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Date of these obituaries: 01-12-2004
Clarence LaFollette, mechanic, gunsmith
Clarence LaFollette fixed cars and guns most of his life. But his handy skills didn't stop there.
"My father only went to the sixth grade, but if he looked at something long enough, he could fix it, " said a daughter, Kelly Lynn Mastin, of Independence.
Mr. LaFollette, 71, of Jonesville, died Thursday at St. Luke Hospital West in Florence.
Mr. LaFollette grew up mostly in Georgetown, the son of a carpenter, and would watch his dad build houses. Mr. LaFollette carried on the craftsman tradition, spending 15 years as a mechanic at his brother's garage in Latonia, but he dabbled in several careers during his life.
He worked as a butcher at Rice Packaging in Covington. He served as a private in the Army in the Korean War. He also worked on the side as a gunsmith in Covington.
Guns were not only a job to Mr. LaFollette, but also a passion, Mastin said.
"Up until the time he couldn't get out of bed, he wouldn't stop doing things with guns, " she said. "That was his hobby and his pride and joy."
Mr. LaFollette built two muzzleloaders from scratch, and his work was so well-known, people came from all around to let Mr. LaFollette work on their guns, his daughter said. "He had people from all over the state who said he was the only one they would let work on their guns."
He also liked to share his hobby. Mr. LaFollette got Mastin and her sister into shooting competitions when they were 12 and 8 years old.
"Most people on their 16th birthdays get a car, " Mastin said. "I got a gun."
A member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Dry Ridge, Mr. LaFollette also was a religious man, Mastin said.
"He firmly believed in God, " she said. "He had no doubts about where he was going."
Besides his daughter, other sur-vivors include his wife, Dottie Mitchell LaFollette; daughters, Anna Belle Rolfsen of Covington and Kathy LaFollette of Cincinnati; a son, Terrence LaFollette of Crittenden; sisters, Helen Starns of Covington and Hazel Sosby of Georgetown; five grand-children and five great-grandchildren.
Services were this morning at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Crittenden. Burial was in Williamstown Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to Immanuel Lutheran Church, 3515 Dixie Highway, Dry Ridge, Ky. 41035.
Millie Burke, 86, of Cynthiana, died Saturday at Grand Haven Nursing Home, Cynthiana.
Arrangements are pending at Woodhead Funeral Home, Berry.
Anna Mae Clark, 86, of Bellevue, died Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. She was a bookkeeper for Campbell County Fiscal Court and a lifetime member of Sacred Heart Church, Bellevue.
Survivors include a daughter, Babs Pulsfort of Dublin, Ohio; a sister, Lorraine Cochran of Crescent Springs; three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Divine Mercy Parish, Bellevue. Memorials are suggested to Association for the Blind, 2045 Gilbert Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, or Divine Mercy Parish, 318 Division St., Bellevue, Ky. 41073.
Ruth B. Duddey, 87, of Erlanger, died at 3:45 p.m. Friday at Villaspring Care Center, Erlanger. She was a retired waitress and a member of Mother of God Church, Covington.
Survivors include a brother, Joe Duddey of Dry Ridge, nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be at noon Tuesday at St. John Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014. Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Independence, is handling arrangements.
Bridgette Elise Gibson, 4 months, daughter of Amy and Shelby Gibson of Dayton, died Friday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas.
Other survivors include a brother, Patrick Fogelman of Dayton; a sister, Brittany Fogelman of Dayton; grandparents, Greg and Donna Baxter of Fort Thomas, Mary Ann and Steve Volter of Alexandria and Nancy and Bill Mendell of Dayton; and great-grandparents, Lauretta and Clyde Baxter of Highland Heights and Dorlene Wind of Bellevue.
Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at A.C. Dobbling and Son Funeral Home, Bellevue. Visitation will begin there at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.
Catherine Diane Hitt, 54, of Germantown, died Saturday at Nicholas County Hospital, Carlisle. She was a member of Germantown Christian Church.
Survivors include a sister, Gay Sutton of Germantown; a brother, Brian Hitt of Germantown; nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. today at Maple Grove Cemetery, Germantown. Memorials are suggested to Germantown Christian Church, 81 Bridgeville Road, Germantown, Ky. 41044. Palmer Funeral Home, Germantown, is handling arrangements.
Christine Melton King, 55, of Dry Ridge, died Saturday at her home. She was a homemaker and Tupperware consultant, and was a member of Pleasant View Baptist Church, Dry Ridge.
Survivors include her husband, Darrell King; a son, Jeremy King of Dry Ridge; a daughter, Tina Richardson of Union; her mother, Flora Lee Melton of Dry Ridge; a brother, Jeff Melton of Dry Ridge; a sister, Brenda Simpson of Williamstown; and a grandchild.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Eckler-Hudson Funeral Home, Dry Ridge. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hill Crest Cemetery, Dry Ridge. Memorials are suggested to Pleasant View Baptist Church cemetery Trust Fund, in care of Eagle Bank, P.O. Box 385, Williamstown, Ky. 41097.
