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Date of these obituaries: 04-22-1998
G. Gary Graff, loved nature, family
When G. Gary Graff wasn't leading a troop of Boy Scouts or coaching youth soccer, he usually was canoeing, caving, hiking or reading about American history.
Mr. Graff's favorite times were spent with family and friends outdoors, said his wife, Connie Goins Graff.
He instilled in his children the same passion for nature.
"He was super-intelligent," Mrs. Graff said. "He had a passion for history, archeology, the outdoors. He was always outside."
Mr. Graff, 48, of Latonia, died Tuesday at St. Luke Hospital East in Ft. Thomas.
He grew up in Elsmere and graduated from St. Henry High School in 1967. He went to college at Thomas More and Northern Kentucky University.
He spent several years as a jeweler, setting diamonds at a downtown Cincinnati store. He also served in the National Guard, becoming a sergeant.
After he married
his wife of nearly 30 years in 1969, he began working for suppliers of heating and air conditioning units. He spent his last years as a counter salesman with Corken Steel Products in Covington.
The couple had two children. Mr. Graff was a leader of Holy Cross and St. Anthony Boy Scout troops for 12 years, and he coached his daughter's soccer teams.
"It's one of those things where she was into it by the time she was in the first grade. He never played soccer, but we'd go to the games and practices, and he'd just learn by being there," Mrs. Graff said.
Mr. Graff enjoyed taking Boy Scouts canoeing, hiking, caving and camping. His son became an Eagle Scout.
When he wasn't outdoors with the scouts, he was with friends or by himself canoeing at Big Bone Lick State Park or in Pendleton County.
"In good weather, he'd try to go every weekend," his wife said. "He had two (canoes), a big one to take a friend or a small one if he had to go alone."
Mr. Graff also was a member of Holy Cross Church in Latonia.
Other survivors include a daughter, Julia Marie Graff of Louisville; a son, Jamison Todd Graff of California state; his mother, Betty Graff of Ft. Mitchell; a sister, Nancy Wischer of Ft. Mitchell; and brothers, Richard J. Graff of Florence and Tim Graff of Milton, Fla.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Holy Cross Church. Visitation will be from 4 to 6:40 p.m. Thursday at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia. Cremation will be at Hillside Chapel, Cincinnati. Memorials are suggested to Holy Cross High School, 3617 Church St., Latonia, Ky. 41015; or the environmental charity of the donor's choice.
Garland Moore Bills, 81, of Bourbon County, died Monday at his son's home in Harrison County. He was a farmer. His wife, Opal Bills, and a son, Emmett Bills, both preceded him in death.
Survivors include sons, Garland Ray Bills of Scott County and Kevin Bills of Harrison County; stepsons, Herbert Boyd of Clark County and Denzil Boyd of Harrison County; stepdaughters, Becky Green of Florida and Martha Page of Clark County; a brother, Earl Bills of Harrison County; a sister, Christine Holloway of Cold Spring; 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Ware Funeral Home, Cynthiana. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Jacksonville Cemetery.
Franklin Clem Jr., 39, of Covington, died at 8 a.m. Sunday at his home. He was co-owner of Coin-Book Store, Covington.
Survivors include his wife, Angelia Alane Mullikin Clem; a son, Dustin Mullikin of Covington; a daughter, Anna Mullikin of Covington; his father, Franklin D. Clem Sr. of Perdido, Ala.; and brothers, Michael Clem of Charlotte, N.C., Donald Clem and Mark Clem, both of Hebron.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation will begin there at noon Thursday. Cremation will be at the Cincinnati Cremation Co.
Fred Fettig, 81, of Rochester, Minn., formerly of Newport, died Wednesday at Aspen Care Center in Rochester. He was the retired president of Mastercraft Metals, and a real estate broker with West Shell Realty of Northern Kentucky.
He also was a former member of the board of the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky and a member of the Erlanger Lions Club and Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Rochester. Daughters, Susan Scroggins, Sylvia Kay Fettig and Margaret Fay Fettig, all preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife, Katherine Dennis Fettig; sons, F. Theodore Fettig of Ft. Thomas and John M. Fettig of Omaha, Neb.; a daughter, Linda Lewis of Rochester, Minn.; 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. CDT Saturday at Calvary Evangelical Free Church in Rochester, Minn. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Vine Funeral Home, Rochester. Burial will be in Oronoco Cemetery, Oronoco, Minn.
Frank M. Godsey, 74, of Ontario, Calif., formerly of Independence, died at 6:10 a.m. Thursday at U. S. Family Health Care in Montclair, Calif. He was a retired inspector with the Cincinnati Time Recorder.
Survivors include his wife, Gladys Pearl Godsey; sons, Jerry Godsey of West Covington, John Godsey of Bellevue and Steven Godsey of Latonia; daughters, Judy Hunt of Henderson, Nev., and Mary Godsey of New Richmond, Ohio; sisters, Agnes Fugate and Helen Morgan, both of Covington, and Rose Clifford and Dora Binkley, both of Dayton, Ohio; 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Thursday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill.
Martha Cole Tackett Greene, 89, of Sparta, died Monday at Owenton Manor Nursing Home, Owenton. She was a homemaker and a member of New Liberty Christian Church, Owen County. Her husband, Howard Greene, preceded her in death. A daughter, Betty Jo Cammack, also preceded her in death.
