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Date of these obituaries: 09-10-2001
Charlotte McCracken, 1st woman on Boone Co. Board of Education
Charlotte McCracken made history and headlines 35 years ago when she became the first woman elected to the Boone County Board of Education, but she was not one to seek the spotlight.
"She was a very special person, but a very humble person, " said her son, David McCracken, of Tucson, Ariz. "I'm sure an awful lot of the good things she did will go unnoticed."
Mrs. McCracken, 69, died Saturday at her home in Florence.
Her interest in education sprang from her lifelong dream to be a school teacher. When she gave that up to be a wife and mother, she found other ways to advance the cause of learning.
She worked in her children's schools and served as president of the Yealey School PTA. She ran for the Boone Board and won a four-year term, serving from 1966 to 1970.
She also was instrumental in helping to start the first GED program in Northern Kentucky, working through the Community Action Commission in Newport to launch an initiative that helped dropouts and others earn their high school equivalency certificates.
Mrs. McCracken balanced those activities with a job, working 20 years for Levi Strauss in Florence. She was manager of quality assurance when she retired in 1989.
She was a past president of the Florence Industrial Park Secretarys Association.
David McCracken said his mother's community service made her many friends, some of them in high places. In the week before her death, Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning offered a resolution on the U.S. Senate floor asking for prayers for her. Gov. Paul Patton also called to ask about her.
"She influenced more lives than any other individual I've ever known, " David McCracken said. "She was a very giving, caring person."
Mrs. McCracken was a member of Lakeside Christian Church in Lakeside Park.
Other survivors include her husband, Robert McCracken; sons, Dennis McCracken of Nashville, Tenn., and Robert B. McCracken of Crestview Hills; her mother, Dicey Mae Weathers of Newport; sisters, Pauline Kennedy of Crescent Springs, Barbara MacLean of Phoenix, Ariz., and Nancy Works of Hebron; a brother, William E. Weathers III of Cleves, Ohio; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Lakeside Christian Church. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the church. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Lakeside Christian Church, 195 Buttermilk Pike, Lakeside Park, Ky. 41017, or American Cancer Society NCICFUL, P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, Ga. 30368. Stith Funeral Home, Florence, is handling arrangements.
Earl Adams, 70, of Carrollton, died Saturday at his home. He was a member of English Baptist Church. His wife and son both preceded him in death.
Survivors include sisters, Beverly Malin of Campbellsburg and Velma Bickers of Carrollton.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Graham-Dunn Funeral Home, Carrollton. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in English Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Northern Kentucky, 1403 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075; or English Baptist Church, 3449 U.S. 389, Carrollton, Ky. 41008.
Hargis Banta Jr., 69, of Warsaw, died Friday at his home. He was a retired tool and die maker and a member of Warsaw Baptist Church, where he was a deacon and Sunday school teacher. He was a Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife, Shelby Banta; a son, Richard Banta of Colorado Springs, Colo.; sisters, Patricia Corman of Nicholsville, Dorothy Master of Lexington and Opal Jones of Independence; a brother, Harold Banta of Latonia; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Carlton-Lowder Funeral Home, Warsaw. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Warsaw Cemetery.
Amos Glenn Bell, 76, of Williamstown, died of cancer Sunday at his home.
He was a retired repairman with General Motors, Cincinnati, a member of Williamstown United Methodist Church and Grant Lodge No. 85 in Williamstown, and was an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Edna Green Bell; sons, Alan Bell of Williamstown and Andy Bell of Walton; a daughter, Terry Magee of Mansfield, Ohio; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Eckler-Hudson Funeral Home, Dry Ridge. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hill Crest Cemetery, Dry Ridge. Memorials are suggested to Williamstown United Methodist Church, 206 Paris St., Williamstown, Ky. 41097.
Paul L. Curtis, 38, of Verona, died Saturday at his home. He was an adjuster supervisor with Duro Bag Co., and a member of Violet Ridge Church of Christ, Crittenden, and Walton-Verona Lodge No. 719 F&AM.
Survivors include a son, Thomas Grant Curtis of Flor ence; a sister, Cassandra Lee Curtis of Florence; his mother, Pearl Curtis of Walton; brothers, Jeff Curtis of Dry Ridge and Donnie Curtis of Walton; and sisters, Teresa Beach and Karen Oaks, both of Dry Ridge, and Sharon Mann of Walton.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Hamilton-Stanley Funeral Home, Verona. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in New Bethel Cemetery, Verona. Memorials are suggested to Violet Ridge Church of Christ, 1000 Violet Road, Crittenden, Ky. 41030.
