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Date of these obituaries: 06-07-2001
Rev. Harold Berrian, minister and teacher
Harold Berrian always knew that God wanted him to educate people.
Whether as minister who traveled the United States for 50-plus years or as an elementary school teacher in New Jersey, Rev. Berrian found his greatest joy in watching others grow, both spiritually and mentally.
"When it came to preaching, he really knew how to connect with people, " said Ruth Berrian, his wife of 53 years.
"He was very humble, and I think that made people feel at ease around him."
Rev. Harold Berrian Sr., 75, of Taylor Mill, died Wednesday at his home.
He was a retired elementary school teacher from Pennsville School District in New Jersey and an ordained minister. He served as a pastor of Nazarene churches in New Jersey, Delaware, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
For most of his life, Rev. Berrian followed a simple routine, teaching school during the week while traveling to preaching engagements on weekends. His sermons became so well known in the eastern United States that churches would call to book him if their own pastors needed someone to fill in, said his wife.
It was on such a visit to Marcushook, Pa., in his college days that Rev. Berrian met his wife, Ruth, the daughter of a local preacher. The two exchanged addresses and sent letters to each other when he was serving in the Navy during World War II. After his military service ended, the two married.
Other survivors include daughters, Janice Hill of Sayre, Pa., and Charlene Dixon of Fort Thomas; a son, Rev. Harold F. Berrian Jr. of Ashland; brothers, Ira Berrian Jr. of Schenectady, N.Y., and Rev. Ronald Berrian of Edgewater, Fla.; sisters, Effie Genre of Schenectady, N.Y., Margaret Kauffman of Elmira, N.Y., and Helen Jean Hoffman of Fort Myers, Fla.; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Saturday at Newport First Church of the Nazarene. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate. Fares J. Radel Funeral Home, Newport, is handling arrangements.
Memorials are suggested to the Newport Nazarine Church, 830 York St., Newport, Ky., 41071, or the Home Health and Hospice Program at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, 401 East 20th St., Covington Ky. 41014.
Injuries claim drag racer
Dennis Ray Baker Jr. died doing what he loved.
Heavily involved in drag racing, Baker was expecting his newly built rail car to be the best thing yet.
But Baker, 31, of Erlanger, crashed during a test run last week and died Tuesday at University Hospital in Cincinnati.
The throttle stuck on the car Friday at Edgewater Park Raceway in Cleves, Ohio, said Baker's brother, Scott Baker, of Covington.
"He was giving the brakes everything he had, and he ran up against the wall to slow it down, " Scott Baker said. "When he pulled his chute and the car rolled, he hit his head on the roll cage. It broke the C-7 vertebra."
Doctors told Dennis Baker he would be paralyzed from the waist down. He developed an infection, and his condition began to worsen on Sunday.
"The doctors couldn't explain, but I don't think he wanted a life like that, " Scott Baker said.
Dennis Baker told his mother, Brenda: "Mom, I just can't do this, "
"She said that's when he made the decision . . . and all through the day his temperature went up until Tuesday his heart gave out, and we lost him, " Scott Baker said.
The accident happened just as things seemed to be looking up for Dennis Baker. He fell in love and got engaged. He loved the job he landed six months ago at the Toyota North American Parts Center in Hebron as a forklift operator. He even had the truck of his dreams.
At Toyota, plans are under way to establish a memorial fund in Baker's name to assist employees who have lost family members.
Survivors, in addition to his mother and brother, include his father, Dennis Baker Sr. of Erlanger; a sister, Mary Beth Kemper of Independence; grandparents, Elza and Etta Blackburn of Covington; and his fiancee, Melissa Koch of Cincinnati.
Services will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Burlington.
Visitation will be from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger.
Memorials are suggested to Erlanger Lions Eyesight Fund, P. O. Box 18486, Erlanger, Ky. 41018, or to the Reeve-Irvine Research Center for Spinal Cord Injuries, in care of UCI Foundation, Reeve-Irvine Research Center, University of California-2107 GNRF, Irvine, Calif. 92620.
Ruth E. Bacia, 77, of Covington, died at 6:23 p.m. Tuesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas.
She was a retired counter worker with Batsakes Dry Cleaners in Cincinnati.
Survivors include her husband, John D. Bacia; two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Friday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Friday. Burial will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Nicholasville Cemetery.
Emily Williams Dedman, 85, of Cynthiana, died Wednesday at Harrison Memorial Hospital, Cynthiana. She was a homemaker and a member of First United Methodist Church, the Democratic Woman's Club of Harrison County, Harrison County Red Cross and Women's Club of Harrison County. She was a former member of Cynthiana Christian Church and a former employee of Clara Shoppe of Cynthiana and Paritz of Lexington. Her husband, Thomas A. Dedman, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a son, James C. Dedman of Cynthiana; a daughter, Mary Dedman Gleason of Minneapolis; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday 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. Memorials are suggested to Cynthiana Christian Church Scholarship Fund, North St., Cynthiana, Ky. 40601.
