USA High School Yearbooks by State and County
Theresa M. Towne
Theresa M. Towne (nee Piwinski), 87, of Amherst Township, died suddenly Thursday in her home.
Born in Cleveland, she was raised in Amherst Township and graduated from St. Joseph Elementary School. She was a lifelong Amherst Township resident.
Mrs. Towne was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and a past member of the Amherst Catholic Golden Agers and the Amherst Homemakers Club.
She enjoyed crafts and gardening.
Survivors include sons Richard Piwinski of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Robert Towne of Elyria, Ronald Towne of Amherst, Charles Towne of Medina; daughters Claudia Moore of Amherst and Marie Clotz of South Amherst; 15 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; brothers Anthony and Stanley Piwinski, both of Oberlin; and a sister, Sophie Dietrich of Amherst.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 38 years, Claude E. Towne, in 1975; parents, Thomas and Helen (nee Zglenioka) Piwinski; and sisters Stella Gottfried and Clara Deery.
Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday in the Hempel Funeral Home, 373 Cleveland Ave., Amherst.
Closing prayers will be 9:30 a.m. Monday in the funeral home followed by a Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 200 St. Joseph Drive, Amherst 44001.
The Rev. Lawrence Martello, pastor, will be the celebrant.
Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the church.
William Alfonzo Smith
William Alfonzo Smith, 74, of Lorain died Friday at Community Health Partners after a long illness.
Born in Hickman, Ky., he lived in the Lorain area 50 years.
He served in the Navy.
Mr. Smith worked at U.S. Steel Lorain Works for 33 years before retiring.
He was a member of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church of Lorain.
He enjoyed fishing, doing carpentry work and watching sports.
Survivors include a daughter, Debra Johnson of Lorain; sons Glenn of Sheffield, and Roger and Cecil, both of Lorain; 18 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; brothers Joe and George, both of Lorain; and sisters Vernell Smith of Lorain, Pearl Gardner, Lavera Mitchell and Glena Faye Blakemoore, all of Mound City, Ill., and Dorothy Nickleson of Carbondale, Ill; many nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ernestine, in 1997; sons Ronald and Jeffery; his parents, Edward Smith Sr. and Ora Smith; brothers Edward Jr. and Raymond; and sisters Zerbie Harris and Helen Curry.
Friends may call 11 a.m. until the time of services at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Brown Funeral Home, at 27th Street and Broadway, Lorain.
Burial will be in Ridge Hill Memorial Park in Amherst Township.
Nielsen services
Services for Denise A. Nielsen (nee Davis), 35, of Elyria will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the Busch-Curtis-Scheuffler Family Chapel, 114 Second St., Elyria.
Pastor Scott Russ, youth minister at Church of the Open Door in Elyria, will officiate. Mrs. Nielsen died Saturday night at her home.
Interment will be at Brookdale Cemetery in Elyria.
Friends may call from noon until the time of service Friday at the funeral home.
Born in Munich, Germany, she lived most of her life in Elyria.
A 1983 Elyria High School graduate, she was a data entry operator for the May Credit Co. in Sheffield.
She enjoyed reading, cooking and spending time at home.
Survivors include a daughter, Heather Nielsen of Elyria and a brother, Scott Davis of Brunswick, Ohio.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Barbara A. (nee Kristoff) Davis, in 1978, and her father, William Davis, in 1993.
The Lorain County Coroner will rule on the cause of death.
Geanie Wingard
Geanie Wingard, 76, of Elyria died Saturday in the New Life Hospice of Lorain following a brief illness.
Born in Luverne, Ala., he had been a resident of Elyria for the past 55 years.
He was a retired truck driver and last was employed by White Ready Mix Concrete in North Ridgeville.
Mr. Wingard served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
He was a member of Second Baptist Church in Elyria.
He was a member of the LaGrange Hunting and Fishing Club.
His hobbies were hunting, fishing and shooting pool.
Survivors include a daughter, Garland "Rae Rae" Montague of Elyria; brothers Samuel Wingard of Dayton and Grady Wingard of Xenia; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia "Mickey"; his parents, Jim and Clara; and brothers Jessie and Charlie.
Friends may call 7 to 9 p.m. Friday in the Carter Funeral Home, 127 W. Bridge St., Elyria, where memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Rev. Carl P. Small, pastor of Second Baptist Church, will officiate.
Memorials may be made to the New Life Hospice of Lorain, 5255 Abbe Road N., Elyria 44035.
Paul J. "Pat" Sestili
Paul J. "Pat" Sestili, 91, of Lorain died Tuesday at New Life Hospice of St. Joseph following a brief illness.
Sestili
Born in Ascoli Picceno, Italy, he came to the United States in 1916 and attended Lorain Schools.
He was employed by U.S. Steel in Lorain for 40 years in the rolling mills conditioning as a crane operator retiring in 1970.
He was instrumental in organizing the CIO Local 1104 union, of which he was the first elected committee man (union steward). He also helped organize the U.S. Steel Credit Union, now known as LorMet. He served as president of the credit union in 1958 and on its board of directors from 1955-1960.
