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Date of these obituaries: 08-10-1999
'Vern' Baker, watchmaker, veteran
Months before the U.S. was drawn into World War II by the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Walter "Vern" Baker was on the Atlantic Ocean, a Navy utilities chief on the USS Augusta.
There was one particular day in August 1941 when Baker wanted to be sure the ship's water and electric systems were in perfect working order. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were on board to sign the Atlantic Charter, a declaration of peace.
"He never got to meet to them, but he was real proud to be there," said Elizabeth "Libby" Baker, his wife.
Later in the war, Baker came home to see for the first time his 6-month-old son, Richard. By the war-time stint's end, he had a daughter, Joyce.
Mr. Baker, 75, of Newport, died Sunday. He served in the Korean War, too, but he was not a career sailor.
He was a watchmaker, a trade he learned at Gruen Watch Co. in Cincinnati. He worked there for 10 years before the company closed.
He went on to make timepieces for Mercury Instrument, Inc., in Cincinnati and retired from there.
His watchmaking career was not only interupted by two wars, but by a job making the tools to fight wars. Baker worked for General Electric at a factory that produced the atom bomb and Polaris missile.
"It was top-secret when he was working there," Mrs. Baker said.
Baker, a Ludlow native, met his wife in Boston, where his ship often docked. They settled in Northern Kentucky.
He remained tied to the Navy, joining the Sea-Bee City Veterans of America, the Cincinnati Fleet Reserve Association and the Newport American Legion Post No. 327.
He coached youth baseball, and he and his wife enjoyed going to Bengals games.
In addition to his wife, survivors include his son, Richard Baker of Newport; a daughter, Joyce Whitney of Fort Thomas; a brother, Arlen Baker of Villa Hills; a sister, Iris Newkirk of Tarpon Springs, Fla.; four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Radel Funeral Home, Highland Heights. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Northern Kentucky, 1403 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075.
Elaine Ralston Babb, 78, of Fort Thomas, died Saturday at 2:39 p.m. at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a homemaker and an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include her husband, Alfred C. Babb; a son, Steven Michael Holda of Brookville, Ind.; and one grandchild.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Leroy Crout, 83, of Demossville, died Monday at his residence.
Arrangements are pending at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Independence.
Shirley Clay Cruey, 77, of Dry Ridge, died Sunday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence. He was a retired mechanic with Consolidated Freightways, and a member of Dry Ridge Baptist Church and Masonic Lodge No. 849 in Dry Ridge. He was an Army veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Marie Brown Cruey; daughters, Joyce Ann Winans of Hamilton, Ohio, Barbara Maddox of Crittenden and Patricia Hendrix of Florence; a stepson, Bill Brown of Dry Ridge; stepdaughters, Lynn Groves of Florence and Ann Etta Brown of Cincinnati; brothers, Glenna Cruey of Taylor Mill, Bob Cruey of Lincoln, Neb., Dexter Cruey of Stewartsville, Gerald Cruey of Latonia, Billy Cruey of Dry Ridge, and Elmer Cruey and Russell Cruey, both of Erlanger; a sister, Mae Hutchison of Florence; seven grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and seven step-great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Eckler-Hudson Funeral Home, Dry Ridge. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hill Crest Cemetery, Dry Ridge.
Memorials are suggested to Dry Ridge Baptist Church Building Fund, 19 Broadway, Dry Ridge, Ky. 41035; American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2, Florence, Ky. 41042; American Heart Association, 1885 Dixie Highway, Suite 250, Fort Wright, Ky. 41011.; or American Diabetes Association, 1941 Bishop Lane, Suite 110, Louisville, Ky. 40218.
Bertha Fritz, 82, of Covington, died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit in Covington.
Arrangements are pending at Ronald B. Jones Funeral Home, Ludlow.
James Joseph Garner, 94, of Florence, died Monday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired engineer with Cincinnati Milacron and a member of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Thomas. He was a Mason and wrote fishing articles for Sports Afield.
Survivors include a niece, Mary Nell Reno of Lexington.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Spring Hill Cemetery, Harrodsburg.
Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.
Lawrence Joseph Kolkmeier, 71, of Fort Wright, died at 1:55 p.m. Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a member of St. Agnes Church, Fort Wright.
Survivors include sisters, Mary C. Sarge of Roswell, Ga., and Sister Ruth Marie Kolkmeier, CDP, of Melbourne; and brothers, James E. Kolkmeier of Fort Wright, Raymond J. Kolkmeier of Cincinnati and Paul J. Kolkmeier of Alexandria.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Agnes Church, Fort Wright. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested to St. Charles Care Center, 500 Farrell Drive, Fort Wright, Ky. 41011; or the charity of the donor's choice. Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington, is handling arrangements.
