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Frances Mae Piser
November 17, 1919 – September 27, 2009
Frances Mae Piser, 89 passed away Sunday, September 27th, in Naples, Florida after a brief illness.
She was born November 17, 1919 in Antioch, Illinois and moved to South Bend as an infant where she resided until retiring to Naples, Florida in 2008. She was the 6th child of Rose and Carl Levenson and was preceded in death by brother Sam Levenson and sisters Mildred Levenson, Florence Friedenberg, Ethel Newman and Maxine Linderman. Frances graduated from Central High School in 1938 and was married for 64 years to the love of her life, Monroe Mendel Piser who passed in 2007. Their life together was filled with dedication to family and community service, and served as inspirational role models to all. Frances is survived by her children, Dvorah and Chuck Eder of Naples, Florida, Joel and Jing Piser of Piedmont, California, and Git and Jerry Feldman of West Bloomfield, Michigan; six grandchildren and 1 great grand child.
Funeral services will be held at the McGann Hay, Forest G. Hay Chapel, 435 S. Ironwood Dr. on Tuesday September 29th at 4PM, with burial to follow at the Hebrew Orthodox Cemetery.
Contributions in Frances memory may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
Lori A. Wallace
Oct. 15, 1960 - Sept. 23, 2009
SOUTH BEND - Lori Ann Wallace, 48, passed away at Hospice House, Wednesday evening. She was born in South Bend and was adopted by her late parents, Walter O. and Doris C. Bowers. She had worked for Center Management. She is survived by her son and his wife, Joseph V. (Dana) Ngyuen; and a granddaughter, Aurora Easton. Cremation will take place and no services are planned. Donations may be made to The Center for Hospice. McGann Hay, Morning Star Funerals & Cremations is in charge of arrangements.
John Louis Barta
Dec. 6, 1919 - Sept. 19, 2009
John was born in East Chicago, IN, the son of Steven and Elizabeth Barta. He is survived by his loving wife Jessie Barta and sisters: Elizabeth Lamberg and Ethel Krucina.
He was preceded in death by his eldest son and his wife John (Jackie) Barta, Jr. and his brother Steven. John is survived by his sons: Michael (Linda) Barta, Roger (Lori) Barta and Robert (Debbie) Barta, and his step sons: Joseph (Susan) Krucina and Gary (Marilyn) Krucina.
John was a devoted Grandfather to: Brett (Kristin) Barta, Krista (Chris) Hopkins, Stacey (John) Frye, Jim Barta, Michael (Amy) Krucina, Amy (Brad) Behnke, Ben Krucina, Jennifer Barta, Megan Barta, Kelsey Barta. He was a very proud great - grandfather to Sydney, Alivia, and Spencer, Anna, Jack, Emily, Madelyn, Vincent and Maria.
John and his wife Jessie retired to Belleview, FL in 1984 and returned to live in South Bend, IN in 2005. He served in World War II as an Army Airplane Mechanic and was a recipient of distinguished medals. He retired from NIPSCO after many years of faithful service.
John was a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bears and The Chicago Cubs. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather and he will be greatly missed.
Committal services will be held at 10:30am (CST) FRIDAY, in the chapel at Chapel Lawn Cemetery, Schererville, IN with Military Honors following.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Heart Association.
William H. Buckles
July 5, 1934 - Sep. 16, 2009
BOURBON - William Howard Buckles, 75, lost his battle with cancer on September 16, 2009. A memorial service will be held at 5 PM, with dinner following on Tuesday, September 22 at MR Falcons, 212 Keller St. South Bend, IN. Bill was born on July 5, 1934, in South Bend, IN, to William and Maude Buckles. He served in the Army and was a bricklayer in the South Bend area for 50 years. While in the Army he was stationed in Alaska where he fell in love with the Last Frontier. While living in Alaska, Bill spent time in villages above the Artic Circle, worked for the Alaskan Railroad, as well as a number of construction projects throughout Alaska. Bill was a true adventurer and lived life to the fullest. Over the course of his life, he enjoyed skydiving, scuba diving, touring the United States and Canada via motorcycle and whitewater rafting. Bill lived life by the following motto: Life's Journey is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well preserved body, rather to skid in sideways totally worn out hollering, "Holy Cow, what a ride!" Bill is survived by his wife, Cheryl Buckles of Bourbon; two sons, Shane and Troy Buckles; daughter, Misha Irvine; two sisters, Barbara Kersten and Dorothy Corson; and eight grandchildren. Bill touched a number of lives and will be deeply missed by anyone that knew him. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care.
