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Date of these obituaries: 05-13-97
"Peck" Ryan, Kenton magistrate
On the Suspension Bridge, on horseback in Devou Park and even in a bowling alley - almost anywhere a couple wanted to get married
- retired Kenton County magistrate Arthur "Peck" Ryan was willing to go there to perform the ceremony.
Mr. Ryan, 78, of Covington, died 6:23 a.m. Monday at home. He was a magistrate for 12 years and a Kenton County sheriff's deputy for 10 years. He retired from the sheriff's office at age 72, said a daughter, Sara Wiley of Covington.
"He was a pretty popular guy, " she said. "Everyone knew and loved him."
Mr. Ryan is believed to have officiated at more than 13, 500 weddings. He continued to receive Christmas cards from couples long after the nuptials.
Once he married
a bride and groom dressed like hobos.
"He would do it no matter where it was, as long as it was in Kentucky in his jurisdiction, " Mrs. Wiley said.
Mr. Ryan was a dignified man, Kenton County District Judge William Schmaedecke said. While most people called him "Peck, " Judge Schmaedecke said he called him "Arthur" out of respect.
"He was a no-nonsense deputy sheriff when he was in the courtroom as a bailiff, " Schmaedecke said. "He was almost like a bulldog - so husky. If he was on your docket, you knew there would be no fooling around."
Mr. Ryan lived and worked near the Kenton County Courthouse, Schmaedecke said. His son-in-law, Tom Hall, took over as a magistrate when Mr. Ryan retired.
Mr. Ryan was a member of the Northern Kentucky Baseball Hall of Fame and Kenton County Democratic Club. He also was an honorary clerk with Kentucky Court of Appeals. His wife, Helen Ryan, died in 1986.
Other survivors include daughters, Donna Vastine and Joan Maybury, both of Stuart, Fla., Mary Jane Ferrari of Hudson, Fla., Sue Hall and Mabel Bailey of Covington, and Pat Walton of Alexandria; sons, Arthur Ryan of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Tom Ryan of Pensacola, Fla.; a brother, Chet McKee of Florence; 34 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren and two great-great- grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home in Covington. Visitation will be 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Covington. Memorials are suggested to the St. Elizabeth Hospice, 401 E. 20th St., Covington 41014.
Joyce Behanan, 55, of Covington, died Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. She was a former employee of Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky and a member of First Baptist Church, Elsmere.
Survivors include her husband, Robert L. Behanan Sr.; a son, Robert L. Behanan of Cincinnati; daughters, Erica Flagg of Cincinnati and Priscilla Williams of Covington; a brother, Steve Luke of Elsmere; sisters, Betty Jo Parks of Cincinnati, Bernice Webb of Elsmere, Dorothy Marks, Claudette Oden and Willa Mae Luke, all of Covington; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Visitation will be 6 to 8 tonight at the church. Burial will be in Mary Smith Memorial Cemetery, Elsmere. Jones and Simpson Funeral Home, Covington, is handling arrangements.
Ethel A. Hildebrand Bonkowski, 90, of Wallingford, Vt., formerly of Cold Spring, died April 27 at Rutland Regional Medical Center in Vermont.
Survivors include a daughter, Marilyn Jorgensen of Wallingford, Vt.; sisters, Dolores Steffen of Alexandria and Geneva Steffen of Cold Spring; a brother, Walter Hildebrand of Alexandria; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Memorial mass will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Joseph's Church, Cold Spring. Burial will be at St. Joseph Cemetery, Cincinnati. Aldous Funeral Home in Rutland, Vt., is handling arrangements.
Marie Janice Cooper, 54, of Vanceburg, died Monday at Vanceburg Health Care Center. She was a custodian with Straub Elementary School, Mason County, and a member of Formans Chapel United Methodist Church, Mason County.
Survivors include a daughter, Melody Ware of Germantown; a son, Scott Cooper of Germantown; her mother, Mary Mineer Shelton of Georgetown; sisters, Joyce Conley of Germantown, Phyllis Wise and Ruth Ellen Wheeler, both of Maysville, Joan Hoskins of Rome, Ga., Darlene Brown of Tollesboro, and Evelyn McKay of Oklahoma City; brothers, James Wheeler of Washington and Fred Shelton Bethel, Ohio; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Palmer Funeral Home, Germantown. Visitation will be 6 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Shannon Cemetery, Mason County.
Clifford Paul Haigis, 87, of Bellevue, died at 7:57 a.m. Sunday at St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas. He was a coal salesman with Haigis Brothers Coal Yard, a member of First Baptist Church of Bellevue and an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include a brother, Sam Haigis of Dayton; and a sister, Esther Hoffman of Lexington.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Bellevue. Visitation will begin there at noon Wednesday. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.
Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 7730 U.S. 42, Suite C6, Florence 41042.
Lola Millican, 90, of Loveland, Ohio, formerly of Erlanger, died Monday at Bethesda Hospital North, Cincinnati. Arrangements are pending at Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
Mabel B. Plummer, 79, of Falmouth, died Monday at River Valley Nursing Home, Butler. She was a homemaker and a member of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, Butler. Her husband, Floyd H. Plummer, died April 2.
Survivors include sons, Terry Plummer of Butler and Robert Plummer of Florence; a daughter, Dorothy Cox of Ft. Thomas; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Graveside services will be at 6 p.m. today at Riverside Cemetery, Falmouth. Memorials are suggested to American Red Cross, 59 Carothers Road, Newport, 41071. Peoples Funeral Home, Falmouth, is handling arrangements.
Rexford Stokley Sr., 71, of Erlanger, died Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a shipping and receiving employee of LeBlond Machine and Tool Co., Cincinnati. His wife, Ruth Ann Stokley, died in 1990. A daughter, Gloria Stokley, died in 1995.
Survivors include sons, Lawrence Stokley and Michael Stokley, both of Milford, Ohio, Samuel Stokley of Florence and Rexford Stokley Jr. of Erlanger; daughters, Sherri Hausfeld of Cincinnati and Melissa Stokley of Erlanger; and seven grandchildren.
Services were this morning at Radel Funeral Home, Newport. Burial was in Stokley Cemetery, Clay City.
Daniel C. Tursany, 75, of Dayton, died Sunday at St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas. He was a retired tester with Ford Motor Co., Cincinnati, and a member of Newport Church of God. He also was a Marine Corps veteran of World War II and a member of Disabled American Veterans.
Survivors include his wife, Mattie Tursany; sons, Danny Tursany of Pomona Park, Fla., David Tursany of Nicholasville and Thomas Tursany of Dayton; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Visitation will be 6 to 9 tonight at the church. Burial will be in Alexandria Cemetery. Radel Funeral Home, Newport, is handling arrangements.
Louise Walton, 80, of Covington, died at 4 a.m. Monday at Highlands of Ft. Thomas nursing home. She was a retired clerk with Greenwald, Wallenstein and Mayer Co., and a member of Latonia Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Edward Walton; a brother, Ernest Throckmorton of Flemingsburg; and a sister, Hazel Bray of Covington.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to the church, 38th and Church St., Latonia 41015.
Helen West, 73, of Brooksville, died Monday at St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas.
Arrangements are pending at Peoples Funeral Home, Falmouth.
Mae Wiley, 84, of Silver Grove, died at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas. She was an employee of Wendling Printing Co., Newport. Her husband, William N. Wiley, died in 1988. A daughter, Lucille Yerkes, died in 1992.
Survivors include a daughter, Lois Ruschell of Silver Grove; four grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Ft. Thomas. Visitation will be 5 to 7 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Alexandria Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Silver Grove Christian Church, 122 W. Second St., Silver Grove 41085.