Dan R. DiOrio, 77, of Erlanger, died Friday at his home. He was an auditor and a member of St. Henry Church, Elsmere.
Survivors include his wife, Joan Mueller DiOrio; sons, Dan J. DiOrio of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Ron E. DiOrio of Erlanger; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Henry Church. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested in the form of Masses or to Diocesan Catholic Children's Home, 75 Orphanage Road, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling arrangements.
Esther Elliott, 74, of Vevay, Ind., formerly of Dry Ridge, died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Joseph Church, Warsaw. Her husband, Jack Elliott, died in 1986. A son, James H. Elliott, also preceded her in death.
Survivors include sons, David Elliott and Tom Elliott, both of Dry Ridge, Jack Elliott of Crittenden and Tim Elliott of Vevay, Ind.; sisters, Jean Bell of Ocala, Fla., Miriam Alexander of Sparta and Mildred Frommeyer of Burlington; 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Church, Warsaw. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Carlton-Lowder Funeral Home, Warsaw. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Warsaw.
Eleanor Gash Fothergill, 69, of Carrollton, died Friday at University Hospital, Cincinnati. A former cheerleader for the University of Kentucky from 1950 to 1952, she was a cheerleader sponsor at Carroll County High School for 22 years and started the girls' track program at the school. She taught health and physical education at Carroll County High School and was a member and former board chairwoman of Carrollton Christian Church. She was a former vice-governor and vice-president of the Federation of Women's Club.
Survivors include her husband, James Fothergill; a son, Douglas M. Fothergill of Carrollton; a daughter, Jamee Rachael Reyes of Lexington; a sister, Mary Frances Bleidt of Charleston, W.Va.; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Carrollton Christian Church. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight and after 10 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Burial will be in IOOF Cemetery, Carrollton. Memorials are suggested to Carrollton Christian Church Flower Fund, 310 Fifth St., Carrollton, Ky. 41008. Graham-Dunn Funeral Home, Carrollton, is handling arrangements.
Cecelia "Ceil" Frede, 86, of Fort Wright, died Saturday at St. Charles Care Center, Covington. She was a sales clerk with Gidding-Jenny Co., Cincinnati. Her husband, Elmer J. Frede, died in 1983.
Survivors include daughters, Bea Ouellette of Alameda, Calif., and Marci Sucher of Florence; eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial was this morning at St. Charles Care Center. Burial was in St. Mary Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to St. Charles Care Center, 500 Farrell Drive, Covington, Ky. 41011. Ronald B. Jones Funeral Home, Ludlow, is handling arrangements.
Arthur R. Gumble, 80, of Crestview Hills, died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood.
Arrangements are pending at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia.
Franklin E. Howe Sr., 70, of Maysville, died at 4:20 p.m. Friday at St. Joseph Hospital, Lexington. He was a farmer and attended Central Baptist Church, Maysville. He was a Melvin Jones Fellow with Lions Club International, a past district governor of the Lion Club and former member of the Lewisburg Volunteer Fire Department. He was a member of the Lewisburg Lions Club and was a scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America.
Survivors include his wife, Martha Howe; a son, Elwood Howe of Lewisburg; a daughter, Lori Stanley of Lewisburg; a brother, Riley Howe of Lewisburg; a sister, Betty Keel of Fort Worth, Texas; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Brell Funeral Home, Maysville. Visitation will be after 5 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Wedonia Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, 301 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, Ky. 40202; or Central Baptist Church Building Fund, 437 Central Ave., Maysville, Ky. 41056.
Juanita Lindell, 62, of Lockport, formerly of Carrollton, died Friday at Audubon Hospital, Louisville. She was a union steward with United Steelworkers Union Local No. 183, LaGrange.
Survivors include her husband, James William Lindell; sons, Robert R. Lindell of Louisville, Donald A. Lindell of Shelbyville and Douglas W. Lindell of Lockport; a daughter, Debra Ann Tapp of LaGrange; brothers, Donnie Walker and Willard "Nick" Bethel, both of Carrollton; a sister, Sandra Wilson of Lexington; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services were this morning at Graham-Dunn Funeral Home, Carrollton. Burial was in IOOF Cemetery, Carrollton.
