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Date of these obituaries: 09-17-2003
Tom Bennett, teacher at Dixie Heights, Holmes
When Thomas Alan Bennett confided to his father, then-Covington superintendent Bert Bennett, that he wanted to be a teacher, the elder Bennett offered some advice.
"You won't make a lot of money, " he told his son, "but you'll never meet better people."
Tom Bennett lived up to the latter half of that prediction himself in a 29-year career teaching mechanical drawing and printing at Holmes and Dixie Heights high schools.
Shy with adults, he was in his element with teen-agers, earning their respect and admiration.
"The kids just loved him, " said his wife, Sharon Angel Bennett.
Mr. Bennett, of Villa Hills, died Monday at St. Elizabeth North Hospice Unit, Covington. He was 56.
He taught at Holmes for 19 years, then went to Dixie Heights for 10 more years.
In each case, he not only was a full-time faculty member but ran a shop that took care of all his school district's printing needs.
"The kids helped him during the school year, and in the summer he was a one-man operation, " Sharon Bennett said.
Mr. Bennett learned graphic arts at Morehead State University, then kept himself abreast of the technology in the field as it progressed to computers.
He retired in 1999, after he was diagnosed with cancer of the appendix in 1998. Though five years of treatment -- chemotherapy, three surgeries, including one that took 14 hours -- he continued to work part time for Kenton County schools in their print shop.
"He kept going just by the force of sheer will, " Sharon Bennett said. "He was just going to beat it (the cancer) every way he could."
Mr. Bennett had a secret ambition that few knew about -- to drive race cars. He loved NASCAR before most people knew what it was. About two years before he died, his wife and son, Sam, treated him to the Richard Petty Driving Experience, in which he was able to drive a NASCAR racer around a real track.
"As sick and thin as he was, he still got that car up to 120 mph, " Sharon Bennett said.
He also loved Corvettes. He had his first one for 27 years before he broke down and bought a new one in 1999.
"He didn't need much; he was low-maintenance, " his wife said. "He was truly a giver, not a taker."
Mr. Bennett was a member of Lakeside Christian Church.
Surviving in addition to his wife and son are a brother, Jon A. Bennett of Edgewood; and a sister, Susan Bennett Taylor of Villa Hills.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Cremation will be at Southwest Ohio Crematory, Milford, Ohio.
Entombment will be in Forest Lawn Mausoleum, Erlanger.
Memorials are suggested to Lakeside Christian Church, 195 Buttermilk Pike, Lakeside Park, Ky. 41017; or St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014.
Beverly Ann White Allen, 53, of Covington, died at 8:55 a.m. Sunday at University Hospital, Cincinnati. She was a member of Vineyard Church, Florence, and was a nurse with St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas.
Survivors include her husband, Robert W. Allen; daughters, Sandy Jackson of Independence, Betty Cundiff of Hebron, Bobbie Allen of Covington and Janet Yvonne Hubbard of Crescent Springs; her mother, Emma G. White of Florence; sisters, Sandra Mason of Florence and Karen Girdler of Covington; and five grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.
Henry Bush, 84, of Stuart, Fla., died Tuesday at Lawnwood Medical Center, Fort Pierce, Fla.
Arrangements are pending at Peoples Funeral Home, Butler.
James C. Gillespie, 80, of Florence, died Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was an employee of Levi Strauss Co., a member of First Church of God in Latonia and an Army veteran of World War II. His wife, Dorothy Ashcraft Gillespie, died in 1998.
Survivors include a daughter, Debra Walters of Sevierville, Tenn.; a son, Jimmy Gillespie of Independence; sisters, Dorothy Moore of Florence and Nannie Jenkins of Corinth; brothers, John Gillespie of Elsmere and Ray Gillespie of Georgetown; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger. Memorials are suggested to First Church of God, P.O. Box 15074, Covington, Ky. 41015.
James R. Huey Sr., 95, of Astatula, Fla., formerly of Boone County, died Monday in Florida. He was a retired principal and teacher with Boone County schools and a member of First Baptist Church of Tavares, Fla.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Huey; sons, James R. Huey Jr. of Dayton, Ohio, and David G. Huey of Lady Lake, Fla.; five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Steverson Hamlin & Hilbish Funeral Home, Tavares. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Tavares Cemetery.
Elmer Lee Jones, 72, of Foster, died at 5:25 p.m. Monday at his home. He was a supervisor with Dravo Lime Black River Mine and an elder and trustee of Fairview Christian Church. He was a former Bracken County magistrate, director of the Bracken County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Johnsville cemetery board and Masonic Lodge No. 80 F&AM, Augusta. He was an Army veteran. A son, Anthony Wayne Jones, preceded him in death.
