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Marshall County, Indiana Obituary and Death Notices Collection
GenealogyBuff.com - Marshall County, Indiana Obituary Collection - 3
Posted By: GenealogyBuff.com
Date: Thursday, 13 April 2023, at 4:55 a.m.
Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992
Russell Wm. “Bill” Johnson
Russell Wm. “Bill” Johnson, 71, 19475 W. 9th C Road, Plymouth, a lifetime Plymouth and Donaldson area resident, died, at 8:15 a.m. on Monday, August 20, 2001, in the emergency room of the St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, Plymouth. Bill had been ill since 1997.
Born in Donaldson, on August 5, 1930, Bill was the son of Luther S. and Lila A. Larsen Johnson. After grammar school in the old Donaldson School House, he went to West High and played varsity basketball. He said, “we didn’t win many games, but had a lot of fun.”
Graduated in 1948, Bill went to work in the Singer plant in South Bend for a few months. In October of that year, he joined the Air Force and in 1950, was sent to Korea. He served for two years, honorably discharged in 1952, with the rank of Technical Sergeant. Home again, Bill worked for Studebaker for a while and then commuted 80 miles a day to the Electromotive Co., in Illinois.
During this time, he also attended IUSB, studying journalism. He hoped to become a teacher. The drive to Illinois got to be “a pain, ” he said, and in 1957, he approached the editor of the Pilot News and asked for a job.
Getting out the paper
Put to work in the back shop in the production department, Bill operated the Fairchild machine that punched tape and ran it through the linotype machines. He explained it as “being an early computagraphic way of getting news off the wire and into the system.” Bill Johnson spent forty years in the newspaper business doing the dirty work. Forty years in the back shop: out of bed at 3 a.m., six days a week. Printer’s ink ingrained under his fingernails, setting type and laying out the ads. At one time or another, he did it all. For 20 of those years, he was Production Manager. It was Bill who ordered ink by the barrel and paper by the truckload. For 15 years, he also did the camera work for the newspaper.
Printing other people’s stories
And all the while, inside him, known to but a few was a talent for writing that was superior to most journalists who call themselves ‘professionals.’ Bill always had loved to write. A reticent man, shy even, he had never offered his work to the public. He didn’t think it was good enough. Encouraged by Eleanor Boys Blank, the publisher, and Bob Hutchins, the editor, he wrote the first of his columns for publication in 1973. He called them “Footpaths.” His first printed effort was about the Gary steel mills irresponsibly cutting down timber to stoke their furnaces on weekends when they didn’t need to use the more expensive coal. Raping the forests, he wrote. A conservationist, Bill was enraged. It showed. The story was powerful. Bill began to write three or four columns a month. “For my own satisfaction, ” he said. “Some men like to golf. I like to write.” He wrote about his children.
A dyed-in-the-wool conservative, he wrote about politics and how he felt about things. Mad, mostly. There were many memorable pieces. Stories that will be priceless legacies for his grandchildren. One was about fishing with his grandson, another was called “A Red, White and Blue Cup of Coffee, ” and a fictional story, entitled “Something Awful About Grandpa, ” was yet another. Bob Hutchins asked Bill to do a weekly outdoors column. Bill called it “It’s Time for Conservation.” An avid fisherman and gardener, Bill said, “I liked to write about things that I know and have strong feelings about.” A fly fisherman, making his own lures, he said, “it doesn’t really matter whether the fish are biting or not.” When the kids were little the family would go to Canada, Wisconsin, Minnesota, or just about anywhere they were biting...or not biting. Twice, at Hutchin’s urging, Bill’s column was entered into the annual Hoosier State Press Awards Contest and won first place as Best Column both times.
In 1973, Bill was elected as a member of Hoosier Outdoor Writers, an exclusive group limited to 50 writers and broadcasters.
In 1976, he was a delegate to the State Republican Convention. One of the thrills of his life was when Governor Bowen shook his hand and told him how much he enjoyed his columns. That handshake, that comment, was worth a million dollars to Bill Johnson.
Good pay. Only pay really.
