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Date of these obituaries: 03-17-2000
Covington native Kirby was famous TV sidekick
Durward Kirby, a Covington native who grew up in the 1800 block of Greenup Street and landed one of his early jobs in broadcasting at WLW-AM, has died at age 88.
Kirby, best remembered as the sidekick to comedian and host Garry Moore, died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at Shell Pointe Village Pavillion, a nursing home in Fort Myers in southwest Florida, his son, Randall Kirby, said.
When he returned to Greater Cincinnati in 1991 for his induction into the Greater Cincinnati Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Kirby fondly recalled growing up on Greenup Street, swimming naked ("There were no girls around.") in the Ohio, attending the St. Benedict parish school and then moving to Fort Thomas.
By the time he was about 15, the family moved to Indianapolis, which is listed in at least one reference book as his birthplace although there is no dispute about where he spent his most formative years.
After attending Purdue University where he first worked in radio, Kirby moved back to Cincinnati and took a job with WLW, the powerful AM station that once transmitted over a 500,000 watt signal that could cover a couple of continents.
In 1937, two years after he began work at WLW, Kirby covered one of the biggest stories in Cincinnati history: the devastating flood that left much of the city underwater and finally convinced the federal government that it must millions in controlling the Ohio River.
Kirby told Post columnist Nick Clooney about a perilous moment in the flood coverage.
Although he had been out on a boat surveying the damage throughout the flood, Kirby said he remembered feeling most threatened when he was on the air at the old Colerain Avenue studios for WLW.
The ground floor of the building was underwater when a flammable liquid from storage tanks that had been knocked loose caught fire and threatened the building where he was working.
Although he held a number of jobs on TV and radio, he is probably best remembered for his work with Moore, an on-air partner off and on for 30 years.
He was an announcer and performer on Moore's early, live "The Garry Moore Show" on CBS-TV in 1950-51 and the highly successful variety show of the same name that ran from 1958-64 and 1966-6 7.
The variety show was known for making a star of Carol Burnett and for its nostalgia segments, called "That Wonderful Year."
Kirby was co-host of "Candid Camera" from 1961-66. The show created by Allen Funt, which secretly filmed unsuspecting citizens in amusing situations, had at one point been a segment of "The Garry Moore Show." Kirby occasionally took part in the pranks.
Kirby could be sketch actor, singer, dancer and with ease switch from slapstick to suave sales pitches for a sponsor's product. He became so well-known to TV viewers that the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons had a plotline about the search for "Kirward Derby," which could make its wearer the smartest man in the world.
In a 1960s interview, Kirby said: "I've done just about everything in broadcasting - cover ed news, special events, disasters, sports, political conventions. I've had a news commentary sho w, done interviews, audience participation shows, sold products."
Pope once honored Gertrude Roesel
Gertrude Mary Ross Roesel of Villa Hills was a strong Catholic with a weakness for children whose volunteer work prompted a special citation from the pope.
Mrs. Roesel went to church every day and worked more than 25 years as a medical assistant to local pediatricians.
She was honored by the pope in the 1970s for her volunteer work for the Sisters of Notre Dame and Catholic Social Services.
"She had an Irish sense of humor and just a real sincere love for children," said a son, Joseph F. Roesel of Crestview Hills.
Mrs. Roesel died Thursday morning at Madonna Manor in Villa Hills. She was 91.
Mrs. Roesel was born in Cincinnati and grew up in Newport.
She was a medical assistant for a succession of pediatricians, including Robert Biltz of Newport and Elmer DeVillez and Eduardo Remo, both of Covington.
Mrs. Roesel was a member of St. Stephen Church in Newport, the Third Order of St. Francis, St. Stephen Mother's Club, St. Anne Altar Society and the Notre Dame Academy PTA.
For more than 50 years, Mrs. Roesel and her husband, Edward Roesel, worked at a booth at the Fourth of July festival. He died in 1955 and another son, Earl Roesel, died in 1995.
Mrs. Roesel made afghans and gave them away as gifts or prizes in fund-raisers.
She got her last job when she was 72, working nine years for the Diocese of Covington's cemetery office.
Besides her son, Mrs. Roesel is survived by a daughter, Mary Estelle Roesel of Fort Wright, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Stephen Church in Newport.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Swindler and Currin Funeral Home in Latonia.
