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These notices are dated: 01-29-2005
James William Riffle, hero, WWII POW almost four years
An American hero died Thursday.
That's how Tom Rouse of Erlanger describes the death of James William Riffle of Corinth, his friend from Erlanger Christian Church.
Rouse offers just this persuasive statement as proof:
"He retired from the Navy, and had been a POW of the Japanese during World War II for three years, nine months and 17 days."
In 1942, Mr. Riffle, then 19, braved four days in the Java Sea before he got to an island prison camp.
U.S. Navy officials had decided to sink the ship he was on, the USS Pope, because it was out of fuel and ammunition and in danger of being seized by the Japanese.
But Mr. Riffle survived the horrors and returned to the states to recuperate in his native Covington.
"One day, he went to the Gibson Girl Lounge in downtown Cincinnati with some buddies, and met a hat-check girl, " said his daughter, Karen Miller of Corinth. "Two weeks later they got married, and they were married
56 years."
The loss of his beloved wife, Geraldine, in 2002, proved to be a heartbreak the 83-year-old war veteran could not survive. "He has grieved for her over two years and finally died" Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood, Miller said.
Mr. Riffle was just 17 when he joined the Navy. "He was involved in the first American naval battle of World War II, and they never got any recognition for it, " Miller said.
That's because, she said, it was a fiasco the American military didn't want to publicize.
Things were grim when the USS Pope sunk.
"If they had been fighting any enemy other than the Japanese, they would have been picked up right away, " said Miller's husband, Kenneth. "But the Japanese were so angry that the ship was scuttled that they pulled up to the survivors in the water and strafed them with machine gun fire and left them in the sea and steamed away.
"Four days later, another Japanese ship came by and picked up those who hadn't drowned, been attacked by sharks or died of wounds. Those prisoners were picked up, taken to Bataan and ended up on the Bataan Burial will be in Forest Lawn cemetery in Erlanger.
Memorials are suggested to Erlanger Christian Church, Graves Avenue and Home Street, Erlanger, Ky., 41018, or World War II Veterans Memorial Processing Center at P.O. Box 305, Calverton, N.Y., 11933.
Lucille Lovelace, Gold Star Mother, Girl Scout leader
Lucille N. Norville Lovelace kept busy during her long life -- canning fruits, leading Girl Scouts, volunteering with her church, and selling Avon, just to name a few -- and always demanded the best of herself.
"She was a very nice lady, ' said her daughter, Patricia Witwer of Cincinnati. "She always liked to have her hair done, and her fingernails done. She loved handkerchiefs."
Mrs. Lovelace, 87, of Taylor Mill, died Thursday at Madonna Manor, Villa Hills.
Even after she entered the nursing home some four years ago, Mrs. Lovelace didn't want to slow down, he daughter said.
"She was always busy, " Witwer said. "She was still busy over at Madonna Manor. She used a walker, but she was always up and around walking. Everyone there loved her."
Mrs. Lovelace grew up on Taylor Mill farm, and Witwer remembers her canning blackberries and raspberries. She taught her daughter to embroider pillowcases when she was 5.
For years, she was a top seller of Avon products.
But her real love may have been her church, St. Anthony in Taylor Mill. She worked with the Fun Club, the Altar Society, the Sick and Shut-In Committee, and the Girl Scouts. Her husband of nearly 60 years, Kenneth J. Lovelace, volunteered countless hours of cleaning, shoveling snow and cutting grass.
Mr. Lovelace died in 1999.
Mrs. Lovelace became a Gold Star Mother after one of her sons, Marine Sgt. Robert J. Lovelace, was the first Kenton Countian to be killed in the Vietnam War. He died in February 1966.
A second son, Richard J. Lovelace of Fallbrook, Calif., recently retired from the Marines as a lieutenant colonel after some 40-plus years of service.
Mrs. Lovelace also was a member of the Latonia American Legion Post No. 203, and a voting booth registrar in Latonia.