He never earned a dime for any of his writing. “That’s O.K., “ he said. “I did it because I loved writing.” His last column was published in 1996, “Depression Babies Vs. The Cry-Baby Boomers.” He retired in April of 1997. Bill loved the Pilot-News. Oh, sure, he’d gripe about this or that: he wanted everything to be perfect. If a page wasn’t paginated correctly or cutlines under a photo were wrong or less than perfect grammar or shoddy reporting was used by reporters, he’d stomp around, cigarette between his teeth, fussing and growling. He said, “I loved working for the newspaper. There is something special about getting a product out every day. No two are ever the same. There’s a great sense of accomplishment when the deadline has come and gone and you know you’ve done your job when the presses start to roll.” He added, “the writing I did back in the Hutchins days gave me a freedom I could not have gotten elsewhere.” Through the years, Bill was offered positions elsewhere. A large Canadian newspaper wanted to hire him, but he and his family loved Plymouth and they didn’t want to leave. A devoted family man, Bill was always involved in his children’s activities. A classical music buff, he also enjoyed visiting sites on the internet about other countries and viewing many works of art.
Bill is survived by his wife, Carol Ann Woodfill, who he took as his bride on Dec. 20, 1959, in the First United Methodist Church in Plymouth, and by their three children: Lu H. Johnson and Jo Avery, Palm Springs, Cal. Andrea M. and Steve Collins, Osceola, Ind., and Monica R. Johnson, South Bend. He adored his grandchildren and was so proud of his two grandsons and granddaughter, Matthew, Cody and Jessica Collins. They survive, together with Betty J. Rhodes, a sister, and two brothers, Floyd “Bud” and Charles “Duane” Johnson, all of Plymouth. A foster sister, Betty Lee Snell of Atascadero, CA, also survives.
He was preceded in death by his parents and by Dusty Rhodes, his brother-in-law and friend.
Friends of Bill and his family are invited to come to the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth, Ind. from 3 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 23, 2001. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 24, 2001, in the funeral home. The Rev. Brian Deckinger, pastor of the Immanuel Lutheran Church, Donaldson, of which he was a member, will officiate. The V.F.W. Post 1162 will conduct military honors at the graveside in New Oakhill Cemetery, Plymouth. Memorial gifts in Bill’s memory may be made to the American Lung Association.
Alice E. Martin
PLYMOUTH, IND. – Described by her family as “Little, but mighty”, Alice E. Martin, 71, who has bravely fought cancer since 1989, died at her residence, 8225 King Road, Plymouth, on Thursday, April 12, 2001. Alice died at 3:40 a.m., in the devoted and loving care of her family and the Marshall County Hospice. A Marshall County resident since 1949, coming from Washington, Ind., Alice and her family has resided on King Road the past 33 years. Born the daughter of Earl P. and Cecelia B. Gootee Walker on July 6, 1929, in Washington, Ind., Alice attended Epsom and Alfordsville, Ind., schools, graduating in 1947. On April 17, 1948, in St. Patrick’s Church in Corning, Ind., Alice and Charles D. Martin were married. A busy, energetic person with a great sense of humor, she had worked as a Sears sales clerk and as a cashier at Gas America. She was also a librarian at Lincoln Jr. High school, retiring in 1985. Her grandchildren were all very dear to Alice. She especially enjoyed taking walks with them. She made it a point to be present for almost all of their activities. Alice was fond of needlepoint work and collected handmade quilts. Alice enjoyed traveling, she and her husband visited Germany twice and spent many winters in Texas. An excellent golfer, she enjoyed playing the game with her husband and family, many times outranking them all. She was the Northern Indiana Director of The Golf Card for Seniors. At Plymouth Rock she was the A Flight Champion known for her long drives and was a popular choice in scramble play. A member of St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, Alice was past-president and a member of the Altar Rosary Society and Harvest House. She was a member of the Women of the Moose, Plymouth Lodge 1355 and the NIPSCO Golf League. Alice and her husband, Charles, would have celebrated their 53rd anniversary on