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Date of these obituaries: 11-23-1998
George Gier, delighted all with magic
Life with George E. Gier was magical.
He awed children and adults alike with his Mr. George Magic Show.
He could chew a cigarette until it was gone - but smoke would come out of his mouth.
He could be tied in a chair - but he'd always break free.
He could tell you to pick three cards from a deck, then he'd throw the entire deck onto the floor - and only your cards would land face-up.
"He was such an entertainer," said a daughter, Ruth Barnett of Burlington.
Mr. Gier, 80, of Covington, died at 5:10 a.m. Saturday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit in Covington.
He and a friend opened Covington Recapping Co. when they returned from serving in the Army during World War II. The magic started soon after, his daughter said.
He started small, learning a few magic tricks. Then he joined a magician's club in Cincinnati, and his talent grew.
Soon he was entertaining children in hospitals. Along with the tricks, he'd make animals and hats out of balloons for the children.
Mr. Gier also enjoyed fishing from boat docks in Ludlow and Bromley.
"They called him Fisherman George," his daughter said.
Mr. Gier performed his magic act until about seven years ago, when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He never revealed the secrets behind his tricks.
Mr. Gier was a member of Pohlmann-Linnemann VFW Post No. 1484, Park Hills. His wife, Margurite Gier, died in 1985.
Besides his daughter, survivors include a son, Joseph Gier of Covington; daughters, Kimberly Gier of Covington and Martha Kroth of Texas; a brother, Charles Gier of Covington; a sister, Betty Bunger of Covington; 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Catchen and Son Funeral Home, Elsmere. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 tonight at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Belleview Baptist Cemetery, Boone County.
Engineer Howard Maxfield, devoted to family, region, service
Howard B. Maxfield started his business in Covington and was dedicated to keeping it there.
"He always believed that Covington would be revitalized and remain the wonderful place it's always been," said his daughter, Kathleen "Kit" Hammons of Park Hills.
"When a lot of firms were fleeing to the suburbs and crossing the river, he took a building and had it renovated and rehabbed and tried to keep the out side appropriate architecturally."
Mr. Maxfield, 72, of Taylor Mill, died of emphysema at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Christ Hospital, Cincinnati.
He was founder and chairman of Maxfield, Schwartz, Lonnemann & Kohrs, PSC, where he was a consulting engineer.
He started the business in 1955 at Seventh Street and Madison Avenue, later moving to Fifth and Madison.
Mr. Maxfield was a dedicated, loving father and a multi-faceted community leader, his family said.
"He was the son of a carpenter and grew up in the Depression era in a small house in Dayton near the river," said his son, Paul Maxfield of Taylor Mill.
Mr. Maxfield later lived in Fort Thomas, then volunteered for the Army when he was 17. He served in Germany during World War II.
Mr. Maxfield's hobby was genealogy. He traced many branches of his family tree back hundreds of years.
He found cousins of his wife, Nancy O'Connell Maxfield, in Ireland. He traced his wife's family by searching church rectories, cemeteries and city records in Ireland, Mrs. Hammons said.
Later, he used the Internet as he researched his family's roots.
Mr. Maxfield and his children traveled to Ireland several times to visit relatives.
He traced his family to Germany, where he found cousins.
Mr. Maxfield was a weekend farmer who enjoyed tending to the land, cattle and horses.
He was a member of St. Anthony Church, Taylor Mill.
He served as a Taylor Mill commissioner and on the board of directors of Villa Madonna Academy and Rosedale Manor nursing home.
In addition to his wife, son and daughter, survivors include daughters, Maureen Maxfield of Taylor Mill, Mary Stevie of Taylor Mill, Patti Love of Lakeside Park and Anne Maxfield of Park Hills; a sister, Carole Gangloff of Las Vegas; and 13 grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Anthony Church, Taylor Mill. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia. Prayers will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Benedictine Sisters, St. Walburg Monastery, 2500 Amsterdam Road, Villa Hills, Ky. 41017.
Robert N. Barnes, 90, of Williamstown, died Sunday at Caldwell County Hospital, Princeton, after a brief illness. He was owner of Barnes Grocery, Corinth, and a revenue investigator with the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet.
He was an announcer with the Grant County High School basketball team for 32 years, and a member of the Grant County Basketball Hall of Fame and Stringtown Christian Church, Grant County.
Mr. Barnes was a former member of the Grant County Board of Health, the Grant County Library Board, the Grant County Board of Education, Corinth Lions Club and Williamstown Kiwanis Club. He was a past president of Eagle Creek Country Club, Grant County, a member of Grant Lodge No. 85 F&AM in Williamstown, and an Army veteran of World War II.
His wife, Edna Fugate Barnes, died in 1969.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda Day of Kuttawa; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Williamstown. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, with Masonic services at 7 p.m. Burial will be in IOOF Cemetery, Corinth. Memorials are suggested to Stringtown Christian Church, Corinth, Ky. 41010.
