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Date of these obituaries: 07-02-2002
Elmer Gerner, 82, survived wartime brushes with death
Elmer John Gerner didn't talk much about his World War II service in the Army. But the stories he did tell centered on luck.
According to his son, David E. Gerner of Fort Thomas, Mr. Gerner had three brushes with death during the battle for Okinawa.
Mr. Gerner was wounded when a hand grenade exploded in a foxhole he had just crawled out of. All five men who remained in the foxhole were killed.
Medics pulled shrapnel from his back, legs and buttocks, and sent him back into action.
Two days later, Mr. Gerner rose out of another foxhole to take a shot, but was shot himself in the hand.
The wound left his middle finger hanging by a piece of skin. Mr. Gerner held his finger in place for four hours, waiting for medical help.
The medics sewed it back on, but crooked - and crooked it stayed for 60 years.
Another day, Mr. Gerner was standing and talking with a close friend in an area they thought was safe.
He turned his head for a moment, heard a gunshot, and when he turned back saw that his friend's head had been blown off.
After the battle, Mr. Gerner received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.
The war experience scarred Mr. Gerner, as it did many other GIs, his son said.
He suffered headaches for 40 years after the war and didn't like to watch fireworks.
Mr. Gerner never told his son how many Japanese he killed. David Gerner believes those deaths haunted him because of his religious convictions.
Mr. Gerner, 82, of Highland Heights, died at 8:33 a.m. Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood.
Mr. Gerner was a devout Catho lic, who attended Mass every day and sometimes prayed before a statue of the Immaculate Heart of Jesus for hours, his son said.
He often fixed things for elderly neighbors or did other jobs for them.
"Our house was like a hospice. There was always someone sick whom mom and dad were taking care of, " David Gerner said.
David Gerner told his father that his Catholic faith was the greatest gift he ever gave his children.
Mr. Gerner was a retired electrical parts salesman with the former American Alarm Co. and was a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters.
His wife, Mary Catherine Flynn Gerner, died in 2001, not long after the couple celebrated their 60th anniversary.
Other survivors include daughters, Cathy Borman of Cold Spring, Judith M. Bricking of Highland Heights, Barbara Kearns of Southgate and Anne Gerner of Cold Spring; sons, James C. Gerner of Highland Heights and John A. Gerner of Southgate; a brother, Raymond Gerner of Cold Spring; a sister, Rita Runyon of Highland Heights; 16 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Mass of Christian burial will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Spir it Church, Newport.
Visitation will be from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport, followed by prayers.
Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas.
Memorials are suggested to American Heart Association, 2936 Vernon Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 45 219.
Rosemary Clooney, 74, of Beverly Hills, Calif., formerly of Maysville, died at 5:50 p.m. Saturday at her home. She was a singer, an actress and member of St. Patrick Church in Maysville and Good Shepherd Church in Beverly Hills.
Survivors include her husband, Dante DiPaolo; sons, Miguel Jose Ferrer, Gabriel Vincente Ferrer and Rafael Francisco Ferrer; daughters, Maria Providencia Ferrer-Murdock and Monsita Teresa Ferrer-Botwick; a brother, Nick Clooney; a sister, Gayle Darley; and 10 grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick Church, Maysville. The rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Good Shepherd Church, Beverly Hills. Burial will be in St. Patrick Cemetery, Maysville. Memorials are suggested to Rosemary Clooney Fund, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. 55905 for the support of pulmonary cancer research.
Mildred Smither Ghent, 93, of Lexington, formerly of Owenton, died Monday at St. Joseph Hospice Unit, Lexington. She was a former special investigator with the Pullman Railroad Car Co., a retired employee of the Boca Raton, Fla., public school system and a former Red Cross worker. Her husband, John Smither, preceded her in death.
Survivors include a stepson, Charles J. Ghent; a stepdaughter, Suzanne Granger; and three ste p-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday at IOOF Cemetery, Owenton. McDonald Funeral Ho me, Owenton, is handling arrangements.
George Herbert Goetz, 81, of Florence, died Monday at his home. He was a retired brewery worker with Wiedemann Brewing Co., a member of Queen City Baseball Umpires Association and the Northern Kentucky Sport s Hall of Fame, and a Navy veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Farrar Goetz; a daughter, Lisa Anne Sand of Union; a son, Vernon Neal Goetz of Villa Hills; sisters, Norma Freppon of Fort Thomas and Loraine Olberding of Alexandria; a brother, Norbert Goetz of Bellevue; and three grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Timothy Church, Union. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Rice Cemetery, Union. Memorials are suggested to Multiple Sclerosis Society, 4460 Lake Forest Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242. Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence, is handling arrangements.