Other survivors include a son, Ronald Joseph Lovelace of Phoenix; daughters, Betty Lou Kyle of Florence, Mary Ann Fann of Covington, and Tracy Thoerner of Taylor Mill; a brother, Albert "Buddy" Norville of Latonia; a sister, Edith Deaton of Taylor Mill; 16 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Madonna Manor, Villa Hills. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Monday. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Memorials are suggested to St. Anthony Church, 485 Grand Ave., Taylor Mill, Ky. 41015. Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia, is handling the arrangements.
Betty Jo Alcorn, 69, of Burlington, died Thursday at her residence.
She was the retired owner of Kids World Day Care Center, Cold Spring.
Her husband, Herbert Alcorn, preceded her in death.
Survivors include sons, Bobby Ray Dean of Louisville, Rodney Dougoud of Alexandria, and Jeffery Dougoud of Burlington; daughters, Kathy L. Wilson of Newport and Rhonda Stephenson of Independence; a brother, John C. Vennable of Highland Heights; nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport. Visitation will begin there at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in Alexandria Cemetery.
Eugene M. Alexander, 81, of Crittenden, died Friday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence.
He was a farmer.
Survivors include several nephews and nieces.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Crittenden. Visitation will begin there at noon Monday. Burial will be in New Bethel Cemetery, Verona.
Roy Lee "Red" Bandy, 72, of Ludlow, died Thursday at his son's residence in Fort Wright.
He was a retired machinist from Equitable Paper Bag Co, a Navy veteran of World War II, and a member of Central Church of the Nazarene, Fort Wright. His wife, Patsy Hughes Bandy, preceded him in death.
Survivors include a son, Robert Bandy of Fort Wright; a brother, Martin Bandy of Ludlow; a sister, Christine Laughlin of Ludlow; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Tuesday at Ronald B. Jones Funeral Home, Ludlow. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Erlanger.
Memorials are suggested to St. Elizabeth Hospice, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41015.
John F. Bolton, 64, of Cynthiana, died Thursday at University of Kentucky Medical Center.
He was a retired employee from Southern Ohio Printing Co., Cincinnati.
Survivors include his wife, G. Jean Bennett Bolton; a son, Mark Bolton of Cincinnati; a daughter, Tina Lynn Bolton of Cincinnati; brothers, Ora Bolton, Jr., of Cold Spring and Joe Rodney Bolton of Prestonsburg; sisters, Evelyn Jones of Batavia, Ohio, Dorothy Ramey of Kentucky, and Jeanne Lou Bolton of Newport; and four grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Ware Funeral Home, Cynthiana. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Battle Grove Cemetery, Cynthiana.
Memorials are suggested to Hospice of the Bluegrass, 506 E. Pike St., Cynthiana, Ky. 41031.
Henry Lee Bundy, 63, of Verona, died Wednesday at his residence.
He was a retired truck driver from Cincinnati Sheet Metal and Roofing Co. and a member of Teamsters Union Local No. 100.
Survivors include his wife, Carol L. Bundy of Verona; sons, Bill Bundy of Covington and Bobby Bundy of Latonia; a daughter, Lori Davis of Covington; a stepdaughter, Misty Plumley of Independence; a sister, Rosetta Bundy of Sparta; a stepbrother, Robert Earl Davis of Indianapolis, Ind.; six grandchildren and five step-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Allison & Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill. Visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Cremation will be at Hillside Chapel, Cincinnati.
Donna Jean Hutson Gilliland, 70, of Demossville, died Thursday at St. Luke Hospice Center, Fort Thomas.
She was a retired housekeeper from Holiday Inn and a member of Champaign Church of God, Champaign, Ill.
Survivors include her husband, Frederick Gilliland of Demossville; daughters, Penny Ann Dalton of Virginia Beach, Va., and Darla Kay Knox of Demossville; brothers, Richard Hutson of Arizona and Donald Hutson of Oklahoma; sisters, Rose Ellen Ervin of Arkansas, Junita Hutson of Urbana, Ill., and Alice Hutson of Champaign, Ill.; and five grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Monday. Burial will be in Prairie View Cemetery, Champaign, Ill.
Douglas W. Halverson, 51, of Florence, died Jan. 19 at his residence.
