a member of the Mt. Etna United Methodist Church and a 1946 graduate of Huntington High School. She was Cemetery with Pastor Tom DeFries officiating. Myers Funeral Home Huntington Chapel is in charge of arrangements. Memorials to the Mt. Etna United Methodist Church.

Beatrice Bellis, 93
Beatrice Bellis, 93, of Berne, born in Jay County March 18, 1909, a daughter of John and Blanche Graves Bellis. Surviving are one sister, Inez Berry of Berne, and several nieces and nephews, including Judy Miller of Bluffton. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Baird-Freeman Funeral Home in Portland with Jonathan Amstutz officiating. Burial will be in the Gravel Hill Cemetery west of Bryant. Visitation will be Saturday prior to services. Memorials to donor’s choice.

Jack Edward Baumgardner, 70
Jack Edward Baumgardner, 70, of Greenfield, a former Wells County resident, died at 5:15 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at the University Park Nursing Home in Fort Wayne, where she had lived the past few years. A homemaker, Mrs. McBride was employed in later years at the Val Department Store until it closed and then worked at the former K-Mart before retiring to Florida in 1980. She was died Feb. 26, 1931. In addition to the daughter in Bluffton, she is survived by two sons, Floyd McBride of Decatur and Matthew McBride of Fort Wayne; two other daughters, Lana Higgins and Brenda Frisch, both of Fort Wayne; 23 grandchildren, including Marty, Tim and Les Mygrant and Cristi Wall, all of Bluffton; 36 great-grandchildren; and 14 great-great-grandchildren. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Church of God in Decatur and burial will be in Decatur Cemetery. Visitation hours at Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur are today from 2 to 8 p.m. and at the church Tuesday for one hour prior to services.

George A. Bergman, 84
George A. Bergman, 84, owner and operator of a funeral home in Warren since 1949, born in Warren Feb. 9, 1918, to George Alvin and Dessie May Brown Bergman Sr. His marriage at Van Buren on Nov. 12, 1961 was to Garnet L. Kirkpatrick, who Cemetery at Warren. Calling hours at the funeral home in Warren will be Tuesday from 2 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday from 2 to 8 p.m. Mt. Etna Masonic Lodge 333 will conduct rites at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral chapel. Memorials the Warren United Methodist Church.

Marvin O. Ehrman, 88
Retired railroad employee Marvin O. Ehrman, 88, a lifetime resident of Fort Wayne, born in Fort Wayne Dec. 16, 1913. Surviving are two nieces, Jan Hill of Fort Wayne and Susan Hansen of Markle, and three nephews, John Brown and Douglas Brown, both of Fort Wayne, and Charles Brown of Ossian. Services at 11 a.m. Wednesday will be at the D.O. McComb & Sons Foster Park Funeral Home, 6301 Fairfield Ave, Fort Wayne and burial will be in Covington Memorial Garden. Calling hours at the funeral home will be Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday for one hour prior to services. Memorials to the First Missionary Church.

Herman D. ‘Ham’ Neuen, 84
A former Adams County teacher and basketball coach, Herman D. “Ham” Neuen, 84, of Orangeburg, S.C., Cemetery near Bluffton with graveside military rites by Bluffton American Legion Post 111. Memorials to the church or to the American Heart Association.

Oct. 1, 2002

Jack E. Line, 80
A retired civil engineer who worked on numerous area projects, Jack E. Line, 80, of Fort Wayne born in Columbia City Aug. 26, 1922, a son of Otis J. and Leona F. Preskey Line. His marriage in Bristol, England, on Sept. 8, 1945 was to Sybil D. Hughes, who survives. Additional survivors are a son, Jeffery Line of Mobile, Ala.; two daughters, Mrs. Chamnan (Leslie) Line-Ith of Atlanta, Ga., and Mrs. Chandler (Michelle) Kidd of Huntington; two sisters, Kathleen Carvin of Fort Wayne and Doris Wendt of Peru; and four grandchildren. A private family visitation was held at 11 a.m. Monday at the Myers Funeral Home Markle Chapel and private family funeral services were conducted at 12 noon Monday with Rev. Deacon Gordon Samra officiating. Interment was at Markle Cemetery with military graveside rites by VFW Post 2689 of Huntington.