Margaret Bayer, 74, of High land Heights, died Saturday at Highlands of Fort Thomas nursing home. She was a member of St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring.
Survivors include her husband, Elmer Bayer; daughters, Patricia Branch of Fort Thomas and Beverly Reckers of Highland Heights; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Visitation will be from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Radel Funeral Home, Highland Heights. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Northern Kentucky, 1403 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075; or American Cancer Society, 7730 U. S. 42, Suite C6, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Jeanette Mary Collett, 52, of Florence, died Thursday at St. Luke Hospital West in Florence. She was a clerk with Drug Emporium, and a member of St. Paul Church, Florence, where she was a choir member and a lector.
Survivors include her father, Robert Collett of Florence; and brothers, Richard Collett of Budd Lake, N.J., James Collett of Crescent Springs, and Joseph Collett and Robert Collett, both of Florence.
Mass of Christian burial was this morning at St. Paul Church. Burial was in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to St. Paul Church Capital Campaign Fund, 7301 Dixie Highway, Florence, Ky. 41042. Stith Funeral Home, Florence, handled arrangements.
Bessie Collins, 88, of Florence, died at 5:35 a.m. Sunday at Florence Park Care Center, Burlington. She was a homemaker and a member of Ten Mile Baptist Church, Gallatin County. Her husband, Orville "Rip" Collins, died in 1975.
Survivors include a son, Larry Collins of Erlanger; brothers, Ray Woods of Mason, Ohio, and Jim Woods of Walton; four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in Napoleon, Ky., Cemetery.
Geneva A. Elrod Downard, 86, of Bracken County, died Saturday at her home. She was a homemaker and a member of Forest Hills Baptist Church, Cincinnati. Her husband, Henry Downard, died in 1990.
Survivors include a son, Charles N. Downard of Butler; a daughter, Yuelta Faye Biehle of Cincinnati; a sister, Ruby Moore of Covington; and one grandchild.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Moore and Parker Funeral Home, Brooksville. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Neave Cemetery, Bracken County. Memorials are suggested to American Heart Association, 1885 Dixie Highway, Suite 250, Fort Wright, Ky. 41011; or the charity of the donor's choice.
Beulah G. Foote, 73, of Cincinnati, formerly of Erlanger, died at 11:10 a.m. Thursday at her home. She was a homemaker and a member of Order of the Eastern Star and St. Francis Chapel, Cincinnati.
Survivors include a daughter, Billie Barnett of Buxton, N.C.; a son, Bryan W. Foote of Salem, Va.; her mother, Rebecca Dameron of Cincinnati; brothers, William Holt of Burlington and Robert Holt of Chulota, Fla.; and one grandson.
Services will be at the convenience of the family. Cremation will be at Hillside Chapel, Cincinnati. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling arrangements.
Loretta Frederick, 89, of Morning View, died at 10 p.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, Covington. She was a retired assembler with K-D Lamp Co., Cincinnati, and a member of Visalia Baptist Church. Her husband, Joseph Franklin Frederick, died in 1970.
Survivors include brothers, Lewis Setters of California and Howard Setter of Ohio; sisters, Louise Armstrong Oliver of Covington, Gladys Halderman of Latonia, Kate Haus of New Jersey and Viola Jump of Mount Zion.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Independence. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Independence Cemetery.
Pauline Ashcraft Noel, 84, of New Liberty, died Saturday at Owen County Memorial Hospital, Owenton. She was a former cook with Jonesville School in Grant County, and a member of Macedonia Baptist Church. Her husband, Rome Noel, preceded her in death.
Survivors include sons, Charles F. Noel of New Liberty and Sherlock Noel of Lexington; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday at McDonald Funeral Home, Main Street, Owenton. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in IOOF Cemetery, Owenton. Memorials are suggested to Macedonia Baptist Church, Highway 36, Jonesville, Ky. 41052.
Michele Reed, 29, of Florence, died at 3:25 p.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. She was an elementary school teacher.
Survivors include her husband, Rob Reed; her mother, Nancy Miraflor of San Diego; and a sister, Danielle Miraflor of San Diego.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 1 p.m. PST Friday at San Diego Mission Church, San Diego. Burial will be in El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego. Catchen and Son Funeral Home, Elsmere, is handling arrangements.
Alice Tanksley, 71, of Walton, died Saturday at her home. She was a homemaker. Her husband, Leonard Tanksley, died in 1973.
Survivors include sons, Leonard Tanksley, at home, John E. Tanksley of Milford, Ohio, and Roy D. Tanksley of Cincinnati; a brother, Edward Adams of Cincinnati; sisters, Anna Lee Honcoop of Linden, Wash., and Mary King of Orlando, Fla.; 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Walton. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in Hughes Chapel Cemetery, Richwood.
Carrie Vater, 77, of Highland Heights, died at Lakeside Place Nursing Home in Highland Heights.
Arrangements are pending at Peoples Funeral Home, Grants Lick.
