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Date of these obituaries: 12-27-1999
Ross Perin, a Santa for 49 years
Ross Perrin, who spent 49 years playing Santa at nursing homes, hospitals, churches and child care centers, died on Christmas day at the Grand Haven Nursing Home in Cynthiana. He was 83.
Mr. Perrin, of Paris, was a longtime Berry resident and had been a charter member and former chief of the Berry Volunteer Fire Department. He was drafted to be the fire department's Santa in 1949, and the role became a lifelong tradition.
"He was such a natural," said his daughter, Bonnie Garner of Independence. "He was the perfect size for Santa. And he was always laughing. He was always trying to help people. It wasn't a put-on thing with him.
"He would start the day after Thanksgiving. By Dec. 15 he would have three engagements a day."
He played Santa for the cities of Falmouth and Cynthiana. He enjoyed visiting nursing homes, spending time talking with the residents. And he delighted in children.
"Mothers would bring children who were scared of Santa, but they'd never cry with him," Mrs. Garner said. "He just had a way with them. Children went right to him."
When he married
Velma Courtney, she had six children. They immediately became a family.
"He wouldn't let anyone call us 'step' children; we were his children," said Mrs. Garner. "He taught us all to drive. He raised us and he loved us. He was our dad."
Velma Courtney Perrin died in 1994 and he later married
Mary Wells Perrin.
He had a warmth of spirit that enveloped all he met, Mrs. Garner said. He was a charter member and past president of the Berry Lions Club and was chairman of the eyeglass program which provided free glasses for those who couldn't afford them.
"He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it," Mrs. Garner said. Panhandlers always got a handout from Mr. Perrin. "Even if they were people who could have gotten a job, his attitude was 'If I help them a little, that will encourage them,' " Mrs. Garner said.
He was retired from Bundy Tool & Die Company in Cynthiana. He was a member of the Berry Masonic Lodge #164, and of Herrington Methodist Church in Paris. He was the first president of the Humane Society in Pendleton County, and a member of the Rural Harrison Volunteer Fire Department.
He upheld the tradition of Santa, with his own tailor-made suit of red velvet and white fur and his gentle manner with children young and old. But in every other undertaking, Mr. Perrin delighted in overturning tradition.
"He did not go along with the crowd," Mrs. Garner said. "If something was always done a certain way, he'd find a different way to do it."
Mrs. Garner plans to carry out her father's plan for his own funeral: "He does not want people to send flowers. But he wants me to have two big containers of flowers there." She will give the flowers to the guests. Instead of people sending flowers to him, he will send flowers home with them, Mrs. Garner said.
The last time he donned his Santa suit was in 1998. His health had already started to fail, but he fulfilled an abbreviated schedule of appearances. He was ill through most of 1999, and his condition worsened dramatically early last week. "They thought he wouldn't make it on Tuesday," Mrs. Garner said. "But I knew he wouldn't leave before Christmas."
Other Survivors include his wife, Mary Wells Perrin; sons, Clarence Courtney Jr. of Berry and Johnny Courtney of Cynthiana; daughters, Carrie Back of Morehead, Betty Adams of Berry, and Dorothy Roberts of Lexington; 14 grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Woodhead Funeral Home, Falmouth. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 tonight at the funeral home, with Masonic services at 7 p.m. Burial will be in Pythian Grove Cemetery, Berry. Memorials are suggested to Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Route 2, Box 216A, Williamstown, Ky. 41097; Hospice of the Bluegrass, 508 Pike St., Cynthiana, Ky. 41031; or Herrington Methodist Church, Paris, Ky. 40361.
Edwin J. "Eddie" Bach Jr., 73, of Alexandria, died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood. He was a retired supervisor for Mastercraft Metals, Bellevue, and a Navy veteran of World War II. He attended Eastside Christian Church, Butler, and was a charter member of Alexandria Lions Club, and a member of the VFW, Masonic Lodge and Super Seniors Club, Alexandria.
Survivors include his wife, Aileen Bach; a daughter, Georgia Lee Sircle of Edgewood and one granddaughter.
Services will be private. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Cooper Funeral Home, Grants Lick. Burial will be in Alexandria Cemetery.