Frances B. Moore, 89, of Ludlow, died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. She was a homemaker. Her husband, Roger T. Moore, died in 1999.
Survivors include a son, Thomas Moore of Demossville; sisters, Rosella Adkins of Ludlow and Nellie Stellman of Michigan City, Ind.; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Ronald B. Jones Funeral Home, Ludlow. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Oscar Clark Nichols, 86, of Cynthiana, died Friday at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana. He was a retired employee of Bundy Tubing Co., Harrison County, and a member of Lair United Methodist Church, Harrison County. A daughter, Barbara Lois Nichols, preceded him in death.
Survivors include a son, Joseph Wayne Nichols of Lexington; daughters, Teresa Anne Nichols West of Lexington and Sandra Nichols Howard of Aurora, Ill.; brothers, Jonathan Nichols of Cynthiana, Mac Nichols, Marshall Nichols and James Nichols, all of Harrison County, and George Nichols of Bourbon County; a sister, Sue Carl of Cynthiana; eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Ware Funeral Home, Cynthiana. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Battle Grove Cemetery, Cynthiana.
Amos Charles Ruschman, 85, of Melbourne, died Sunday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a retired employee of Clover Leaf Dairy, Newport, and the former Monmouth Federal Savings & Loan Co. in Newport.
Survivors include his wife, Alma G. Ruschman; sons, Elmer Ruschman of Canoga Park, Calif., and Robert Ruschman of Melbourne; daughters, Mary Yeager of Southgate, Sue Beiting and Karen Ruschman, both of Melbourne, Ann Coomer of Palmyra, Ind., and Jean Macht of Alexandria; brothers, Edward Ruschman and Elmer Ruschman, both of Melbourne; sisters, Frieda Boyers of Southgate, Lillian Rice of Ocala, Fla., Mary Jane Thaler of Fort Thomas and Viola M. Geiger of Melbourne; 19 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Church, Camp Springs. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Alexandria Funeral Home. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Camp Springs. Memorials are suggested to St. Joseph School, 225 Four Mile Road, Melbourne, Ky. 41059.
Walter G. Shinn, 76, of Homosassa, Fla., formerly of Covington, died Saturday at Cyprus Cove Care Center in Crystal River, Fla. He was a retired installer with Western Electric Co., Cincinnati, and a Navy veteran of World War II. His wife, Barbara Jane Shinn, died in 1983. A son, Steve Douglas Shinn, died in 1994.
Survivors include a son, Gordon R. Shinn of Dublin, Va., a daughter, Dixie L. Simmons of Fort Wright; sisters, Robin Faulconer of Taylor Mill and Bootsie Sweeney of Cincinnati; half-sisters, Patricia Boley of Herndon, Va., Carol Shinn of Naples, Fla., and Deborah Shepherd of Blue Ridge, Va.; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Wednesday at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill.
Thelma White Welte, 76, of Augusta, died Saturday at Highlands of Fort Thomas nursing home. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Augustine Church, Augusta.
Survivors include her husband, Robert Stephen Welte; sons, Mark Stephen Welte of Derby, Kan., and Lonny Dale Welte of Augusta; a sister, Mary Sue Habermehl of Augusta; and three granddaughters.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Augustine Church, Augusta. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Moore and Parker Funeral Home, Augusta. Burial will be in St. Augustine Cemetery, Augusta. Memorials are suggested to St. Augustine School, Augusta, Ky. 41002; or the charity of the donor's choice.
Evelyn L. Curtsinger Witt, 83, of Latonia, died at 5:08 p.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington.
She was a homemaker and attended Bible Baptist Church, Taylor Mill. Her husband, William Elwood Witt, died in 1995. A daughter, Mary Jo Hollon, died in 1986.
Survivors include a son, Don Witt of Independence; brothers, Richard Curtsinger and Clarence Curtsinger, both of Bardstown and James Curtsinger of Georgia; sisters, Dorothy Crowe, Annabelle Curtsinger and Kathy Curtsinger, all of Bardstown, Mary Alice Taylor of Jackson, Ohio, and Dessie Hawthorne of Winterhaven, Fla.; eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Tuesday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Covington Moose Lodge, 5247 Taylor Mill Road, Taylor Mill, Ky. 41015.