He was an aircraft technician with Aircraft Services, Inc.
He was a member of Masons Good Faith Lodge No. 95, Erlanger, a Cub Scout and Boy Scout assistant scout master, and a martial arts instructor and a life guard and swim instructor at the Covington and Fort Thomas YMCA.
Survivors include a brother, James Halverson of Cincinnati; and sisters, Cindy Carter of Paducah and Judy Tarvin of Elsmere.
Services will be at noon Wednesday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Burlington. Visitation will begin there at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Cremation will be at Northern Kentucky Crematory, Walton.
Memorials are suggested to the Douglas Halverson Memorial Fund, c/o Linnemann Funeral Home, 30 Commonwealth Ave., Erlanger, Ky. 41018.
Anita Marie Webster Henderson-Coffey, 62, of Summerville, S.C., formerly of Hebron, died Tuesday at Summerville Medical Center.
She was a cosmetologist and a member of Cathedral of Praise, Summerville, S.C.
Survivors include sons, Lt. Cdr. James H. Henderson-Coffey of Rota and Scott Lee Henderson-Coffey of Lamar, Ind.; a daughter, Maria A. Coffey of Summerville, S.C.; stepsons, Mark Coffey of Sparta and Robert Coffey of Williamstown; a stepsister, Beverly Daugherty of Cincinnati; and ten grandchildren.
Services will be at 3 p.m. today at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Taylor Mill. Visitation was held on Friday at James A. Dyal Funeral Home, Summerville, S.C. Entombment will be at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens.
Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Charleston, 3870 Leeds Ave., Suite 101, Charleston, S.C. 29405.
Stith Funeral Home, Florence, is handling the arrangements.
John R. "Bob" Matchett, 77, of Fort Mitchell, died Friday at his residence.
He was a retired administrative engineer from Cincinnati Milacron and a Navy veteran of World War II. He was a charter member and elder emeritus of New Beginning Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Erlanger.
Survivors include his wife, Betty J. Cuthbert Matchett; sons, Dr. R. Michael Matchett of Virginia Beach, Va., and Roger A. Matchett of Gallatin, Tenn.; daughters, Kathleen Gerth of Union and Carol L. Palmieri of Fort Mitchell; 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at New Beginning Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Erlanger. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Memorials are suggested to New Beginning Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 3830 Narrows Road, Erlanger, Ky. 41018.
William H. Rains, 88, of Loveland, Ohio, formerly of Fort Thomas, died Thursday at Cottingham Retirement Center, Cincinnati.
He was a retired maintenance machinist from General Electric.
His wife, Marcella Gardner Rains, preceded him in death.
Survivors include a daughter, Peggy Rains Grimme of Loveland, Ohio; a brother, Lee L. Rains of Sharonville, Ohio; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Visitation will begin there at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas.
Memorials are suggested to Salvation Army, Clermont County Branch, 600 Kilgore Ave., Batavia, Ohio 45103.
Bernice Raudabaugh, 86, of Hebron, died Wednesday at Villa Spring Care Center, Erlanger.
She was a retired teacher and homemaker. Her husband, Leslie Raudabaugh, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a son, Bill Raudabaugh of Colorado Springs, Colo.; a daughter, Sue Raudabaugh of Hebron; a brother, Robert Strassman of Eau Claire, Wis.; and one grandchild.
Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Beaver Cemetery, Beavercreek, Ohio. Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger.
Memorials are suggested to Neediest Kids of All, P.O. Box 63666, Cincinnati, Ohio 45263-6666.
Diane Pearl Sandlin, 62, of Wilder, died Thursday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas.
She was a cook at Pompilio's, Newport.
Survivors include her husband, Alison Sandlin; a daughter, Cayla Apgar of Louisville; a stepson, Wayne Sandlin of Dayton; a brother, Robert Frazier Davis of Missouri; a sister, Patsy Oliver of Wilder; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services will be private and at the convenience of the family. Dobbling Funeral Home, Bellevue, is handling the arrangements.
Frank Sandlin, 65, of Erlanger, died Friday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence.
Arrangements are pending with Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