Tuesday, April 17th. Charles survives her death together with their four sons and two daughters. The surviving families are: Richard D. and Sherri Martin and children, Shannda, Chad and Jessica, all of Plymouth, Charles E. and Cathy Martin and their daughters, Pamela, Erica and Sarah, of Lakeville, Clifford L. Martin and his daughter, Heather, of Port St. Lucie, Florida. William J. and JoAnn Martin and children, Alex and Lauren, all of Bourbon, Mary Anne and Steve Hepler and sons, Nicholas and Anthony Levechio, all of Bourbon, and Susan K. and William Allen and their sons, Cord and Jace, all of Plymouth. Alice was also able to enjoy her great-granddaughter, Taylor Saxon. Two brothers, Harold and his wife, Louise Walker, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and Ambrose and Mary Ruth Walker, Washington, Ind., and a sister, Mary and Harold Seal of Cannelburg, Ind., several nieces and nephews also survive. Alice was preceded in death by her parents, one brother LeRoy Walker and a sister Carol Walker. Friends are invited to visit with the family on Saturday, April 14, 2001, from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. A Rosary Service will be held at 3:30 p.m. at the funeral home. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 16, 2001, at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, 625 N. Center St., Plymouth. Father Anthony Gillespie, pastor of St. Michael’s will officiate. Burial will be in St. Michael’s Cemetery, Plymouth. Memorial gifts in Alice’s memory may be made to the Marshall County Hospice or the Lymphoma Foundation P.O. Box 15335 Chevy Chase, MD 20825
Georgiana Hrabal
Georgiana Hrabal, 91, died of natural causes at 8:50 p.m. on Friday, May 4, 2001, in St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, Plymouth. Georgiana had lived at Walnut Creek Care Center, 309 Kingston Ave., since October, 1999, coming from Garden Court West. Born in Chicago, Ill. on April 17, 1910, Georgiana was the daughter of Charles and Antonia Filip Zacharda. She attended Grovertown schools. On August 11, 1927, in Knox, Georgiana and Joseph Hrabal were married. Joseph died on July 13, 1963. From 1964 to 1975, Georgiana became known as one of the “Pie Ladies” at the ever popular Schori’s Restaurant in Plymouth. She was clever with her hands not only with baked goods: she enjoyed flower gardening, crocheting and creating needle-embroidered pictures. Each grandbaby received an original handmade gift at their birth, made lovingly by Georgiana. She had been involved as a volunteer with the Parkview Hospital auxiliary, the Friends of the Library and the Braille Bible work at Calvary Lutheran Church. Four daughters survive their mother’s death. They are: Helen Wentz, Largo, Fla., Evelyn Jacobs, Bourbon, Violet Clemons, Fredonia, N.Y., and Barbara and James Strycker, Plymouth. Five grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren also survive together with a sister, Valasta Hanover, St. Paul, Minn. Georgiana was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and Libby Winje, a sister. Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, May 10, 2001, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. Funeral services will follow visitation at the funeral home at 11 a.m., conducted by the Rev. Maurice Grindle, pastor of the Trinity United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Grovertown Cemetery, Grovertown. Memorial gifts in Georgiana’s memory may be made to the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.
Emma M. Arnold
PLYMOUTH - Emma M. Arnold, 83, a former resident of LaPaz and the Shady Rest Home, died of natural causes at 8:50 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, 2001, in Pilgrim Manor Nursing Home, 222 Parkview Drive, Plymouth. Emma was born the daughter of Willard and Edith Mae Penny Evans in Tippecanoe, Ohio, on November 20, 1918. She attended Ohio schools. On November 16, 1956, in LaPaz, Emma and Levi S. Arnold were married. Levi died on October 12, 1995. She was a homemaker. Emma left no immediate family. She was preceded in death by her parents and her spouse. Visitation in the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth, will be from 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, 2001. Emma’s funeral service, officiated by the Rev. Charles Krieg, pastor of the Pretty Lake Trinity United Methodist Church, will follow visitation at 2 p.m. Burial will be in Oakhill Cemetery, Plymouth.