Phillip I. Billiter, 46, of Crescent Springs, died at 4:26 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood.
Arrangements are pending at Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
Guy Butler Jr., 71, of Covington, died at 5 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North in Covington.
Arrangements are pending at Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
Nelson Cheeks, 67, of Crittenden, died at 10:30 a.m Sunday at his residence.
Arrangements are pending at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Independence.
Robert J. Comp, 75, of Erlanger, died Saturday at Harrison House Nursing Home in Cincinnati. He was a retired mechanic for Trans World Airlines. He was a member of Erlanger United Methodist Church, where he was a member of the choir. His wife, Phyllis Comp, died in 1983.
Survivors include sons, James Comp of Elsmere, Daniel Comp of Villa Hills and Douglas Comp of Erlanger; a daughter, Lisa Salter of Erlanger; brothers, Glenn Comp of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and James Comp of Manchester, N.H.; and five grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Erlanger United Methodist Church. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Erlanger United Methodist Church, 31 Commonwealth Ave., Erlanger, Ky. 41018. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling arrangements.
Ruth Moore Craig, 81, of Harrison County, died Saturday at Woodford Memorial Hospital in Versailles. She was a retired underwriter for Investors Heritage Life Insurance Co. and a farmer.
Survivors include sons, Jonathan Craig of Frankfort and David Craig of Atlanta; a daughter, Sharon Craig Tolliver of Lexington; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Pendleton County. Peoples Funeral Home, Falmouth, is handling arrangements.
Georgie L. Dickerson, 66, of Florence, died Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North in Covington. She was a retired machine operator for Johnson Control and a member of Union Baptist Church.
Survivors include daughters, Anna Sue Parrett of Erlanger, Brenda Stearns of Albany and Mildred Brown of Morning View; sisters, Rena Wallace and Mary Lee Neal, both of Albany; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Hamilton-Stanley Funeral Home, Verona. Visitation will begin at noon Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in New Bethel Cemetery.
John E. "Jay" Ehrenfels, 43, of Cincinnati, died Saturday at Hospice of Cincinnati. He was a retired postal clerk and a Navy veteran. He was a member of St. John Church, West Chester, Ohio, and he taught fourth-grade CCD classes and was executive producer for Cincinnati singer Tracy Walker.
Survivors include his parents, Howard and Alberta Mairose Ehrenfels of Erlanger; brothers, James Ehrenfels of Florence and Thomas Ehrenfels of Silver Grove; and sisters, Marianne Thalheimer of Clermont County and Julie Ehrenfels of Cincinnati.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at St. John Church, West Chester. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Cincinnati. Vorhis Funeral Home, Springdale, Ohio, is handling arrangements.
Gertrude Taylor Wolford Harris, 75, of Hebron, died at 4:20 p.m. Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North Hospice in Covington. She was a homemaker and attended Florence Baptist Church. Two sons, George Wolford and Robert Wolford, both preceded her in death.
Survivors include her husband, Alfred B. Harris; a daughter, Lona VanHoose of Hebron; a son, Ronnie Wolford of Peebles, Ohio; sisters, Alice Coleman of South Lyon, Mich., and Della Varney of Williamson, W.Va.; nine grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Hebron. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hebron Lutheran Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to St. Elizabeth Hospice, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014.
Audrey Claire Hendren, 79, of Nokomis, Fla., formerly of Gallatin County, died Dec. 16 in Nokomis. She was a homemaker and a Baptist. Her husband, Cecil A. Hendren, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a daughter, Almedia Hendren of Nokomis, Fla.; sons, Forrest A. Hendren of Warsaw and Bill Hendren of Nokomis, Fla.; sisters, Lillian Lillard of Crystal River, Fla., and Lorraine Webster of Burlington; brothers, J.C. Noel and Oakley Noel, both of Glencoe; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Carlton-Lowder Funeral Home, Warsaw. Visitation will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
John B. Humbert, 81, of Cold Spring, died Thursday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a manager with General Electric, Cincinnati.