Mr. Sestili also served on the Worker's Compensation Committee for 22 years, where he was licensed to represent the union in court. He also served on the Welfare Committee and the Community Action Committee for eight years.
He was a communicant of St. John Roman Catholic Church, where he was an usher and a member of the Holy Name Society. The church elected him Man of the Year in 1998. He assisted St. John School in starting a drive with pupils to donate to the restoration of the Statue of Liberty; worked at the church's bingo games since their inception; assisted with Vegas Nights; the church's carnival; and the move of the church from Clinton Avenue to its present location.
Mr. Sestili was an active poll worker and received a certificate of appreciation as a 50-year voter in 1994 from former secretary of state, now Governor Bob Taft.
He enjoyed traveling and was a world traveler, visiting the Seven Wonders of the World. He had flown on the Concord.
Survivors include his sisters, Sylvia Sestili, Laura Pompei, Rose Marotta and Magdalene Dougherty, all of Lorain and Elvira Hodovan of Mansfield Center, Conn.; and more than 120 nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Palmira (nee Petrocceli) Sestili and Domenico and Mary Sestili; brother, Michael Poli; and sisters, Helen Katrinchak and Theresa Johns.
Friends may call 2 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Reidy-Scanlan-Chambers Funeral Home, 2150 Broadway, Lorain, where a Holy Name Society and Parish Rosary service will be at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Funeral services will be 9:30 a.m. Friday at the funeral home followed by a 10 a.m. Mass at St. John Roman Catholic Church.
The Rev. Thomas Smith, pastor, will be the celebrant.
Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery, Lorain.
Memorials may be made to St. John Endowment Fund, 2143 Homewood Dr., Lorain 44055 or New Life Hospice Center of St. Joseph, 5255 N. Abbe Road, Elyria 44036.
Howard H. Hunt
Howard H. Hunt, 97, of Avon Lake, died Monday at the Avon Oaks Skilled Nursing Facility in Avon.
Friends may call 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Busch-Burmeister Family Chapel, 163 Avon Belden Road, Avon Lake, where services will be 8 p.m. Friday.
Additional arrangements will be announced by the funeral home.
Robert E. Johnson
Robert E. Johnson, 78, of Vermilion died Sunday at Community Health Partners in Lorain following a short illness.
Born in Elyria, he had been a Vermilion resident for 44 years after moving from Amherst.
He was a veteran of the 8th Army Air Force.
He was the general manager of Bob O’Donnell (Kerr Beverage) in Lorain for 40 years before retiring in 1986.
Mr. Johnson was a member of the Vermilion Evangelical and Reformed Church, where he had been president of the Consistory, a deacon and a Sunday school teacher.
He also was a member of AMVETS Post 22, Vermilion and the Huron Eagles Aerie 2875
He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, golf and football.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Pauline (nee Urbanik); daughters Roberta Kearns and Bonnie Johnson both of Aria, New Zealand, Mary Moes of Vermilion and Nancy Chapman of Dorchester, Canada; son, James of Arvada, Colo.; 12 grandchildren; and a sister, Ruth Mathews of Elyria.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Leon and Hannah (nee Gonyer), and brothers Lester and Jim.
Friends may call 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Riddle Funeral Home, 5345 South St., Vermilion, where the Vermilion Veterans Council will conduct a military service at 7 p.m. tonight.
Funeral services will be noon Wednesday at the funeral home.
The Rev. Dr. John D. Hood, pastor of the Vermilion Evangelical and Reformed Church, will officiate.
Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery, Vermilion.
Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, Northeast Ohio Affiliate, Inc., 1689 East 115th St., Cleveland 44106-3988 and the Ritter Public Library, 5680 Liberty Ave., Vermilion 44089.
MaryEllen L. Murdock
MaryEllen L. Murdock (nee Schmitz), 70, of Elyria, died Wednesday at EMH Regional Medical Center in Elyria after suffering an apparent heart attack.
Born in Loudon Township, Ohio, she lived in Wellington for many years before moving to Elyria 15 years ago.
She was the owner of Magic Kurl Korner Beauty Salon in Elyria for many years.
Mrs. Murdock was also a sales representative for Tupperware and Amway products.
She was a member of the Elyria Eagles Aerie #431 auxiliary and she enjoyed dancing, sewing and playing cards.
Survivors include her daughters, Renee Hoepf, Cherie Rollyson, Michelle Konicek and Monica "Sue" Lane, all of Elyria; a son, Shawn Hoepf of Elyria; 11 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a brother, Bernard Schmitz of Tiffin, Ohio.
She was preceded in death by a stepbrother, Gordon Gilmore.
Friends may call 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Laubenthal-DeCarlo Funeral Home, 257 Washington Ave., Elyria, where funeral services will be 11 a.m. Monday.
Burial will be in Brookdale Cemetery, Elyria.
Memorials may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