Floyd Wachowiak
April 12, 1926 - Aug. 27, 2009
GRANGER - Floyd was the 12th of 14 siblings of John and Mary (Frydrych) Wachowiak. He was born at their home on Grant Street in South Bend before moving to the family's farm in Walkerton. It was there where he and all of his siblings learned the importance of hard work and a strong work ethic, which he passed on to his own children. At 17 he got a welding job at Bendix in South Bend. Before his 18th birthday he enlisted in the Navy. He served his entire two years aboard ship during WWII. He was then employed at Studebaker until he started his own cement business, Floyd & Al Cement Contractors, Inc. Al was his brother and cohort, who often tried to keep him in line. Keeping Floyd in line was often next to impossible. He loved to have a good time! On November 27, 1948, he married Mary Stella Kujawa who died in June 2001. They renewed their vows in the spring of 2001. If Mary could have danced that day, they surely would have; as they made quite the pair on the dance floor. However, on that day he settled for a twinkle in her eyes instead of the twinkle in her toes. In the toughest of times the two of them worked side by side at odd and end jobs to provide for their family. They had seven children: Konnie (Ray) Beasley - McQueen, Barbara (Dan) McCurdy, Marsha (Ernie Evans) Wachowiak, Marlene (Kirk) Bonner, Penny (Dave) Coleman and two sons who are deceased: Frederick and Jeffrey Wachowiak. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 2 great granddaughters, 1 great - great grandson and two sisters: Clara Luczkowski and Sylvia Butchko and many nieces and nephews. Floyd loved to sing, dance and play! He cherished his children and showered them with toys. He built a pool, sandboxes, go - carts, playhouses and stilts. He provided sleds, bicycles, animals of all sorts and even a pony. Mostly, he enjoyed the out - of - doors. Fishing and camping were his favorites; we fished from piers, boats, bridges and on ice. (Oddly he didn't like to eat fish.) He had grand vegetable gardens and great crocks of dill pickles. We dug potatoes, picked tomatoes and collected walnuts by the bushel. His flower gardens (peonies for sure) were glorious. He normally had a tool of some sort in his hand. He spent hours in "the shop," where he puttered and repaired every imaginable motor or what - not. Floyd was truly a jack - of - all trades well into his 70's. He built the homes we lived in, taking the same pride and patience as he did tying the bows on his daughters' dresses on Sunday mornings before church. Even though he was sometimes thought to be a little rough around the edges, his last gift, and perhaps his greatest gift by far, was his offering of a prayer to and for his daughters via conference call the day he made his final journey to see his "sweetheart" and two sons. He continued with a promise: that the day was going to be a very good day, a very good day indeed. We ask that instead of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Hospice Palliative Care or to any charity of your preference. On Saturday, September 19, at St. Pius X Catholic Church a calling will be held at 9:00 followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am. Entombment will follow at Chapel Hill Gardens in Osceola with the family and guests returning to the Church for a gathering and meal.
Kenneth L. Wilkinson Sr.