Chester Ecklar, 86, of Corinth, died Wednesday at Samaritan Hospital, Lexington.
Arrangements are pending at Rogers Funeral Home, Corinth.
Harry George Fischer, 80, of Edgewood, died at 5:02 a.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood. He was a retired electrical contractor and a Navy veteran of World War II. He was a member of Holy Cross Church, Latonia, and Louisville American Legion Post No. 200.
Survivors include his wife, Rita Hathaway Fischer; a sister, Glorianne Carlin of Hilton Head Island, S.C.; and brothers, Jack Fischer of Daytona, Fla., Jay Fischer of Cambridge, Ohio, and Richard Fischer of Florence.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Church. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia. Prayers will be at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.
Laura Mae Flora, 77, of Cincinnati, formerly of Covington, died Thursday at her home. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Covington.
Survivors include a son, Rodney Hamberick; and a sister, Dorothy Tyler.
Services will be at 7 tonight at Johnson Brown Funeral Home, Cincinnati. Visitation will begin there at 6 p.m. Burial will be in Baltimore Pike Cemetery, Cincinnati.
Nicholas D. Gammal Jr., 77, of St. Petersburg, Fla., formerly of Covington, died Monday at his home. He was a master with the U.S. Maritime Service, a veteran of World War II and a member of St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church, St. Petersburg.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret E. Kloentrup Gammal; a daughter, Ranzy M. Gammal of Norfolk, Va.; a son, Nicholas D. Gammal III; brothers, Vincent Gammal of Houston and Gary Gammal of Sonoma, Calif.; and one grandson.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church. Visitation will begin there at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Brett Funeral Home, St. Petersburg, is handling arrangements.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 2 p.m. Friday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church. Visitation will begin there at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Brett Funeral Home, St. Petersburg, is handling arrangements.
Webster Hocker, 72, of Covington, died Saturday in Mount Pleasant, S.C. He was a retired machinist and a member of VFW Post No. 7453.
Survivors include a daughter, Stacey Hocker; sons, Redd Hocker and Jeremiah Myers; brothers, Green Hocker, Kenneth Hocker and I.G. Hocker; a sister, Charity Hocker; stepchildren, Helen Harleston, Latonya Campbell, Aduke Sonubi, Neal Smith and Gwendolyn Smith.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at United Community Christian Church, Covington. Burial will be in Mary Smith Memorial Cemetery, Elsmere. Jones and Simpson Funeral Home, Covington, is handling arrangements.
Joseph Jett, 67, of Fort Thomas, died Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a security officer with ADT Security, a bartender with John R. Little VFW Post No. 3186 in Southgate and an Army veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Willa Jett; a son, Joseph Jett Jr. of Alexandria; daughter, Debbie Worley of Florence; a sister, Dorothy Dempsey of Fort Thomas; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Bellevue. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Friday. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate. Memorials are suggested to American Lung Association, 11113 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.
James Johnson, 70, of Las Vegas, formerly of Fort Thomas, died Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Arrangements are pending at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport.
Juanita Caldwell Lewellen, 74, of Ryland Heights, died at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood.
She was a past chairman of the board of the Ryland Heights Fire Protection District and a tax adviser and bookkeeper with the City of Ryland Heights.
Survivors include her husband, Kenneth E. Lewellen.
Services will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill.
Visitation will be from 4 to 6:45 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Memorials are suggested to Ryland Heights Community Fire Department, 10041 Decoursey Pike, Ryland Heights, Ky. 41015.
Beatrice Robb, 78, of Latonia, died at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood.
Arrangements are pending at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia.
Kathryn Toni Wedderstrand Voelker, 31of Covington, died at 4:12 a.m. Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include a son, Michael Kordes of Demossville; daughters, Sarah Voelker, Hannah Voelker and Elizabeth Voelker, all of Fort Wright, and Heaven Voelker of Covington; her parents, William L. Wedderstrand and Sandra L. Forman Wedderstrand of Holly Hill, Fla.; a brother, Scott Wedderstrand of Covington; and grandmother, Lucretia Brun of Deland, Fla.
Private services will be at the convenience of the family. Cremation will be at Hillside Chapel, Cincinnati. Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia, is handling arrangements.
Julia Wilson, 84, formerly of Richwood, died at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday at Mercy Franciscan Hospital, Cincinnati.
Arrangements are pending at Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
