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Date of these obituaries: 01-14-2004
William Bixler was 'gentleman lawyer'
Nobody but nobody could make an entrance into a courtroom like lawyer William H. "Bix" Bixler near the end of his half century-long career.
Waves of drab, faceless attorneys would part like the Red Sea and the judge would sit up a little straighter as the handsome barrister made his way to the front of the room -- a cowboy hat casting shadows over his long white beard, a sports jacket, jeans, string tie and big-buckled belt hugging his barrel-chested physique and boots boosting his 6-foot-1 frame even taller.
But strangers transfixed by the sight could not have begun to guess that what inspired such respect had a lot more to do with Mr. Bixler's insides than his outside.
He was a war hero who believed in the death penalty yet represented thousands of poor criminal defendants for no fee and little thanks.
He was a skilled magician whose visage led some charmed children to mistake him for Santa Claus.
But his bearded face could quickly morph into a ferocious Neptune at the smell of injustice.
"He passionately argued for his client on the real issues, and he didn't waste your time on something that didn't really matter, " said Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Wil Schroder, a former Kenton County District Court jurist.
"If there ever was a gentleman lawyer, he really was it."
Mr. Bixler, of Independence, died Sunday morning in the hospice unit at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North in Covington.
He was 80.
Born in Frankfort, Mr. Bixler was a Marine who was wounded three times in combat during his service in World War II and the Korean War.
He regarded World War II -- where he fought at Guadalcanal -- as a righteous endeavor, but had his doubts about the Korean War, where he fought at Chosin Reservoir.
Mr. Bixler earned undergraduate degrees in political science and psychology, then a law degree, at the University of Kentucky.
"I tell people that Bill Bixler did more for the Kenton County Public Defenders system than any other attorney that I know, and that's a compliment considering that he was not a public defender, " Schroder said.
"Bill Bixler represented more people and got stiffed on more bills than anybody I know, and he would continue to represent those people."
Mr. Bixler explained in an interview when he retired in 1993 that, "My theme is that everyone, regardless, is entitled to a fair and impartial trial."
Prosecutors and police speak highly of him, too.
"He was just a straight shooter, " said Campbell County Attorney Justin Verst. "You could certainly always take him at his word."
Former Covington police officer Lon Cook agreed.
"I never heard anyone in the department say a bad thing about him." he said. "He didn't try to pull anything underhanded."
Mr. Bixler performed magic tricks professionally and enjoyed practicing tricks and making up new ones in his basement.
But, he said in 1993, his greatest joy came from his wife, Brenda, a former deputy clerk in circuit court and a pre-trial officer in Kenton and Campbell counties, whom he married
in 1986.
"There's no doubt about it, " he said in 1993. "Marrying her was the smartest thing I ever did."
Mr. Bixler was a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, National Rifle Association, Psychic Entertainers Association, Queen City Mystics Assembly No. 11, Society of American Magicians and International Brotherhood of Magicians.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters, Nebby McMahon of Dunwoody, Ga., and Nicole Bixler; stepsons, Joseph Havey of Florence and James Havey of Lexington; a stepdaughter, Shannon Bradbury of Lexington; a sister, Marguerite Harrod of Lexington; and six grandchildren.
A memorial service is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home in Florence.
Visitation will begin there at 1 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the hospice unit at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky., 41014 or to Big Stef Inc., P.O. Box 1844, Newport, Ky., 41071.
Russell D. Bell, 85, of Florence, died Monday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired computer systems worker with Combined Insurance Co. and a Navy veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Emma Jean Riley Bell; a daughter, Rebecca Jean King of Racine, Wis.; a son, Russell J. Bell of Nashua, N.H.; and eight grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph Church, Warsaw. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Friday. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Warsaw. Carlton-Lowder Funeral Home, Warsaw, is handling arrangements.
Charles Bowman, 64, of Fort Thomas, died Tuesday at his home. He was a former employee of General Motors and a Marine Corps veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Martina Sparrow Bowman; a daughter, Wendy Fletcher of New London, Wis.; sons, Steve Bowman of Prundenville, Mich., David Bowman of Arizona, and Joseph Bowman and Cain Bowman, both of Michigan; sisters, Eldora Pringle of Clio, Mich., and Freda Roberson of Spokane, Wash.; and grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.
Vivian Lucille Dudenhoeffer Brown, 84, of Fort Thomas, died at 4:15 a.m. Sunday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a retired auditor with the Internal Revenue Service, Covington. Her husband, John C. Brown, died in 1985.