Survivors include his wife, Eunice Shaw Humbert; a son, John Michael Humbert of Alexandria; a daughter, Dianne Beineke of Alexandria; sisters, Sister Agnes Margaret of Melbourne and Evelyn Struebel of Livonia, Mich.; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandsons.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Radel Funeral Home, Highland Heights. Burial will be in Grandview Cemetery, Camp Springs. Memorials are suggested to Cynthia Shaw Crispen Fund, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, MN150, 800 Rose St., Lexington, Ky. 40536.
John "Jay" Hurst, 53, of Glencoe, died Sunday at St. Luke Hospital West in Florence. He was a life insurance agent and an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. He was a member of Glencoe Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Hurst; daughters, Kristina McCubin of Erlanger and Katie Hurst of Glencoe; sons, Jon Hurst of Warsaw and Brian Hurst of Erlanger; his mother, Dora Hurst of Walton; a sister, Elizabeth Wyrick of Independence; a brother, Danny Hurst of Warsaw; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Carlton-Lowder Funeral Home, Warsaw. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Napoleon Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to charity of the donor's choice.
John Ivan Hutchison, 77, of Melbourne, died Saturday at St. Luke Hospital East in Fort Thomas. He was a retired crane operator for Carlisle Construction Co. and a veteran of World War II. He was a member of VFW Post No. 9539, Augusta.
Survivors include his wife, Anna Bell Cummins Hutchison; daughters, Judith Kay England of Augusta, Eleanor Rae Taylor of Dry Ridge, Patricia Ann Yeary of Walton, Pamela Joy Hutchison of Melbourne and Anna Maria Parker of Alexandria; a brother, Reynolds Hutchison of Dayton; sisters, Alice Mae High of Augusta and Joyce Clark of Brooksville; 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Moore and Parker Funeral Home, Augusta. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Mount Zion Cemetery, Augusta. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2, Florence, Ky. 41042; or American Heart Association, 1885 Dixie Highway, Suite 250, Fort Wright, Ky. 41011.
Tracey Lynn Iles, 37, of Newport, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Jack Iles; her mother, Mary Pratt of Newport; a stepmother, Charlotte McIntosh of Middletown, Ohio; sisters, Phyllis Banks and Tricia McIntosh, both of Middletown; brothers, Thom Pratt of Cincinnati, Greg Pratt of Fort Thomas; and halfbrothers, William McIntosh Jr. and Terry McIntosh, both of Mason.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Trinity Baptist Church, Newport. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at Radel Funeral Home, Newport. Burial will be in Johns Hill Cemetery, Cold Spring.
Mary Cress Jenkins, 71, of Latonia, died at 5:27 p.m. Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North in Covington. She was a homemaker and a member of Latonia Christian Church.
Survivors include her husband, William N. Jenkins; sons, Richard W. Jenkins of Elsmere, Lee Jenkins of Edgewood and Lawrence W. Jenkins of Baltimore; a daughter, Mary J. Abney of Falmouth; a sister, Rose Chastian of Bedford, Ind.; and six grandchildren.
Services will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation will be from 4 to 6:45 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Goldia Marie Preston Keet, 89, of Cynthiana, died Saturday at Grand Haven Nursing Home in Cynthiana. She was a member of Manchester, Ohio, Nazarene Church. A son, Frances Yazell, preceded her in death.
Survivors include several nieces and nephews.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Wilson Home for Funerals, Manchester, Ohio. Visitation will begin at noon Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Manchester Cemetery. Ware Funeral Home, Cynthiana, is assisting with arrangements.
William F. Leopold, 62, of Cold Spring, died at 3:10 p.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood. He was a retired owner and operator of Dayton Dairy Bar and the Crestview Market in Crestview. He also coached knothole baseball in the Campbell County leagues.
Survivors include his wife, Joyce Bricking Leopold; daughters, Debbie Strong of Bracken County, Linda Hoffman of Fort Thomas, Patsy Lloyd of Crestview, Terri Schultz of California and Julie Leopold of Cold Spring; a son, Mike Leopold of Crestview; and 19 grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas, with prayers at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Cold Spring. Memorials are suggested to any Catholic school of the donor's choice.
Marian Marsh, 79, of Fort Thomas, died Wednesday at her home. She was a property evaluator at the Campbell County courthouse and a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Newport. Her husband, Charles Marsh, preceded her in death.
