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Date of these obituaries: 02-02-2001
Donald Garretson, community leader
For the past five years, Donald DeHart Garretson turned a personal medical problem into a clean-up program that helped his fellow Erlanger residents.
About 10 years ago, Mr. Garretson suffered a heart attack and his doctor ordered him to get more exercise. So Mr. Garretson began walking more than a mile a day.
Mr. Garretson gradually increased the length of his walks and in 1995 began picking up trash along the way.
His neighbors appreciated his work so much that they offered to drive him around. But Mr. Garretson refused the rides and kept up his daily routine.
His wife, Alice Rose Massie Garretson, said in a Post interview several years ago that her husband made many friends on his walks.
"He's met more people in the past year than I have in 30 years of living in this neighborhood, " Mrs. Garretson said.
Mr. Garretson, 90, of Erlanger, died Wednesday at Helen Ellis Hospital in Tarpon Springs, Fla.
He was a retired musician and singer in supper clubs and hotel lounges in the 1930s and '40s, a tool cutter, men's suit salesman and a manager of Harold and Pell General Motors Dealership and Harold and Pell Theater Co. in Indiana. He was also a district permits supervisor for the Indiana State Highway Department from 1969-75.
He was a baseball fan, having managed the Rushville Merchants amateur baseball team in the 1950s, and was a former Rushville, Ind., city council member. Mr. Garretson was a member of Main Street Christian Church and Florence Christian His first wife, Marjorie Mattox Garretson, died in 1983.
Besides his wife, Mr. Garretson is also survived by his sons, Donald B. Garretson of Tom's River, N.J., James D. Garretson of Carmel, Ind., and Richard M. Garretson of Crown Point, N.J.; stepdaughters, Carla Custer of Brentwood, Tenn., and Paula Price of Pueblo, Colo.; a brother, Rev. A. Cadman Garretson of Hayden Point, Idaho; a sister, Elsie Simons of Hannibal, Mo.; 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cypress Pointe Campground in Palm Harbor, Fla., and at 11 a.m. Feb. 17 at Moster & Cox Funeral Home in Rushville, Ind. Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. Feb. 17 until the time of services at the funeral home. Burial will be in East Hill Cemetery, Rushville.
William "Ernie" Cox, 76, of Fort Mitchell, died Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a former manager with the Erlanger LaRosa's and a retired employee of the Internal Revenue Service. He was a Navy veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Lucille Cox; sons, Bill Eilers of Fort Mitchell and Joe Eilers of Florida; daughters, Barbara Tobergte of Verona and Joyce Schuh of Alexandria; a sister, Edith Gibson of Oakley, Ohio; 14 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at First Church of God, Florence. Entombment will be in Forest Lawn Mausoleum, Erlanger. Memorials are suggested to World War II Memorial Fund, P. O. Box 96766, Washington, D.C. 20090.
Elizabeth Fossitt, 90, of Morehead, formerly of Falmouth, died Thursday at her home.
Arrangements are pending at Woodhead Funeral Home, Falmouth.
Sebly Franks, 83, of Falmouth, died Thursday at River Valley Nursing Home, Butler. She was a nurse's aide with St. Luke Hospital Care Unit, Falmouth, and in hospitals in Alaska and New Mexico, and a member of Falmouth Christian Church.
Survivors include a brother, Adrian Cummins of Falmouth; sisters, Marguerite Spears of Fort Wright and Pauline Glasson of Corpus Christi, Texas.
No services are planned. Mrs. Franks bequeathed her body to science. Peoples Funeral Home, Falmouth, is handling arrangements.
Mayme Louise Hensley Gaines, 97, of Florence, died Monday at Florence Park Care Center.
She was a member of Petersburg Methodist Church and was involved with the Boone County Democratic Women's Club. A daughter, Dorothy Riddinger, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a sister, Ruth Lissing of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Services will be at noon Saturday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Petersburg Cemetery.