Survivors include a daughter, Joanne Campbell Walz of Fort Thomas; sons, David L. Brown of Colorado Springs and J. Robert Brown of Cincinnati; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Catherine of Siena Church, Fort Thomas. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Prayers will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested to Carmel Manor, 100 Carmel Manor Road, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075.
Sally E. Bryce, 86, of Burlington, died Monday at Woodcrest Manor, Elsmere. She was a retired seamstress.
Survivors include a daughter, Linda Susan Borchers of Petersburg; a son, William Lewis Bryce of Oceanside, Calif.; sisters, Opal Hill of Georgetown and Evelyn Ackerman of Lexington; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Burlington. Visitation will begin there at 1 p.m. Friday. Burial will be in Burlington Cemetery.
Ginger Kay Burns, 29, of Madison, Ind., died Tuesday at Columbus, Ind., Regional Hospital. She was a student at the University of Kentucky.
Survivors include daughters, Melanie Johnson of Carrollton and Amber Johnson of Campbellsburg; her parents, Diane R. Wallace Hornbeck of Madison and Kenneth G. "Butch" Burns of Worthville; sisters, April Ringwald-Rabourn of Turners Station, Samantha Burns of Madison, Natausha Wallace of Carrollton and Felicia Melton of Worthville; brothers, Samuel Melton and Charles Melton, both of Worthville; and grandfather, Kenneth Burns of Many, La.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Tandy-Eckler-Riley Funeral Home, Carrollton. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Worthville Cemetery.
Ella Mae Curtis, 81, of Germantown, died Monday at her home. She was a homemaker. Sons, Norman Perry and Leo Franklin Curtis, both preceded her in death.
Survivors include her husband, Robert Earl Curtis; sons, Robert Wayne Curtis of Germantown, Donald Gene Curtis of Wilkinson, Tenn., Darrell Edward Curtis and Thomas Clarke Curtis, both of Maysville; daughters, Ruby Ann Hitt of Brooksville, Brenda Mastin of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Linda Kay Curtis of Augusta; 20 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Palmer Funeral Home, Germantown. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Shannon Cemetery, Maysville. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Hope, 909 Kenton Station Road, Maysville, Ky. 41056.
Norma Marie Goetz Freppon, 93, of Highland Heights, died at 10 a.m. Monday at Carmel Manor Nursing Home, Fort Thomas. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Her husband, Oliver Freppon, died in 1976.
Survivors include a daughter, Joan Marie Aker of Cold Spring; sons, Thomas E. Freppon and Robert Freppon, both of Cold Spring; a brother, Norbert Goetz of Bellevue; 15 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph Church, Cold Spring. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas.
Nancy Hiles Herget, 62, of Loveland, Ohio, died Friday at Kenwood Terrace Care Center, Cincinnati. She was a gardener with J&P; Gardens.
Survivors include sons, David W. Hiles of Covington and Anthony Hiles of Fayetteville, Ohio; brothers, Richard Craig and Leslie Craig, both of Cincinnati; sisters, Janet Allen of Batavia, Ohio, and Hilda Fuller of Summerside, Ohio; a grandchild and two step-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Highland cemetery Chapel, Fort Wright. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery. Fares J. Radel Funeral Home, Cincinnati, is handling arrangements.
Robert W. Hoersting, 78, of Crestview Hills, died Monday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a sales engineer with Teledyne, Cincinnati, and a member of Mary Queen of Heaven Church, Erlanger.
Survivors include his wife, Jean Hoersting; a son, Steve Hoersting of Union; daughters, Mary Ann Mullins of Burlington and Ginny Rabe of Independence; sisters, Rosemary Neal of Burlington and Evelyn Stephens of Erlanger; and nine grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mary Queen of Heaven Church, Erlanger. Visitation will begin there at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Entombment will be in St. Mary Mausoleum, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to American Lung Association, P.O. Box 9067, Louisville, Ky. 40209; or Kenton County Animal Shelter, 1020 Mary Laidley Drive, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling arrangements.
Phyllis A. Holt, 65, of Ludlow, died at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a homemaker. Her husband, Ralph Holt, died in 1980.
Survivors include a brother, James Butler of Florence; and sisters, Paulette Barnes of Ludlow and Peggy Crawford of Warsaw.
Memorial services will be at 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday at Highpoint Apartments, Ludlow. Memorials are suggested to American Diabetes Association, 8899 Brookside Ave., West Chester, Ohio 45069. Cremation Society of Greater Cincinnati is handling arrangements.
John D. Hughes, 23, of Florence, was found dead Sunday in the Mullins Wildlife Reserve, Crittenden. He was an employee of Wornick Food Processing Co., Cincinnati, and a member of Bible Baptist Church, Covington.