C. Carl Smith, 81
A stepbrother of Mary Alice Fritz of Bluffton, C. Carl Smith, 81, of New Haven Cemetery in New Haven. Calling hours will be Wednesday from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral chapel. Memorials to Christian Appalachia Project, to First Assembly of God Christian Center or to donor’s choice.

Sept. 25, 2002

Robert E. Kleinknight, 60
Robert E. Kleinknight, 60, rural Bluffton, born in Bluffton July 19, 1932 to Clendon and Mary Emerick Kleinknight. He saw service with the Army’s National Guard. Surviving are three sons, Bruce, Chris and David, all of Bluffton; two daughters, Mrs. Mike (Debbie) Williams of Elizabethtown, Tenn., and Ms. Juliann Kleinknight of Bluffton; four brothers, Charles of Bluffton, DeWayne of Kokomo, Larry of Dunkirk and Richard of Arizona; two sisters, Mrs. Bonnie Holmes of Arkansas and Mrs. Dean (Delores) Ely of Oregon; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Services at Goodwin Memorial Chapel in Bluffton will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday with Rev. Tom Bradley officiating. Burial will be in Elm Grove Cemetery. Visitation hours at the funeral home will be Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. Memorials to the family.

Berneda Dettmer, 77
Berneda Dettmer, 77, of Fort Wayne born in Allen County June 24, 1925 to George and Amelia Hallfeldt Rohrbach. Surviving are a daughter, Darlene Moore of Ossian; a brother, Eldred Rohrbach of Fort Wayne; a sister, Georgiann Oswald of Fort Wayne; three grandchildren, Terry Saalfrank, Tanya Topp and Tiffany Moore, all of Ossian; and three great-grandchildren. Services at 10:30 a.m. Friday will be at Elzey-Patterson-Rodak Funeral Home in Ossian with Rev. Donald W. Kleinschmidt officiating. Burial will be in Oak Lawn Cemetery at Ossian. Visitation hours at the funeral home will be Thursday from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday for one hour prior to services. Memorials to Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne or to New Hope Lutheran Church at Ossian.

Thelma L. McAdams, 82
Thelma L. McAdams, 82, a native of Huntington County, born Feb. 14, 1920, a daughter of Emery and Orpha Holmes Drabenstot. Her marriage in Ludington, Mich., on July 4, 1937 was to Wendell S. McAdams, who Cemetery in Huntington County with Rev. Gus Hacker officiating. Memorials to the donor’s choice.

Dr. Nevin Hiester, 82
Dr. Nevin Hiester, 82, son of Bluffton natives and furniture store owners O.E. and Alta (Markley) Hiester, died Monday, Sept. 23, at Northern Lakes Nursing Center at Angola. Mrs. Siegel was homemaker and former co-owner of Siegel’s Bait Store in Fremont from 1941 to 1984. Her husband, Clarence, Cemetery at Fremont. Memorials to the donor’s choice.

Cora Maxine Cook, 77
Cora Maxine Cook, 77, of Decatur born in Bluffton Jan. 5, 1925 to Harry and Mary Letha Archbold Faus. Her marriage at Decatur on Oct. 15, 1949 was to Albert C. Cook, who Cemetery in rural Monroe. Memorials to the United Brethren in Christ Church in Decatur or to the family.

James Dean Fisher, 30
James Dean Fisher, 30, of Union City, Ohio, was injured fatally in an auto accident Monday evening, Sep.t 23, south of Fort Recovery, Ohio. Mr. Fisher, a 1990 graduate of Jay County High School at Portland and a former resident of Redkey, had been employed for seven months with Pete Shawver Construction and four years previously with Cleveland Construction in Toledo, Ohio. He was Cemetery at Redkey. Calling hours at the funeral chapel are today from 2 to 8 p.m.