Survivors include nieces and nephews.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Newport. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.
Dorothy Murphy Morehead, 76, of Covington, died at 9:50 a.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood.
Arrangements are pending at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia.
Farrist R. Morgan, 74, of Brooksville, died Friday at Robertson County Health Care Facility in Mount Olivet. He was a retired punch press operator for Heekin Can Co., Newtown, Ohio, and a member of McKendree Methodist Church, Bracken County.
Survivors include his wife, Anna Mae Henson Morgan; a son, Danny W. Morgan of Mason, Ohio; and one grandchild.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Palmer Funeral Home, Germantown. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery, Germantown. Memorials are suggested to McKendree Methodist Church, Bracken County.
Jeanette V. Roberts, 60, of Florence, died at 10:04 p.m. Saturday at Woodspoint Care Center in Florence.
Arrangements are pending at Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
Ethel Schreiber, 68, of Latonia, died at 10:35 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North Hospice in Covington.
Arrangements are pending at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia.
Fay R. Scott, 76, of Greenville, Ohio, formerly of Erlanger, died at 10 a.m. Saturday at her residence. She was retired from McAlpin's, Cincinnati, and a member of St. Mary Church, Greenville, where she was a member of the Rosary Altar Society. Her husband, Aloysius C. Scott, died in 1981, and an infant son also preceded her in death.
Survivors include a son, Anthony "Chuck" Scott of Arcanum, Ohio; brothers, Arthur Giles and George Giles, both of St. Louisville, Ohio, Rodney Giles of Blairsville, Ga., and Darrel Giles, Kent Giles and Gary Giles, all of Newark, Ohio; sisters, Billie Clifton of Thornville, Ohio, Kay Paumier of North Benton, Ohio, Pat Colando of Winter Haven, Fla., and Yvonne Gaydoes of Newark, Ohio; and two grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary Church, Greenville, Ohio. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Zechar Bailey Funeral Home, Greenville, Ohio, with prayers at 4:30 p.m. Entombment will be in St. Mary cemetery Mausoleum, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to American Diabetes Association, 745 W. Main St., Louisville, Ky. 40202; or charity of donor's choice.
Lucy Seibert, 75, of Newport, died Sunday at her residence. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Gene Seibert; a daughter, Debbie Ruberg of Overland Park, Kan.; sons, Gene Seibert of Hunt Valley, Md., Stephen Seibert of Southgate, Dennis Seibert and Mark Seibert, both of Edgewood, Greg Seibert and Doug Seibert, both of Newport, and Patrick Seibert of Alexandria; a brother, Albert Leick of Camp Springs; sisters, Christine Greis of Fort Thomas, Gertrude Leick and Alma Ruschman, both of Camp Springs, Rose Dunckley of Newport, Coletta Bucher of Bellevue and Dorothy Cryer of California; 12 grandchildren, one great-grandchild and seven stepgrandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Stephen Church, Newport. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested to Foundation Fighting Blindness, Executive Plaza One, Suite 800, 11350 McCormick Road, Hunt Valley, Md. 21031-1014.
Billy Gene Switzer, 67, of Harrison County, died Saturday at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana. He was a retired employee for Delta Air Lines and an Air Force veteran of the Korean War. He was a member of Delta Pioneers. A daughter, Patricia Jean Switzer, preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife, Joann Faulkner Switzer; a daughter, Debbie Switzer Kittrell of Seeley Lake, Mont.; a brother, Eddie Wayne Switzer of Fredericksburg, Va.; and one grandchild.
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 Raven Creek Cemetery, Harrison County.
Kathryn Watts, 85, of Covington, died at 12:03 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood.
Arrangements are pending at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia.
Robert W. Winterman Sr., 85, of Erlanger, died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood. He was a retired glazing superintendent for PPG Industries.
Survivors include sons, Michael Winterman of Elsmere and Robert Winterman Jr. of Florence; daughters, Suzanne Kramer of Fort Mitchell and Mary Pat Landrum of Crestview Hills; 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Henry Church, Elsmere. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Memorials are suggested to St. Henry District High School, 3755 Scheben Drive, Erlanger, Ky. 41018.