Survivors include a daughter, Margie Duvall of New Liberty; a brother, Howard Tackett of Owen County; a sister, Allie Mae Hensley of Florence; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at McDonald Funeral Home, Main Street, Owenton. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Owenton Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to New Liberty Christian Church, New Liberty, Ky. 40355.
Mary Pearl Lunsford, 96, of Batavia, Ohio, formerly of Covington, died at 2:45 p.m. April 11 at Anderson Mercy Hospital, Cincinnati.
She was a retired owner of Old South Coloney Restaurant, Cincinnati.
Survivors include a son, John Lunsford of Walton; a brother, Paul Robinson of Crestview Hills; and six grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation begins there at noon.
Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell.
Edna Morgan, 87, of Falmouth, died Monday at St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas. She was a homemaker and a member of Falmouth Baptist Church. Her husband, Joe Morgan, died in 1975, and a son, Harold Morgan, died in 1948. Twin sons died at Burial will be in Mt. Moriah Cemetery, Pendleton County.
Rev. George Stevenson Munro, 80, of Erlanger, died at 3:49 p.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired minister with First Baptist Church of Ft. Thomas, and the first moderator of the Northern Kentucky Baptist Association.
Rev. Munro was an ordained Baptist minister in New Zealand, chaired the Kentucky Baptist State Executive Board, and was a trustee of the Oneida Baptist Institute, Cumberland College and the Baptist Convalescent Home. He taught at the Boyce Bible Institute, served on the Southern Baptist Convention Committee, and was the Kentucky representative to the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission.
His first wife, Susan Lowe Munro, died in 1970. His second wife, Eva Loebrich Munro, died in 1997.
Survivors include a son, Roger Munro of Missoula, Mont.; a stepson, Keith Loebrich of Ft. Thomas; a daughter, Sharon Ruehl of Cincinnati; and five grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Cold Spring First Baptist Church. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the church. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate. Memorials are suggested to Cumberland College, Williamsburg, Ky. 40769. Dobbling Funeral Home, Ft. Thomas, is handling arrangements.
Emba L. Petrey, 72, of Crestview Hills, died at 9:23 a.m. Tuesday at Clinton Memorial Hospital, Wilmington, Ohio. He was a retired truck driver with Budig Western Trucking Co., Cincinnati, and a member of Latonia Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Reba Brown High Petrey; a son, Emba Wayne Petrey of Cincinnati; a daughter, Kandy Szczepek of Florence; stepdaughters, Rhonda Kelly of Edgewood and Rebecca Butte of Indianapolis; sisters, Eda Johnson of London, Ky., Nola Davis of Friendsville, Tenn., Cleta Allen of Covington and Clarine Petrey of Florence; brothers, Noah Petrey and Eugene Petrey, both of West Chester, Ohio, H. B. Petrey of Ross, Ohio, Edward Petrey of Ft. Thomas and Royal Petrey of Falmouth; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Latonia Baptist Church Building Fund, 38th and Church St., Latonia, Ky. 41015.
Kenneth James Popham, 35, of Highland Heights, died Tuesday at his residence. Arrangements are pending at Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger.
Brenda Sue Soto, 48, of Demossville, died of cancer at 11:22 a.m. Tuesday at Christ Hospital, Cincinnati. She was a member of St. James Church of Christ, Boone County, and worked at Turfway Park.
Survivors include a son, Richard E. Lawson of Covington; a daughter, Kristin O. Soto of Jones, Okla.; her mother, Betty Jane Shepherd of Covington; a sister, Glenna Faye Salas of Morrow, Ohio; brothers, Roger L. Shepherd and James Shepherd, both of Covington, Otis Shepherd of Florence, Michael G. Shepherd of Oxford, Calif., and Ed Shepherd of Lucasville, Ohio.
Memorial services will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 7730 U. S. 42, Suite C6, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Jesse Thomas, 66, of Latonia, died at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington. He was captain of security guards with Pinkerton Services, Cincinnati, and a member of Decoursey Baptist Church, Covington.
Survivors include his wife, Birdie Thomas; sons, Bill Thomas of West Palm Beach, Fla., Jesse Wayne Thomas of Harrison County, W.Va., Rodney L. Thomas Sr. and Marcus Thomas, both of Covington, and Mike Thomas of Elsmere; daughters, Donna "Katy" Rakel of Bellevue and Carla Wile of Covington; a brother, Charles Thomas of Douglasville, Ga.; sisters, Argie Rader of Dayton, Ohio, and Fay Adler of Louisville; 25 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Cremation will be at Cincinnati Cremation Co. Memorials are suggested to American Lung Association, 11113 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.
Luther Turner, 70, of Williamstown, died at 11:45 p.m. Monday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired employee of Duro Bag Co., and a member of Robert Burns Masonic Lodge No. 163, Newport.
Survivors include daughters, Judy Turner and Patricia Turner, both of Covington; brothers, Lester Turner of Highland Heights, Eddie Turner of Wilder and Talbert Turner of Tolbert; half-brothers, Elmer Herald of Newport, Bill Herald of Camp Springs, Roy Herald of Newport, Ray Herald of Alexandria and Merlin Herald of Michigan; sisters, Mae Sebastian of Newport, Ida Burton of Michigan, Jane Matacia of Cincinnati and Roberta Sampley of Tennessee; and one grandchild.
Services will be at the convenience of the family. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 7730 U. S. 42, Suite C6, Florence, Ky. 41042.