Survivors include his wife, Sarah Bowman Hughes; a daughter, Ellie Sophia Hughes, at home; and a brother, Tommy Hughes of Louisville.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Bible Baptist Church, 6093 Taylor Mill Road, Covington, Ky. 41015.
Frank R. Lenzer, 61, of Independence, died at 2:10 a.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired registered nurse with St. Elizabeth Medical Center North in Covington and Rolman's Hospital, Cincinnati. He was a member of Ashland Avenue Baptist Church in Latonia and coached little league teams in Northern Kentucky.
Survivors include a daughter, Brooke Orsburn of Latonia; a brother, Rev. Edward A. Lenzer Jr. of Concord, N.C.; sisters, Ginger Brausch and Beverly Lenzer, both of Latonia, and Jean Lenzer of Independence; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill. Visitation will begin there at noon. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Philip S. Macola, 72, of Florence, died Monday at Residence of Greystone, Cincinnati. He was a retired line reader with Maxwell House Coffee Co. His wife, Mildred M. Macola, died in 1978.
Survivors include a daughter, Patricia Joyce Walterman of Florence; a son, Harold M. Thompson of Erlanger; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Friday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Friday. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Alzheimer's Disease Association, 644 Linn St., Suite 1026, Cincinnati, Ohio 45203.
Sarah E. Mastin, 86, of Maysville, died at 10:40 a.m. Monday at Maysville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She was an assembler with Wald's LLC, Maysville. Her husband, William B. Mastin, died in 1989.
Survivors include a stepson, Gene Mastin of Mason County; stepdaughters, Alta Hinton of Lewis County and Deloris Grayson of Maysville; brothers, Omar Moran of Orangeburg and Emmett Moran of Sardis; sisters, Anna Jewell Ross of Maysville and Ruby Henderson of Mount Olivet; half-brothers, Robert Moran of Savannah, Ga., Donald Moran of Mount Olivet and Larry Moran of Mason County; half-sisters, Betty Robinson and Rosetta Hafer, both of Maysville; step-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren and step-great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at Brell and Son Funeral Home, Maysville. Visitation will begin there at 6 p.m. today. Burial will be in Shannon Cemetery, Maysville.
Betty J. Quance, 69, of Elsmere, died Tuesday at her home.
Arrangements are pending at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Erlanger.
Bertie Grubb Sester, 74, of Dayton, died Monday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a homemaker and a member of East Dayton Baptist Church. Her husband, Joe Sester, died in 1980.
Survivors include daughters, Leisa Belcher, Patty Smith, Sandy Starnes and Connie Walton, Dayton; sons, David Sester and Tony Sester, both of Dayton, and Steve Sester of Fort Thomas; sisters, Sue Debates of Manchester and Lucy Lunsford of Dayton; brothers, J.B. Grubb and Samp Grubb, both of Manchester; 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at A.C. Dobbling and Son Funeral Home, Bellevue. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Withamsville, Ohio.
Essie Estep Welch, 73, of Maysville, died Tuesday at Meadowview Regional Medical Center, Maysville. She was a retired director of nursing with Hayswood Hospital and a member of Church of Christ, Maysville. Her husband, Samuel Welch Jr., died in 1995.
Survivors include daughters, Deborah Wilson of Maysville, Joetta Currie of Rockwall, Texas, and Pamela Boyle of Lexington; a son, Dr. Samuel G. Welch of Winchester; brothers, Anderson Estep of Mount Carmel, Ohio, Frank Estep of Mount Orab, Ohio, Wilbert Estep and Roger Estep, both of Felicity, Ohio, Leo Estep and William Estep, both of Blanchester, Ohio, Marshall Estep of Walton and Emery Estep of Columbia, S.C.; and eight grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Moore and Parker Funeral Home, Brooksville. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
John Marvin Yerkes, 78, of Florence, died Sunday at Woodspoint Nursing Home, Florence. He was a retired butcher with H.H. Meyer Packing Co., Cincinnati, and was a Navy veteran of World War II. He attended St. Paul Church, Florence.
Survivors include his wife, Vivian Lois Yerkes; daughters, Cindy Harris of Walton and Toni Yerkes of Jerrell, Texas; sons, Michael Yerkes of Union and James Yerkes of Florence; sisters, Pat Lottes of Port St. Lucie, Fla., and Marion Schwartz of Ghent; a brother, Joe Wurtz of South Dakota; three grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul Church, Florence.
Visitation will be from 6 to 9 tonight at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence.
Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger.
