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Date of these obituaries: 04-18-2003
Leona C. Messmer, 95, helped found flower shop
Until a stroke incapacitated her nine weeks ago, 95-year-old Leona C. Messmer still worked for Fort Thomas Florist, the flower shop she helped found more than 70 years ago.
She still made the bows for floral arrangements that earned her the nickname "The Bow Lady, " and she also strung cards. But she did it from her home on the floral shop property.
"Every morning after she would eat, she would say, 'What can I do today?'" said her daughter-in-law, Beverly Messmer.
Until two years ago, when Mrs. Messmer fell and broke her hip, she still reported for work at the shop seven days a week.
Mrs. Messmer, who died Wednesday at Highlands of Fort Thomas nursing home, started the business on Grand Avenue in 1933 with her late husband, George. They operated it together until he died in 1983.
Over the years, many of their relatives have worked there, including their three sons, who all still live in Fort Thomas. Bobby and Tom still work at the shop full-time, and son John, the head basketball coach at Highlands High School, does the accounting.
When they were babies, Mrs. Messmer kept them with her in a box at the shop.
"We were fortunate that we were able to work with her all our lives, " Tom Messmer said.
For years, Mrs. Messmer cooked a big lunch for her employees every day, a feat which impressed her daughter-in-law, Judy Messmer. "That was just beyond my imagination, " she said.
Maybe it's no surprise, then, that one of Mrs. Messmer's favorite things to do was to go out to eat. She always felt so grateful to those who took her out, said her son, John.
She was a great mother-in-law, who never intruded into the lives of her daughters-in-law, despite working with them every day, Beverly Messmer said. "She never said things about us. She respected what we believed in, " she said.
Mrs. Messmer lived her life to the fullest by working hard every day and by giving to everyone she came in contact with, Judy Messmer said.
"Her (love of) family and her faith were an example that every one of us should live by, " she said.
Other survivors include 15 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Therese Church, Southgate. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas. Entombment will be in St. Stephen Mausoleum, Fort Thomas.
Dean Bathalter, 66, of Falmouth, died Thursday at her home.
Arrangements are pending at Woodhead Funeral Home, Falmouth.
Kenetha Diane Beach, 23, of Dry Ridge, died Wednesday at University Medical Center, Lexington. She was an elementary school teacher with Crittenden-Mount Zion Elementary School in Crittenden and a member of Elliston Baptist Church, Dry Ridge.
Survivors include her parents, Timothy G. and Sharon D. Colson Beach of Dry Ridge; brothers, Tim Beach II, Ty Andrew Beach and Bo Dexter Beach, all of Dry Ridge; a sister, Tiffany Danielle Beach of Dry Ridge; and grandparents, Jesse and Mandola Colson of Corinth and Marvin and Opal Beach of Dry Ridge.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Dry Ridge. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 tonight at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Williamstown. Burial will be in Mount Zion Cemetery, Dry Ridge. Memorials are suggested to Kenetha Beach Memorial Scholarship Fund For Aspiring Teachers, in care of Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 130, Williamstown, Ky. 41097.
Esther McKnight Brunker, 81, of Cynthiana, died Wednesday at Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana. She was a homemaker and a member of First United Methodist Church, Cynthiana. Her husband, O.G. "Rusty" Brunker, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a daughter, Judith Ann Letcher of Cynthiana; sisters, Opal Hill of Cynthiana and Ruth Weigel of Louisville; two grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ware Funeral Home, Cynthiana. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Battle Grove Cemetery, Cynthiana. Memorials are suggested to Harrison Memorial Hospital, Health Center Activity Fund, 1210 Kentucky Highway 36 East, Cynthiana, Ky. 40370; or Hospice of the Bluegrass, 508 E. Pike St., Cynthiana, Ky. 41031.
Philip E. Damstron, 24, of Union, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was active with Redwood Rehabilitation Center in Fort Mitchell.
Survivors include his parents, Philip N. and Sandra D. Damstron of Union; a sister, Lisa Damstron of Union; and grandparents, Murl and Wanda Blair of Prospect.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Hopeful Lutheran Cemetery, Florence. Memorials are suggested to Redwood Rehabilitation Center, 71 Orphanage Road, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017.
Peggy Lee Donovan, 53, of Southgate, died at 11:25 p.m. Wednesday at Northern Kentucky Health and Rehabilitation Center, Highland Heights. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Michael J. Donovan; sons, Shawn Donovan of Southgate and Shane Donovan of Fort Thomas; a sister, Lisa Hilterbridel of West Union, Ohio; and two grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Therese Church, Southgate. Visitation will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Monday at Dobbling Funeral Home, Fort Thomas, followed by prayers. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Northern Kentucky, 1403 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075. Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas, is handling arrangements.