Donald F. Harris, 71, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., formerly of Covington, died June 11 in Port St. Lucie. He was owner of several Shoney's restaurants, president of March of Dimes in Danville, Va., and a Marine Corps veteran.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy Ann Harris; daughters, Pamela McCauley of Danville, Va., and Casey Biggles of Port St. Lucie; sons, Phillip Harris of Danville, Va., and Michael Biggles of Port St. Lucie; sisters, Rose Hancock and Mary Lodge, both of Matoaca, Va.; and three grandchildren.
Services were June 15 at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, Fort Pierce, Fla. Catchen Funeral Home, Elsmere, handled arrangements.
Jacob E. Moran, 20, of Maysville, died at 12:50 a.m. Sunday at on Mason Lewis Road in Mason County of injuries suffered in an auto accident. He was a forklift operator with Federal Mogul. He attended Apostolic Faith Tabernacle in Maysville.
Survivors include his parents, Tony L. and Joann M. Moran, both of Brooksville; sisters, Jessica Moran of Maysville, Jodi Moran and Jovonna Moran, both of Brooksville; and grandparents, Eleanor Wyatt of Brooksville and Martha M. Moran of Augusta.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Moore and Parker Funeral Home, Brooksville. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Brooksville Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Markey Cancer Center, 800 Rose St., Lexington, Ky. 40508.
Rebecca Lynn Rowe, daughter of Beverly and Thomas Rowe of Independence, was stillborn at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood.
Other survivors include brothers, Randall Marshall Jr., Justin Marshall, Thomas Rowe II and Chad Rowe, all at home; and grandparents, Opal Bush of Park Hills and Carol and Roy Rowe of Cincinnati.
Services will be at at the convenience of the family. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia, is handling arrangements.
Robert K. Stephens, 80, of Florence, died at 2:50 a.m. Sunday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence. He was a retired, self-employed contractor and worked for the Boone County Building Inspector's Office. He was a member of Belleview Baptist Church and was an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Stephens; sons, Robert H. Stephens and Bill R. Stephens, both of Hebron, James R. Stephens of Florence and Jerry L. Stephens of Petersburg; daughters, Connie Jo Wentworth of Covington and Tina F. Abdon of Burlington; sisters, Zophie Bagby of Hebron, Lillian Burns of Petersburg and June Stamper of Burlington; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services will be at noon Wednesday at Belleview Baptist Church. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Belleview Baptist Church Cemetery. Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Hebron, is handling arrangements.
Ralph Jo Stuntebeck, 78, of Erlanger, died Saturday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, Covington. He was a salesman with Bearings Inc. and a member of St. Henry Church, Elsmere. He was a member of the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky softball halls of fame, and was selected for the All-World Team in 1954-55. He was an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Virginia G. Stuntebeck; a son, Mark J. Stuntebeck of Independence; a daughter, Kathleen Stoppelwerth of Erlanger; and four grandchildren.
Memorial Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Henry Church. Mr. Stuntebeck bequeathed his body to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Memorials are suggested to American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, Ohio 44720. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling arrangements.
Flossie Mae Conley Warren, 86, of Frankfort, died Sunday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North, Covington. She was a homemaker and a member of North Frankfort Baptist Church.
Survivors include sons, Leroy Warren and James Warren, both of Frankfort, Joe Warren of Owent on, Marvin Warren of Indiana, Wilburn Warren of Diardsville and Billy Ray Warren of Owenton; daughters, Betty Line of Cold Spring and Norma Jean Herthworth of Michigan; 15 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at McDonald Funeral Home, Seminary Street, Owenton. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Napoleon Cemetery.
Helen Wayman, 92, of Independence, died Monday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood. She was a homemaker and a member of Taylor Mill Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary, Staffordsburg Homemakers, Irish Rovers, Covington Moose Lodge and Taylor Mill Church of Christ. Her husband, Lathan Way man, died in 1975.
Survivors include daughters, Nancy Brautigan of Independence and Martha Wagner of Cincinnati; 19 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and numerous great-great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill.