Helen L. Seaman, 77
Mother of Mickey D. Seaman of Markle, Helen L. Seaman, 77, of Decatur, born in Wells County Nov. 14, 1924 to Donald F. and Ruby M. Burgess Fisher. Her marriage on Nov. 30, 1946 was to Everett H. “Sliver” Seaman, who Cemetery at Zanesville. Visitation hours at the funeral home will be Thursday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday for one hour prior to services. Memorials to the church or to the Council on Aging van.

Betty Loraine Rupp, 75
Betty Loraine Rupp, 75, of Fort Wayne, a sister of Audrey Butcher of Ossian, born Feb. 27, 1927 in Fort Wayne to William and Emma Field Perry. A first marriage was to Joseph Sovine, who died at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at Heritage of Huntington. She had been ill three weeks. Mrs. Carnall was a graduate in 1926 of Bluffton High School and a graduate in 1932 of Ball State University. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Venice, Fla., and an Associate Tri Kappa. She taught school for 22 years, retiring in 1960, at Poplar Grove, Ossian and Rockcreek elementary schools, all in Wells County. Her late husband, Don, was in the insurance and abstract business in Bluffton for more than 40 years. She was died July 11, 1972, took place in Bluffton on Oct. 18, 1933. Surviving are a son, Ned R. Carnall of Fort Wayne; a daughter, Mrs. Peter (Betsy) C. Stine of Danvers, Mass.; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Mrs. Carnall was preceded in death by four brothers, Glen, Rex, Garth and Garyl “Joe” Roof, and three sisters, Mrs. Jessie Buckner, Mrs. Howard (Mary) Smith and Mrs. Clive (Dorothy) Markley. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Thoma/Rich, Hewitt & Chaney Funeral Home with Rev. Dr. Peter Stine officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery at Bluffton. Calling hours at the funeral home will be Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. Memorials to ALS Foundation in honor of Betsy Stine.

Ralph F. Kiefer, 94
Ralph F. Kiefer, 94, who retired in 1973 after 13 years in the maintenance department of Bluffton High School, born in Adams County Oct. 3, 1907, a son of Fred and Myrtle Vaughn Kiefer. His marriage at Bluffton on April 19, 1930, was to Madelia Little, who Cemetery at Bluffton. Memorials to Christian Care Retirement Center.

Robert T. Gahman, 89
Born in Craigville in Wells County, Robert T. Gahman, 89, died in 1982. Surviving are a son, Robert L. of Fort Wayne; a brother, Arthur of Craigville; two sisters, Vera Montgomery of South Bend and Alice Wilkerson of Clermont; and three grandchildren. Services at 11 a.m. Saturday will be at Klaehn, Fahl & Melton Funeral Home Wayne Street Chapel, 420 West Wayne St., with calling for one hour before services. Burial will be in Covington Memorial Gardens. Memorials to the First Baptist Church in Fort Wayne.

Sept. 27, 2002

Lillian L. Heckert, 79
Lillian L. Heckert, 79, of Decatur born in Burr Oak, Mich., June 7, 1923, a daughter of John F. and Grace M. Putman Lintemoot. Her marriage on Sept. 3, 1940 in Van Wert County, Ohio, was to James A. Heckert, who Cemetery in Ohio City, Ohio. Memorials to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Vivian M. Piety, 87
A retiree of Franklin Electric Co. in Bluffton, Vivian M. Piety, 87, of Decatur born in Hunter, Ark., Aug. 9, 1915, a daughter of Ira and Mary Ward Thompson. A first marriage in Anderson on Sept. 27, 1934 was to Virgil E. Williams, who is deceased; her second marriage at Bluffton on June 5, 1955 was to Phillip Piety, who also is deceased. Surviving are two sons, John E. Williams of Hertford, N.C., and William F. Williams of Greenfield, Ind.; a daughter, Mrs. Tim (Nancy M.) Magley of Decatur; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by five brothers. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur, with visitation for one hour prior to the services. Burial will be in Tocsin Cemetery. Memorials to the Huntington College Scholarship Fund.