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Date of these obituaries: 07-10-1998
Law officer with courage and wit
F.L. Jim Lawless held a job for many years that completely contradicted his name: He was a police officer in California and, for a time, sheriff of Orange County.
"He was teased a lot from the fact that his last name was Lawless," his wife, Beverly Cloyd Lawless, said.
"He even had a cup with a picture of him in his uniform and his name at the bottom."
Mr. Lawless had a talent for organizing people and making sure rules were en forced.
He also enjoyed helping people, and served as captain of the Florence Life Squad and member of the Erlanger Life Squad when he moved to Northern Kentucky in the 1970s.
Mr. Lawless, of Florence, died Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood after a long battle with cancer. He was 68.
In the 1950s, the California native spent several years with the U.S. Army in Germany during the Korean War.
A star track athlete in high school, Mr. Lawless competed in various track events for the Army team in Germany and won the Eastern European Track Champion ship for high hurdles.
He married
in Germany and moved with his wife to California, where their daughter was born. In the 1960s, Mr. Law less worked as a police officer and sheriff in California.
He eventually had three more children with his second wife.
He took a job with an acrylic manufacturer, known today as Aristech Manufacturing Co., in the late 1960s.
A few years later, he was transferred to the company's plant in Florence, where he lived the rest of his life.
While working as a production supervisor with Aristech, Mr. Lawless also worked for the Florence Life Squad and Erlanger Rescue Squad from 1972 to about 1975.
"He liked organizing people," his wife said.
"He was very particular about how the organization went. He liked the discipline of it, and I think he liked helping people."
His work set an example for his two sons, who eventually went on to work for the Elsmere Fire Department and Walton Life Squad.
Mr. Lawless met his third wife, Beverly Cloyd, soon after he divorced in 1975. They married
in 1977.
"He had a very sharp wit," she said.
"He liked to put you on, look very serious and say something that was kind of like outrageous and then get your reaction to it."
Mr. Lawless kept his humor even when he developed cancer in the late 1980s.
In failing health, he retired from Aristech in 1994 after about 27 years.
"He has been so courageous through all of this," his wife said.
"He never was a complainer - always just faced it and just did what he had to do to get better.
"He showed you how to meet adversity with dignity."
Mr. Lawless also a member of First Church of Christ in Burlington.
Other survivors include daughters, Diane Frank of Walton and Theresa Wild of Florence; sons, Bradley C. Lawless of Dry Ridge and Mark Lawless of Elsmere; a stepson, Kevin Barton of Charlotte, N.C.; a sister, Janice Hennemuth of Santa Ana, Calif.; eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Burlington Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 7730 U. S. 42, Suite C6, Florence, Ky. 41042; or American Lung Association, P. O. Box 9067, Louisville, Ky. 45209-0067.
Wilma Douglas, 68, formerly of Northern Kentucky, died Thursday at Hospice of Louisville.
Arrangements are pending at Don Catchen & Son Funeral Home, Elsmere.
Evalene Hall, 93, of Covington, died Thursday at the Baptist Convalescent Center, Newport.
Arrangements are pending at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Covington.
Rev. Alex L. Hornsby, 94, of Highland Heights, died at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday at River Valley Nursing Home, Butler. He was a retired assembler with White Trucking Co., and a member of New Macedonia Baptist Church, Newport. He also was a member of the Masonic Lodge in Manchester, and the Covington Scottish Rite. His wife of 74 years, Lucy Hornsby, died Sunday.
Survivors include sons, Carlo Hornsby of Cincinnati and Ros co Hornsby of Alexandria; a daughter, Viola Knock of Cold Spring; seven grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate. Memorials are suggested to River Valley Nursing Home Patient Recreation Fund, 305 Taylor St., But ler, Ky. 41006.
Mary Louise Kellison, 62, of Brooksville, died Wednesday at her home. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Augustine Church, Augusta.
Survivors include her husband, John Kellison; daughters, Kathy Huhn of Williamsburg, Ohio, and Teri Von Den Benken of Cincinnati; sons, John Kelli son Jr. of Pleasant Run, Ohio, Michael Kellison of Dunellen, N.J., and Timothy Kellison of Harrison, Ohio; a brother, David Calvin of Milford, Ohio; a sister, Jean Fields of Washington, Ind.; and 10 grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Augustine Church. Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Metcalfe-Hennessey Funeral Home, Augusta. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Cincinnati. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Hope, 1 West McDonald Parkway, Maysville, Ky. 41056.
Robert J. Lael, 65, of Covington, died Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North in Covington. He was owner of New Ray's Cycles, Covington, and an Army veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife, Lois Lael; his mother, Gertrude Gheen of Bridgeport, Ohio; and a sister, Phyllis Heiss of Franklin, Ohio.
Services will be at the convenience of the family. Radel Funeral Home, Newport, is handling arrangements.
Rev. Earl C. Roberts, 84, of Eastland Estates, Harrison County, died Thursday at his home. He was a retired Methodist minister, a member of Kentucky United Methodist Conference, and a former principal and teacher with Goddard School in Fleming County. He retired from ministry at Trinity United Methodist Church and Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Bracken County. A son, Roy Melton Roberts, preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife, Hattie Alice Six Roberts; daughters, Janet Carol Roberts Snell of Owen County and Mary Louise Roberts Bales of Somerset; half-brothers, J. T. Turner of Norris, Tenn., and M. D. Turner of Imperial, Calif.; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Elmarch United Methodist Church, Cynthiana. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Ware Funeral Home, Cynthiana, and from 11 a.m. Monday until the time of services at the church. Burial will be in Battle Grove Cemetery, Cynthiana. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of the Bluegrass, 2312 Alexandria Drive, Lexington, Ky. 40504.
Eunice M. Eickhoff Sowers, 85, of Latonia, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington. She was a retired office worker with St. Aloysius Orphanage, Cincinnati. Her husband, Charles Sowers, died in 1997.
Survivors include daughters, Vera Moermond of Cincinnati and Margaret Quirk of Wilder; a sister, Sister Mary Irvan of Park Hills; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. John Church, Covington. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to Alzheimer's Disease Association, 644 Linn St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45203.
Betty Elizabeth Bryant Teegarden, 59, of Covington, died at 11:50 a.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth North Hospice, Covington. She was a waitress at the Anchor Grill, Covington.
Survivors include a daughter, Michelle Irvin of Covington; and a son, Anthony Bryant of Covington.
Memorial services and visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the home of her daughter, 701 Pike St., Covington. Burial will be at Hillside Chapel, Cincinnati.
Donald F. Verax, 69, of Florence, died Thursday at St. Luke Hospital West in Florence. He was a retired brakeman with L&N; Railroad, a member of United Transportation Union, and an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Johnson Verax; a son, Terry Verax of Burlington; a brother, Harry Verax of Fort Thomas; and one grandchild.
Services will be at noon Monday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Monday. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger.
Helen L. Vonberg, 78, of Florence, died July 4 at her home. She was a secretary with Pepsi Cola Bottlers of Cincinnati. Her husband, Jack P. Vonberg, died in 1978.
Survivors include stepdaughters, Sandi Davis of Florida and Debi Horvath of Cincinnati; a stepson, Eric Vonberg of Cincinnati; and three step-grandchildren.
No services are planned. Mrs. Vonberg's body has been donated to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Stith Funeral Home, Florence, is handling arrangements.