Marjorie Virginia Fisk, 81, of Highland Heights, died at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Northern Kentucky Care and Rehabilitation Center, Highland Heights. She was a housekeeper with St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. Her husband, Clyde Fisk, died in 2002.
Survivors include sons, Charles Jewell and John Jewell, both of Alexandria; a brother, Thomas Donaworth of Jacksboro, Tenn.; a sister, Mary Miller of Highland Heights; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Alexandria Funeral Home. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Alexandria Cemetery.
James Edmund Harmeling, 68, of Independence, died Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. He was a retired heavy equipment operator with Broshear Contractors, and a member of Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local No. 18 and Loyal Order of Moose Lodge No. 1469. He was an Army veteran of the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth Harmeling; daughters, Jennifer McKnight of Dry Ridge, Gayle Robinson and Kim Amyx, both of Independence; sons, James Harmeling Jr. of Piner, Willie Harmeling of Crittenden and Dustin Harmeling of Hebron; sisters, Edna Elizabeth Moeller of Cincinnati, Jessie Martin of Sarasota, Fla., Rita Taylor of Newport, Alma McGraw of Taylor Mill and Dottie Malott of Latonia; 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Independence. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Saturday. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Cathedral Basilica. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to Moose Heart Fund, in care of Loyal Order of Moose, 5247 Taylor Mill Road, Taylor Mill, Ky. 41015.
Roy Hoskins, 76, of California, died at 10:35 a.m. Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a retired machinist with American Laundry Machinery Co.
Survivors include a son, James Hoskins of California; daughters, Fern Poe of Butler and Brenda Zipp of Middletown, Ohio; a sister, Dorothy Campbell of Cincinnati; and brothers, Clarence Hoskins of Springfield, Tenn., Dayton Hoskins of Falmouth, Dean Hoskins of Powersville, Harley Hoskins of Tampa, Fla., and Denver Hoskins, Dewey Hoskins Jr., Fred Hoskins, Leon Hoskins and Seldon Hoskins, all of California; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Alexandria Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Mount Gilead Cemetery, Carthage.
Esther Hoffman Kemphaus, 87, of Fort Wright, died at 1:05 a.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, Covington. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Agnes Church in Fort Wright. She was a member of the St. Agnes Perpetual Adoration and was a volunteer with St. Elizabeth Medical Centers. Her husband, Bernard J. Kemphaus, died in 2001.
Survivors include daughters, Sandra Konerman of Alexandria and Sharon Cottingham of Fort Wright; sons, Jim Kemphaus of Fort Wright and Gary Kemphaus of Amsterdam, Holland; sisters, Rose Hoffman of Fort Thomas and Virginia Hoffman of Park Hills; 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to Diocesan Catholic Children's Home, 75 Orphanage Road, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017; St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014; or the charity of the donor's choice.
Dorothy Cecelia Mueller, 86, of Newport, died at 7:24 a.m. Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a housekeeper with Booth Hospital. Her husband, Charles Mueller, died in 1962.
Survivors include sons, Donald Lawrence Mueller of Newport and Robert Joseph Mueller of West Monroe, La.; seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday at Holy Spirit Church, Newport. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m. Monday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport, followed by prayers. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2A, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Gene Paul Newman, 64, of Florence, died Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence. He was a clerk with the Kroger Co., a member of Florence Baptist Church and a member of both the Florence Baptist Church Choir and Florence Community Chorus.
Survivors include his wife, Claudia Newman, and a sister, Mary Glenn Hockensmith of Frankfort.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Florence Baptist Church. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 tonight at the church. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Florence Baptist Church, 283 Main St., Florence, Ky. 41042. Stith Funeral Home, Florence, is handling arrangements.
Lillian Rawlings, 97, of Fort Thomas, died Thursday at her home. She was an interior design artist. There are no immediate survivors.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Evergreen cemetery Chapel, Southgate.
Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to Hospice of Northern Kentucky, 1403 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075. Dobbling Funeral Home, Fort Thomas, is handling arrangements.
Anna Humphries Brown Roark, 90, of Knoxville, Tenn., formerly of Berry, died Thursday at St. Mary Hospital in Knoxville.
Arrangements are pending at Woodhead Funeral Home, Berry.
Mark Verdon, 41, of Cincinnati, formerly of Covington, died at 5:17 p.m. Sunday at Hospice of Cincinnati.
He was a bartender.
Survivors include a daughter, Elizabeth Verdon of Cincinnati, and his mother, Betty Verdon of Cincinnati.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington.
Cremation will be at Hillside Chapel, Cincinnati. Catchen Funeral Home, Covington, is handling arrangements.