LaVon R. “Von” Balmer
LaVon R. “Von” Balmer, 85, 406 E. Jefferson St., Bourbon, died suddenly of natural causes on Monday, Dec. 3, 2001. Von, a Bourbon resident for the past nine years, formerly of the Cass Lake, Minn. area for 20 years, died in the Bremen Community Hospital at 11:50 a.m. Von was born in Plymouth on May 21, 1916. He was the son of Peter Balmer, Jr., and Marie Reneas Balmer. He attended Plymouth schools. A United States Army veteran, Von was proud to have been a part of the Iwo Jima Campaign during World War II, serving from July 1943 to December 1945. He was decorated with the Bronze Star and was a member of the Disabled American Veterans. On March 23, 1953, in Plymouth, Von and Eloise J. Beam were married. A registered watchmaker, he was the proprietor of L.R. Balmer Jewelry on W. LaPorte St., Plymouth, from 1947 to 1957. For the next 15 years he farmed, retiring in 1971. A consummate fisherman, he loved the sport. He was also known as a “tinkerer” and handyman. Von is survived by his wife, Eloise, of Bourbon, and by two sons and two daughters. His sons are Larry W. and Marsha Balmer, Plymouth, and Walter “Dick” R. and Jill Balmer, Bremen. Daughters Yvonne E. Balmer and spouse, Jim Shirley, Bloomington, Ind. and Darla Kaye and Patrick Finnegan, Bemidji, Minn., survive, together with seven grandchildren, three great-great-granddaughters and a sister, Bertha Balmer, Plymouth. Von was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Ruth Balmer, and two brothers: Walter and Richard Balmer. Friends may visit with the family at the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth, on Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001, from 5 to 7 p.m. Funeral services by the Rev. John Hand, Von’s nephew, will follow visitation at 7 p.m. in the funeral home on Wednesday evening, Dec. 5, 2001. A second nephew, Denny Beam, will provide special music. A graveside service with military honors, provided by VFW Post 1162 will be held at Oakhill Cemetery, Plymouth, on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2001, at 10 a.m. Memorial gifts in Von’s memory may be made to the Disabled Veterans of America.
Mary Lou Balmer
Mary Lou Balmer, 80, a resident at 900 W. Harrison St., Plymouth for 7 1/2 years, formerly of Conyers, Georgia, and Mesa, Arizona, died of natural causes following an illness in Miller’s Merry Manor on Wednesday, May 16, at 8:10 p.m. Mary Lou was born in Fulton County, Ind., on Feb. 28, 1921. She was the daughter of Jesse W. and Ruth M. Allen Vice. She attended Rochester schools. On Nov. 4, 1943, in Bremen, IN., Mary Lou and Kenneth L. Balmer were married. Ken died on Sept. 20, 1978. Mary Lou was a homemaker. She read a lot, but crocheting was her main hobby. She fashioned lovely pieces and gave them and other craft handiwork to friends and family. She collected hummingbird pieces and solving word search puzzles. She also enjoyed playing bingo. A great cook; she loved to bake for her family and devoted a lot of time to her nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Mary Lou attended a Methodist Church in Arizona and also was a member of an Arizona book club that exchanged books among themselves. She is survived by four daughters and a son. Her daughters are Bonnie R. and Gary Veney, LaPaz, Ind., Kathryn L. Nine, Plymouth, Anna L. and George Christenson, Mesa, Ariz. and Cynthia L. Bunch, Charleston, S.C. Her son, James L. Balmer, lives in Peragon, Ind. Nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews also survive together with two brothers, Jesse Vice, Jr., Leiters Ford, Ind., and L. Wayne Vice, Mesa, Ariz. Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, her spouse, a sister, Opal Warner and Wallace Vice, a brother. Visitation with the family will be held Friday, May 18, 2001 from 5 – 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10 – 11 a.m. in the Johnson-Danielson Funeral Home, 1100 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. Funeral services will follow visitation Saturday at 11 a.m. in the funeral home, Rev. Charles Krieg, Pastor of Pretty Lake United Methodist Church will officiate. Burial will be in the Green Acres Cemetery, 401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Ariz. where graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 23, 2001. Memorial gifts in Mary Lou’s name may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.
Indiana Marriages, 1811-1959
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