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Date of these obituaries: 04-17-2002
Maria Keel, 23, leaves behind three children
When Maria Keel was 7 years old, her father died and her cous in, Rhonda Hillhouse, became her stepmother.
Thursday, Ms. Keel, 23, choked to death at a friend's house in Loveland, Ohio, leaving behind three children.
She had a rough life in many ways, her stepmother said. She dropped out of high school at age 16 when she became pregnant with her first child, Sidney.
Ms. Keel left home when she was 18, but had recently returned to live with Ms. Hillhouse and her husband, William, in Indepen dence.
Her fiance, William Brock of Florence, supported her, and she kept house for Sidney and their two children, and was very good at it, Ms. Hillhouse said.
"If you had a party or a guest over, she'd be the first one cleaning, " she said.
Ms. Keel tried to find her real mother, whom Ms. Hillhouse said left her and her siblings, but never did.
"I just hate the way things hap pen, " Ms. Hillhouse said. "A lot of people did love her, but she just didn't realize it."
Now, Ms. Hillhouse plans to raise Sidney.
Also surviving Ms. Keel are sons, James William Brock and Nicholas Brock, both at home; a brother, James Keel Jr. of Coving ton; stepbrothers, William Carl Hillhouse of Terre Haute, Ind., and Shane Hillhouse of Indepen dence; sisters, Latonya Keel of Se attle, Wash., and Jamie Keel of Hazard; and a stepsister, Becky Hillhouse of Covington.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thurs day at TLC Cremation and Funeral Services, Covington. Visitation will begin there at noon Thursday. Burial will be in Highland Ceme tery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Maria Keel Memorial Fund, in care of Firstar Bank, 7791 Dixie Highway, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Albert Gene Bertram Sr., 50, of Cold Spring, died at 11:50 p.m. Monday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a superintendent at Crosen-Teepe Mechanical Contractors, Cincinnati, and a member of Claryville Inn Social Club.
Survivors include his wife, Patty McNew Bertram; a daughter, Rebecca Bertram of Cold Spring; sons, Albert Bertram Jr. and Robert Bertram, both of Cold Spring; sisters, Ginny Jordan of Cold Spring, Grace Roebel of Chicago, Mary Bertram of Fort Thomas and Kathy Markus of Alexandria; brothers, Bill and Mike Bertram, both of Cold Spring, Larry Bertram of California, Paul Bertram of Fort Thomas, Joe Bertram of Grants Lick and Elmer Bertram of Butler.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Cold Spring.
Kathryn Christian, 84, of Newport, died at 12:45 p.m. Monday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a retired inspector with Palm Beach Co., Newport.
Survivors include daughters, Kathryn Kelley of Indianapolis and Dolly Ann Hoeh of Newport; sisters, Helen Orchelle of Florence, Edith Strasinger of Cincinnati and Geneva Feldkamp of Fort Thomas; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at Fares J. Radel Funeral Home, Newport. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill.
George Collins, 72, of Villa Hills, died at 10 p.m. Sunday in Umatilla, Fla.
He was a retired employee of Frito-Lay Co., Cincinnati, and an Army veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Collins; a daughter, Patricia Collins Burk of Villa Hills; brothers, Charles Clayton of Murray and Bill Clayton of Hebron; sisters, Martha Daulton of Largo, Fla., Sue Iechoff of Bromley, Nell Estep of Covington and Betty Carder of Greensburg, Ind.; and a grandson.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Catchen Funeral Home, Elsmere. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill.
Robert Junior "Hawk" Hawkins, 68, of Newport, died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington. He was a retired Newport city worker and an Army veteran of the Korean War. His wife, Bernice Hawkins, died in 1973.
Survivors include a daughter, Emma Rose Marie Hawkins .
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Fares J. Radel Funeral Home, Newport. Visitation will begin there at 11 a.m. Friday.
Paula S. Kleman, 48, of Fort Mitchell, died Sunday at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga. She was owner of Paula's House Day Care in Fort Mitchell and a member of St. Joseph Church, Crescent Springs, where she sang in the choir.
Survivors include a sister, Carol Jean Scott of Marietta; a brother, Kenneth B. Klemen of Lakeside Park; nieces and nephews.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 6 p.m. Thursday at St. Joseph Church, Crescent Springs. Visitation will be from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington. Burial will be at 10 a.m. Friday in St. John Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Children's Hospital Medical Center, Hematology/Oncology Department, Development Office, VP2, 3333 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.
Dorothy Shepherd Lyons, 70, of Walton, died Tuesday at her home. She was a former assembler with Continental Electric Co.