Oct, 27, 1921 - Sep. 1, 2009
SOUTH BEND - Mr. Kenneth Lawrence Wilkinson, Sr., 87, passed away at 5:30 pm, Tuesday with his family at his side in St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. Ken was born in LaPorte, IN on October 27, 1921 to Ralph Evans and Lillian Louise (Bluhm) Wilkinson. He moved to the South Bend area in 1948 where he established the Wilkinson Insurance Center that continued well into 2007. Mr. Wilkinson was always very active in insurance association work having served as a past - president of South Bend Underwriters Association as well as serving as vice president of the state association. He was a 1948 graduate of Indiana University and was past president of The Indiana University Club of St. Joseph County. He served as a Pilot in the US Army Air Corps during WWII. He spent a year in India flying "The Hump" across the Himalayan Mountains, supplying the Chinese Army during their fight with Japan. He completed 87 missions. He was decorated with the Air Medal with Clusters. During the service while in Ocala, FL on June 19, 1943 he was married to Jeanne (Wright) Wilkinson who survives of South Bend. Surviving along with his wife Jeanne are their four daughters: Mona W. (Don) King of Ventura, CA, Ann (Stephen) Stipher of Mission Viejo, CA, Sally (Walter) Lentine of South Bend, Pegge Abrams of Tucson, AZ; and their two sons: Kenneth L. (Patricia) Wilkinson, Jr. of Arlington, TX, and Charles J. Wilkinson of Draper, UT. He is also survived by 17 grandchildren and 15 great - grandchildren. The patriarch of arguably the most successful golfing family in the history of South Bend, Ken or "Sr. ," as he affectionately became referred to by his friends, was a joy to play golf with. He was known for his gentlemanly way and quick wit on the golf course. He had an "off the cuff" comment for every situation a golfer may encounter during a round: "I'd rather be Lucky than Good," "That tree in your way is 90% air." A committed golfer he continued to play golf well into his later years and gracefully but regretfully accepted the deterioration in his golf score that came with advancing age but never gave up trying to improve his game through practice on the range or putting green. He was a long time member of Morris Park Country Club and served on the board of directors and many committees over the years. He had a lot of fun and earned a few trophies along the way. A celebration of his extraordinary life will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, September 12, in the McGann Hay University Chapel, 2313 E. Edison Rd. near Ironwood, with Rev. David Schrader, Senior Pastor of Grace United Methodist Church, officiating. The family will greet guests one hour prior to the memorial service in the funeral home. Ken had requested that people make memorial donations rather than sending flowers so his family chose the following two programs as fitting memorials in his memory: The American Heart Association , Memorials and Tributes Lockbox, 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL, 60674 or Tiger Woods' Children's Golfing Program: The First Tee, World Golf Village, 425 South Legacy Trail St., Augustine, FL, 32092.
William Keith Haslett
Sept. 14, 1917 - Aug. 27, 2009
SOUTH BEND - Surrounded by loving family, Keith completed his earthly journey on August 27, 2009, while residing at Morningside Nursing & Memory Center, South Bend, IN. We will celebrate his well - lived life during an 11:00 a.m. memorial service on Saturday, September 12, at Mishawaka First United Methodist Church (corner Third and Church). The family will receive guests the hour prior. Born to William Earl and Lyla Nelson Haslett on September 14, 1917, in Buchanan, MI, he graduated from Mishawaka High School in 1935 and served in the U.S. Army during WWII as a mechanical engineer. On July 30, 1942, he married Mary Jane Baker, who survives along with daughter, Karen Haslett Gurich; son, Phillip Nelson (Jackie) Haslett; grandchildren, Aaron (Reverie) Gurich, Phillip (Lana) Haslett, Kimberlee (Andrew) Freedlund; eight great - grandchildren; and a sister, Elizabeth Newburgh. Through his lifelong passion and gift for music, Keith played saxophone in high school band, and as a teen was pianist for an acclaimed community men's chorus of the Orpheus Club. He served as organist at East Methodist, Albright EUB, Broadway EUB/UMC churches spanning the 1930s into the late 1960s, and accompanied at Grace UM Church in Venice, FL, in later years. He played for many community events in Indiana and Florida, and had also directed the Broadway choir. He and Mary enjoyed their many travels through the years. Photography, woodworking, watercolor artistry, reading and golfing were among other favorite leisure activities. Keith worked at Dodge Mfg. Corp./Reliance in Mishawaka for 43 years as a draftsman in Engineering, Inspection and Quality Assurance, and Purchasing Departments. Memorial contributions may be made to Mishawaka First UMC, or to Broadway Christian Parish UMC, South Bend.
Patricia J. McCoy
November 6, 1928 – August 29, 2009
South Bend - Patricia J. McCoy, 80, passed away August 29, 2009. She was born November 6, 1928 to Henry and Flo Clear. They preceded her in death, along with her husband, Edgar McCoy and sister, Nina Roberts. Survivors include daughter, Gloria (Gerald) Hinshaw of Moreland, IN; two sons, Barry and Tim McCoy, both of South Bend; friend, Ty; six grandchildren and four great - grandchildren. No services are being held at this time. Memorial Contributions may be made to American Cancer Society.