Survivors include his wife, Wilma Jean High Jones; sons, Gregory Lee Jones and Jeffrey Lynn Jones, both of Foster; brothers, Johnnie Jones and Jimmie Jones, both of Foster; a sister, Nina Mae Shelton of Louisville; and five grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Fairview Christian Church. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 tonight at Moore and Parker Funeral Home, Brooksville. Burial will be in Johnsville Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Fairview Christian Church Building Fund, 181 Bradford Road, Foster, 41043; or Hospice of Hope, 1 W. McDonald Parkway, Mays-ville, 41056.
Mary Elizabeth Gullett Leamon, 81, of Union, died Monday at Carroll County Hospital, Carrollton. She was a sales clerk with Lazarus Department Stores and a member of Big Bone Baptist Church, Union. Her husband, John Preston Leamon, died in 1967.
Survivors include sons, William C. Gullett of Hendersonville, Tenn., and Paul G. Gullett of Union; daughters, Audrey E. Morefield and Patricia G. Antonaci, both of Union, Marilyn D. Shannen of Cincinnati, Shirley Ann Gullion of Glencoe, Mary Lou Gullion of Owen County and Kathleen Rose Feldhaus of Burlington; 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Big Bone Baptist Church, Union. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Burial will be in Big Bone Baptist Cemetery, Union. Memorials are suggested to Alzheimer's Disease Association, 544 Linn St., Suite 1026, Cincinnati, Ohio 45203.
Carl E. Martin, 68, of Florence, died Monday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a boiler room operator with Formica Corp., Cincinnati, and a member of AFL-CIO Local No. 757, Florence Masonic Lodge No. 949 F&AM, Indra Consistory Scottish Rite and Florence Baptist Temple, Burlington.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley Martin; daughters, Diane Meece of Somerset and Lisa Diffley of Chesapeake, Va.; his mother, Maude Martin of Corbin; sisters, Fay Woodlee and Virginia Sanders, both of Corbin; brothers Glenn Martin of Loveland, Ohio, Leroy and John Martin, both of Corbin, Jim Martin of Middletown, Ohio, and Ernest Martin of Beaufort, S.C.; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Thursday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Thursday. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger.
Irene Quisenberry, 74, of Florence, died Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, Covington. She was a manager with Derringer Food Service and Florence Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Charles Quisenberry; a daughter, Teresa Dietz of Florence; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Forest Lawn Mausoleum Chapel, Erlanger. Entombment will be in Forest Lawn Mausoleum. Memorials are suggested to the Arthritis Foundation, 7124 Miami Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45243. Stith Funeral Home, Florence, is handling arrangements.
Farid Safi, 60, of Florence, formerly of Al-haditha, occupied West Bank, died Saturday in Cincinnati. He was a self-employed businessman.
Survivors include his wife, Fathia; a son, Arif of Florence; daughters, Rola, Ronda, Rana, Maram, and Manal, all of Florence; brothers, Walid of Union and Wajih of Houston; sisters, Adibeh and Farida, both of Union; and five grandchildren.
Services were Monday. Burial was in Spring Grove Cemetery, Cincinnati. Memorials are suggested to Islamic Association of Cincinnati, in care of Walid Safi, 8092 Plantation Drive, West Chester, Ohio 45069. Schaefer & Busby Funeral Home, Cincinnati, handled arrangements.
Charles Edward Slayback II, 50, of Walton, died Sunday at his home. He was an employee of Total Excavating Co., Cincinnati, and a member of American Legion Post No. 4, Florence, and the Moonlight Hunting and Fishing Club, Burlington.
Survivors include his mother, Betty Steelman of Burlington; sisters, Rena Volpenhein of Lud-low, Charlene Mayes of Florence and Deborah Knox of Fayetteville, N.C.; grandmother, Deborah Connelly of Florence; and four grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Friday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hebron Lutheran Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2A, Florence, Ky. 41042; or American Legion Post No. 4, 8385 Highway 42, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Henry Walker, 55, of Covington, died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington. He was a material handler.
Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Walker; sons, Craig Walker and Charles Walker, both of Erlanger, and Isaac Walker of Covington; daughters, Falencia Finnel of Cincinnati and Felicia Wyche of Covington; brothers, Perry Walker and Robert Burns, both of Covington, and Nathaniel Flanigan of Cincinnati; and sisters, Darlene Cooper and Sandra Walker, both of Covington, Arlene Fears and Vivian Smith, both of Cincinnati, and Evelyn Randle of Houston.
Services will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at Jones, Simpson and Gee Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation will begin there at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Vada Elizabeth Young, 72, of Falmouth, died Monday at her home. She was an assembler with Kenner Toys, Cincinnati. Her husband, William N. Young, died in 1991.
Survivors include daughters, Vada Helen Young of Newport, Edna Young-Brunck of Cincinnati and Debbie Sherrie Fryer of Falmouth; sons, Wilbert Norton Young of Alexandria, Stanley Raymond Young of Newport and William Michael Young of Florence; a brother, Stanley Glover of Taylor Mill; a sister, Edna Bates of Independence; 22 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Fares J. Radel Funeral Home, Newport. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Independence Cemetery.