William Francis Manning, 69, of Wilder, died at 2:08 p.m. Saturday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a retired lithographer with Stevenson Photo Color, Melbro Color Service and PAM MAR. His wife, Ann Shirley Prewitt Manning, preceded him in death.
Survivors include daughters, Peggy Lauer of Fort Thomas, Diane Miller of Bellevue, Janet Hoffmann of Rocklin, Calif., Nancy Beck of Wilder and Geri Coyle of Highland Heights; sons, Bill Manning of Newport, Robert Manning and Steven Manning, both of Wilder, and John Manning of Villa Hills; sisters, Marie Froendhoff od Southgate of Ruth Murphy of Newport; and brothers, Robert Manning of Fort Thomas, John Manning and Donald Manning, both of Newport.
Memorial Mass of Christian burial was this morning at St. Stephen Church, Newport. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to Corpus Christi Thrift Shop, 840 Isabella St., Newport. Ky. 41071. Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas, is handling arrangements.
Marie Loretta Hackman McClees, 78, of Bellevue, died at 1:20 a.m. Sunday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a retired assembler with Western Electric. Her husband, Lovell D. McClees, died in 1989.
Survivors include a son, Robert D. McClees of Bellevue; and sisters, Viola Donovan of Southgate, Eleanor Heinz of Fort Thomas and Theresa Dziech of Highland Heights.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Sacred Heart Church, Bellevue. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Dayton, is handling arrangements.
Crystal Renee Murphy, 33, of Covington, died Thursday at her home. She was a member of the Fairhaven Rescue Mission, Covington.
Survivors include a daughter, Samantha Murphy of Whittier, Calif.; sons, Jason Murphy of Whittier, and Steven Murphy and Nathan Murphy, both of Covington; her parents, Joyce Taglialavore and Gary Ferguson, both of Whittier; and a sister, Brenda Everson of Covington.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at TLC Cremation and Funeral Services, 40 W. Sixth St., Covington. Visitation will begin there at noon Wednesday. Burial will be in Independence Cemetery.
Ronald Chris Richards, 62, of Elsmere, died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a skilled trade painter with the Ford Motor Co., a member of United Auto Workers Union Local No. 863 in Cincinnati, and a Navy veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife, Carol Dedden Richards; sons, Kenneth Richards of Union, James Richards of Covington, Donald Richards of Elsmere and John Richards of Florence; daughters, Kristi Hensley of Hebron, Kathi Snow of Lexington and Karen Henry of Elsmere; sisters, Betty Lou Wert, Donna Eickhoff and Jayne Lewis, all of Erlanger; 15 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.
Charles Schoch, 88, of Ludlow, died Sunday at Thompson Hood Veterans Center, Wilmore. He was a retired factory worker, a member of Unity Masonic Lodge No. 478 and an Army veteran of World War II. His wife, Aileen Schoch, died in 1998. Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Ronald B. Jones Funeral Home, Ludlow. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Joseph P. Schroder Sr., 69, of Fort Thomas, died at 2 a.m. Monday at his home. He was a retired owner of J. Schroder Cartage Inc., Newport, and a member of Newport Elks Lodge No. 273.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Caruso Schroder; daughters, Kathy Fangman and Gina Cameron, both of Cincinnati; sons, Joseph P. Schroder Jr. and Thomas W. Schroder, both of Cincinnati, Robert S. Schroder of Bradenton, Fla., and David J. Schroder of Withamsville, Ohio; sisters, Jean Melville of Southgate, Margie Urlage of Venice, Fla., and Nancy Mallery of Fort Thomas; a brother, Paul M. Schroder of Cleveland; and 11 grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Therese Church, Southgate. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Prayers will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas.
Memorials are suggested to St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014; or American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Stanley C. "Budd" Smith, 61, of Hebron, died at 1:29 a.m. Sunday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence.
He was a dock worker with Dayton Freight Lines in Walton, a retired teamster, and a member of Sand Run Baptist Church, Hebron.
Survivors include his wife, Gloria Moore Smith; sons, Larry A. Smith of Burlington and Scott K. Smith of Hebron; a daughter, Hope Smith of Park Hills; his father, Stanley R. Smith of North Fort Myers, Fla.; brothers, Walt Smith of North Fort Myers, William E. Smith and John A. Smith, both of Hebron, and Roy L. Smith of Half Moon Bay, Calif.; a sister, Sue A. Wehrman of Covington; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Hebron. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hebron Lutheran Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.