Burial will be in St. Stephen cemetery in Fort Thomas.
Memorials are suggested to Madonna Manor, 2344 Amsterdam Road, Villa Hills, Ky. 41017; or Catholic Social Services, 3629 Church St., Covington, Ky. 41015.
Dr. Robert J. Burkart, 85, of Highland Heights, died at 3:45 a.m. Wednesday at his home. He was a chiropractor and a member of the Kentucky Chiropractic Association, the Fifth District Association, VFW Post No. 5662 in Newport and the St. Joseph Credit Union. He was an Army vetera n of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Lauretta Burkart; a daughter, Debra Foss of Alexandria; and a sister, Ruth Ann Burkart of Alexandria.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Dr. Burkart donated his body to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Catchen Funeral Home, Elsmere, is handling arrangements. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Northern Kentucky, 1043 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075.
Bonnie J. Ponder Hurley, 77, of Taylor Mill, died at 5:15 a.m. Thursday at Florence Park Care Center. She was a homemaker and a member of Livingston Baptist Church. Her husband, George William Hurley, died in 1988.
Survivors include sons, Dan J. Hurley of Marion, Ohio, Ted T. Hurley of Burlington, Ken D. Hurley of Minnetonka, Minn., and Larry O. Hurley of Edgewood; brothers, Earl Ponder and Don Ponder, both of Livingston; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill. Visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Scottish Rite Language Foundation, 1553 Madison Ave., Covington, Ky. 41011.
Patricia Lynn Kinjerski, 46, of Hebron, died Monday at her home after an extended illness. She was a regional manager with AAI/Foster Grant.
Survivors include her husband, Stephen Kinjerski; her mother, Helen Hanson Genke of Hebron; and brothers, Randall "Butch" Genke of Minong, Wis., Stanley Genke and Alik Genke, both of Appleton, Wis., and Kevin Genke of Florence.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Our Savior Lutheran Church, Green Bay, Wis. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 tonight at Malcore East Funeral Home, Green Bay. Burial will be in Green Bay. Linnemann Funeral Home, Burlington, is handling arrangements.
Lance Bartlett Miller, 50, of Independence, died Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood.
Survivors include sisters, Nancy Ballinger of Independence and Lyn Dillon of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and a brother, Brian Miller of Frankfort.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Independence. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Special Olympics of Northern Kentucky, P. O. B ox 393, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Rose L. Maddox Pape, 82, of Alexandria, died Thursday at her home. She was a central supply worker with Speers Hospital in Dayton, Carmel Manor in Fort Thomas and St. Jude Hospital in Fullerton, Calif. Her husband, Edward Pape, died in 1973. A son, Gordon "Boots" Pape, died in 1984. A daughter, Nancy Gross, died in 1995.
Survivors include sons, Dennis Pape and Rick Pape, both of Alexandria, Paul Pape of Appling, Ga., Allen Pape, James Pape and Robert Pape, all of California; daughters, Wanda Doll of Santa Clara, Calif., and Dottie Hemphill of Grants Lick; 29 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.< p> Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Main Street Baptist Church, Alexandria. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Alexandria Funeral Home. Burial will be in Alexandria Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Northern Kentucky, 1403 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075; or the charity of the donor's choice.
Elmer Williams, 70, of Dayton, died Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a truck driver with IRC&D; Trucking Co., and a member of Henry Barnes Masonic Lodge in Dayton, Teamsters Union Local No. 100 in Cincinnati and Disabled American Veterans. He was an Air Force veteran. A son, Allen Williams, preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife, Judy Williams; daughters, Karen Bertram and Sandy Jones, both of Vine Grove, and Roxanna Howard of Norwood, Ohio; sons, Bo Williams of Williamstown, Danny Williams of Jonesville and John Williams of Dayton; 18 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Bellevue. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Monday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to American Lung Association, 11113 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.
Ruth E. Ziegler, 83, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, formerly of Bromley, died March 10 in Cape Elizabeth. She was a homemaker. Her husband, Edward S. Ziegler, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a son, E. Stephen Ziegler of Minneapolis; a sister, Loraine Lambert; and one granddaughter.
Private services will be at the convenience of the family. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Alzheimer's Disease Association, 644 Linn St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45203; or the charity of the donor's choice. Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia, is handling arrangements.