Henry F. Heidel, 82, of Indianapolis, formerly of Northern Kentucky, died Thursday at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Ind. He was a retired tool and die maker with Cincinnati Time Recorder and Liebel- Flarsheim, and a member of Mother of God Church, Covington, and Bradford Masonic Lodge No. 123, Independence.
Survivors include his wife, Helen Beck Heidel; a daughter, Sharon Lachmann; sons, Eugene Heidel and Jeff Heidel; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday at Mother of God Church. Memorials are suggested to St. Ann Church, 2862 S. Holt Road, Indianapolis, Ind. 46241. Conkle Funeral Home, Lynhurst Chapel, Indianapolis, is handling arrangements.
Emily Alice Hendren, 77, of Carrollton, died Tuesday at Norton's Hospital, Louisville. She was an Avon representative. Her husband, Richard Hendren, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a daughter, Barbara Marie Lewellyn of Ghent; brothers, Jessie Carl Harsley Jr. and Donald Lee Harsley, both of Norman, Okla.; a sister, Lida Marie McCutcheon of Florida; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Graham-Dunn Funeral Home, Carrollton. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Carrollton Cemetery.
Jerry Kiser, 55, of Florence, died at 8:43 p.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth medical Center South, Edgewood.
He was a supervisor and teacher with The Point, Covington, and a member of Life Abundant Ministries.
Survivors include his wife, Judy Hilligas Kiser; a stepson, Jeff Harris of Elsmere; a stepdaughter, Julie Harris of Florence; a brother, Charles Kiser of Florence; sisters, Gloria Morgan of Walton, Christine Hughes of Independence and Patty Stevens of Chicago; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Saturday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2A, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Hazel T. Daniels Knapke, 88, of Indianapolis, died Wednesday at Community South Hospital in Indianapolis. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Mark Church in Indianapolis, and a former member of Sacred Heart Church, Bellevue. Her husband, Wilbur Knapke, preceded her in death.
Survivors include sons, Don Knapke of Indianapolis and Wilbur Knapke Jr. of Frankfort; a daughter, Terry Presson of Tulsa, Okla.; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Sacred Heart Church, Bellevue. Visitation will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Bellevue. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas.
William Hayden Lillard, 78, of Dry Ridge, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired self-employed Realtor and owner of Lillard Real Estate Agency, Grant County. He was a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church, where he was a former Sunday school teacher, a member of Crittenden Fire Department Board and was an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Marcella Lawrence Lillard; a son, Ronnie P. Lillard of Dry Ridge; daughters, Sondra Taylor of Crittenden and Rhea Lee Kennedy of Dry Ridge; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Grant County. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 tonight at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Crittenden, and from 10 a.m. Saturday until the time of services at the church. Burial will be in Hill Crest Cemetery, Dry Ridge. Memorials are suggested to Mount Zion Baptist Church, Mount Zion, Ky. 42553.
Lorimer "Lam" Miller, 69, of Fort Wright, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired letter carrier with the U.S. Post Office, Newport, and an Army veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include a daughter, Tina Shafer of Cincinnati; sons, Gary Miller and Jeff Miller, both of Cincinnati; sisters, Rosemary Miller and Nancy Wolke, both of Newport, and Audrey Franxman of Covington; a brother, Thomas Miller of Erlanger; and four grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Fares J. Radel Funeral Home, Newport. Visitation will begin there at 11 a.m. Saturday. Cremation will be at Fares J. Radel Crematory, Cincinnati. Memorials are suggested to Multiple Sclerosis Society, 4660 Lake Forest Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.
Edward Mitts, 57, of Bellevue, died Wednesday at his home. He was an optician with Diversified Opthalmics.
His wife, Kathleen Mitts, died in 1998.
Survivors include daughters, Heather Hopper and Rebecca Mitts, both of Bellevue; a sister, Eleanor Huff of Elsmere; and a brother, Sonny Mitts of Newport.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Anthony Church, Bellevue. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested to St. Anthony Church, 320 Poplar St., Bellevue, Ky. 41073.