Survivors include daughters, Shirley N. Brown of Southgate, Debra K. Luebbe of Florence and Phyllis M. Lyons of Walton; a son, Billy C. Lyons of Glendale, Ind.; a brother, Bobby Shepherd of Keavy; sisters, Evangeline Crawford of Corbin, Phyllis Stidham of Keavy, Brenda Leadbeater of Florence and Helen Lyons of Walton; seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to the family, in care of the funeral home, P. O. Box 6049, Florence, Ky. 41042.
John Philemon Norton, 71, of Union, died Monday at his home. He was a retired engineer with KECO Industries and was an Air Force veteran. Sons, John Norton Jr. and David Norton, both preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife, Jane Ann Kurth Norton; a daughter, Pamela Rohlfing of Southgate; a sister, Joan Heck of Middletown, Ohio; and four grandsons.
Private services will be at the convenience of the family. Cremation will be at Southwest Ohio Crematory, Milford, Ohio. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice. Linnemann Funeral Home, Burlington, is handling arrangements.
James Stone Pierce, 81, of Florence, died Friday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence. He was a self-employed building contractor and an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II.
Survivors include a son, Ray Scott of Florence; a sister, Winona Ellis of Florence; and brothers, John Pierce of Florence and David Pierce of Crittenden.
Services will be at the convenience of the family. Cremation will be at Hillside Chapel, Cincinnati. Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence, is handling arrangements.
Rose Ratliff, 79, of Fort Thomas, died at 1 a.m. Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, Covington. She was a retired nurse's aide at Lakeside Place Nursing Home, Highland Heights. A son, Ronald Ratliff, died in 2000.
Survivors include daughters, Denise Ratliff of Newport, Wilma Ratliff of Covington and Linda Piccirillo of Alexandria; sons, William Ratliff of Erlanger, Dennis Ratliff of Newport and Alan Ratliff of Fort Thomas; a brother, Aldred Belcher of Dorton; sisters, Hattie Bentley and Isa Huston, both of Dorton, Margie Moses of Richmond, Va., Opal Robertson of Dover, Del., and Thelma Ripley of Sandstone, Va.; nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas.
Sister Mary Regina, S.N.D., formerly Loretta O. Back, 86, of Park Hills, died Tuesday at St. Joseph Heights, Park Hills.
Arrangements are pending at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington.
Robert Thomas Shields Sr., 67, of Sanders, died Monday at Carroll County Memorial Hospital, Carrollton. He was a retired welder with Ortner Freight Co. and attended Paint Lick Baptist Church. His wife, Audrey Bell Shields, died in 1998.
Survivors include daughters, Sharon Suits of Salem, Crystal Sanders of Crittenden, Hazel Little of Murray and Jeannette Lutz of Marian; a son, Robert E. Shields Jr. of Warsaw; brothers, Lawrence Shields of Georgia, Donald Shields of Crescent Springs and Ray Shields of Erlanger; sisters, Shirley Huff of Lexington and Joan Shields of Cincinnati; 16 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Carlton-Lowder Funeral Home, Warsaw. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Saturday. Memorials are suggested to Paint Lick Baptist Church Building Fund, Steele Bottom Road, Warsaw, Ky. 41095.
Herbert H. Weyer, 73, of Mason, Ohio, formerly of Camp Springs and Fort Thomas, died April 9 at his home.
He worked in the trucking industry for 25 years, and was an Army veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife, Rita Braun Weyer; daughters, Patricia Bischoff, Paula Wood, Pamela Gottschall of West Chester, Ohio, and Peggy Braun of Miami Heights, Ohio; a son, Michael Weyer of Cincinnati; a brother, Lawrence Weyer of Highland Heights; and eight grandchildren.
Memorial Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Michael Church, Sharonville, Ohio. Memorials are suggested to St. Rita School for the Deaf, 1720 Glendale-Milford Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45215; or St. Michael Capital Campaign Fund, 11144 Spinner Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45241.
Melvin Whisner, 83, of Newport, died Monday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a retired Newport firefighter.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Whisner; sons, Garland Whisner of Covington, Tom Whisner of Winter Park, Fla., Terry Whisner of Cold Spring and Mark Whisner of Southgate; daughters, Sharon Carter of Newport, Cathy Gobble of Highland Heights and Beth Whisner of Erlanger; 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Memorials services will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Fares J. Radel Funeral Home, Newport.
Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate. Memorials are suggested to American Diabetes Association, 8899 Brookside Ave., West Chester, Ohio 45069.