Charles G. Lawson, 65, of Covington, died at 4:53 a.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired machine operator with Lingo Manufacturing and attended Visalia Baptist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Brenda Robinson Lawson of Covington; a son, Jared Brown of Newport; a stepson, Randall Bishop Russ of Dry Ridge; daughters Trina Louise Lawson of Newport and Belinda Joyce Cordell of Corbin; brothers Sam and Donnie Lawson of Artemus, Jerry Lawson of Erlanger and Larry Lawson of Gray; sisters Phyllis Little of Dry Ridge, Shirley Osborne of Flat Rock, Mich., Shanna Elsigian of Allen Park, Mich., Wilma Hickman and Pauletta Harris, both of Erlanger, and Brenda Honeycutt of Artemus; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services were this morning at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Burial was in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Leukemia Society of America, 100 Merchant St., Suite 280, Cincinnati, Ohio 45246.
Russell I. Marshall, 95, of Dayton, Ohio, formerly of Taylor Mill, died at 12:15 a.m. Saturday at Crestview Manor, Dayton, Ohio. He was a former mayor of Taylor Mill and a machinist with Valley Barge Lines. He was also a former member of the board of the Taylor Mill Water Department. His wife, Ruth Marshall, died in 1999.
Survivors include a daughter, Maureen Elias of Dayton, Ohio; and a grandson.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will begin there at noon Wednesday. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to American Heart Association, 333 Guthrie St., Suite 207, Louisville, Ky. 40202.
Joseph W. Minogue, 79, of Highland Heights, died at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at Carmel Manor, Fort Thomas. He was a retired educator and principal of Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati and Bishop Brossart High School, Alexandria. He taught at Covington Latin and Newport Central Catholic schools, and helped establish Camp MaryDale. He was a member of the Cincinnati Friars Club and the American Federation of Teachers Local No. 1510.
Survivors include stepdaughters Melissa Kennedy and Stephanie Kramer, both of Cincinnati, and a brother, Robert Minogue of Temecula, Calif.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Visitation will begin there at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Bishop Brossart High School, 4 Grove St., Alexandria, Ky. 41001.
Carrie Lee Nickell, 87, of Newport, died Saturday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a retired waitress with Hathaway Restaurant, Cincinnati. Her husband, Bruce Nickell, died in 1983.
Survivors include a son, Bruce Nickell of Newport; a daughter, JoAnna Miskanin of Newport; and sisters Lois Wells of Lawrenceburg and Minnie Sue Stewart of Shelbyville.
Services will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday at House of Deliverance Church, Newport. Visitation will begin there at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Cincinnati. Cooper Funeral Home, Grants Lick, is handling arrangements.
Connie Simmons Sexton, 36, of Cold Spring, died Friday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a welder with Shelton Industries and a member of Apostolic Church of God, Alexandria.
Survivors include her husband, Tommy Sexton; sons Robert Simmons and Jeremy Sexton, both of Cold Spring; daughters, Jessica Simmons, Tiffany Simmons and Samantha Sexton, all of Cold Spring; her parents, J.B. and Barbara Clemons of Cold Spring; sisters Kathy Boodry of Dayton and Mary Hensley of Alexandria; a brother, James Clemons of Bellevue; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Cooper Funeral Home, Grants Lick. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Peach Grove Cemetery.
Sister Mary Isabella Whitehead, 86, of Melbourne, died at 4:33 p.m. Wednesday at Holy Family Home, Melbourne. She was a member of the Congregation of Divine Providence and a special education teacher with Corpus Christ School in Newport, Mother of Good Counsel, Riverside Good Counsel and Glenn O. Swing Elementary School and Ninth District School, all in Covington.
Survivors include sisters Virginia Stenken of Fort Thomas and Bernice Hehman of Newport; and a brother, Edward Whitehead of Fort Mitchell.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Anne Convent, Melbourne. Visitation will begin there at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in St. Anne Convent Cemetery, Melbourne. Memorials are suggested to Sisters of Divine Providence, 1000 St. Anne Drive, Melbourne, Ky. 41059.
James A. Wulfeck Sr., 81, of Villa Hills, died at 5:55 a.m. Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired chief executive officer of Wulco Inc., Cincinnati, and a member of St. Pius X Church in Edgewood, the Erlanger Elks Lodge, Golden Age Social Club and the Point.
Survivors include his wife, Della M. Testerman Wulfeck; sons James A. Wulfeck Jr. of Independence, Richard Wulfeck of Fort Mitchell, and Gary Wulfeck and Kenneth Wulfeck, both of Edgewood; brothers William Wulfeck of Edgewood, Thomas Wulfeck of Fort Mitchell and Norbert Wulfeck of Lakeside Park; sisters Thelma Wulfeck of Fort Mitchell, Virginia Mann and Carol Ruwe, both of Fort Wright; 12 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Pius X Church, Edgewood. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Erlanger. Entombment will be in St. Mary Mausoleum, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to the Point, 104 W. Pike St., Covington, Ky. 41011; or St. Pius X Church Building Fund, 348 Dudley Road, Edgewood, Ky. 41017.
