USA High School Yearbooks by State and County
Walter A. Kirshner
Walter A. Kirshner, 75, of Brunswick, passed away Tuesday, June 19, 2001, in Medina.
He was born July 3, 1925, in Cleveland and was a Medina County resident for 50 years. Mr. Kirshner was employed as an auto worker for GM Chevy Plant in Parma. He served in the Navy during World War II.
He is survived by his daughter, Christy A. (Norman) Stanek of Brunswick; granddaughters, Cathy (Dennis) Robertson and Heather Stanek; grandsons, Jason and Andrew Maslanka; great-grandson, Nicholas; and sister-in-law, Margie Kirshner of Parma.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mildred A. Kirshner (nee Luecht); parents, Arthur and Irene Kirshner (nee Gadske); sister, Lucille Collins; and brother, Herman Kirshner.
Service: 11 a.m. Friday at St. Mark Lutheran Church, 1330 N. Carpenter Road, Brunswick. The Revs. John Diener and Ray Shelle will officiate.
Burial: Eastlawn Memory Gardens, Brunswick.
Visiting hours: 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Waite & Son Funeral Homes, Brunswick Chapel, 3300 Center Road (state Route 303 at Interstate 71), and one hour prior to the service Friday at the church.
Howard Allen
Howard Allen, 80, has passed away.
He was an Army veteran, serving during World War II.
Mr. Allen was the beloved husband of Doris (nee Morton) Allen; loving father of Margaret Schlosser, Sandra Jones, James Allen and Raymond H. Allen; dearest grandfather of eight; and great-grandfather of two.
Graveside service and interment: 1 p.m. Thursday at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, Rittman.
Visiting hours: 6 to 8 p.m. today and noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday at Coreno Funeral Home, 13115 Lorain Ave., Cleveland.
Cheryl F. Bruegman
Cheryl F. Bruegman, 47, of Sharon Township, passed away Sunday, July 1, 2001, at her home.
She was born Nov. 6, 1953, in Wilmington, Del., and was a Medina County resident for 45 years. Mrs. Bruegman was a homemaker and served on the Summit County Board of MRDD. She graduated from Highland High School, Capital and Kent State universities, and attended Bowling Green State University. Mrs. Bruegman was a member of Cornerstone Chapel.
She is survived by her husband, Alan VonGunten of Sharon; sons, Andrew and Jassen Bruegman, both of Sharon; daughter, Ariel Bruegman of Sharon; mother, Frances Bruegman of Berea; brother, William R. Bruegman III of Akron; and sisters, Caryl Kerwin of Strongsville and Caryn Bruegman of Berea.
She was preceded in death by her father, William Bruegman Sr.
Service: Friday (time of service pending) at Cornerstone Chapel, 3939 Granger Road, Medina. The Rev. Jeffrey Kolodziej will officiate.
Burial: Sharon Cemetery.
Visiting hours: 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Waite & Son Funeral Homes, Medina Chapel, 765 N. Court St.
The family suggests memorial contributions may be made to Art Therapy Center, Parma Community Hospital, 7007 Powers Blvd., Parma, 44129.
David W. Haines
David W. Haines, 52, passed away unexpectedly at his farm Thursday, June 28, 2001.
He was a lifelong resident of Medina County and attended Medina High School.
He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Laura; sons, Jarvis of the home, Jim of Ashland and Jerry of Bidwell, Ohio; daughter, Tracy of Medina; grandson, Garrett of Ashland; sister, Patricia Elwell of Greenville, N.C.; nieces and nephews; and one grandnephew.
Service: 8 p.m. today at Armstrong-Waite Funeral Home, 25 Pleasant St., Seville.
Visiting hours: 6 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Rosalie D. Piszczek
Rosalie D. Piszczek, 72, passed away Friday, June 29, 2001, at the Cleveland Clinic.
She was a Medina County resident for 11 years from 1966 to 1977. She was a housewife.
She is survived by her husband, Stanley F. Piszczek of Strongsville; sons, Stanley K. (Pat) Piszczek of Sharon Township and Gerald D. (Cindy) Piszczek of Medina; daughters, Linda (Ken) Weitzel of Strongsville, Christine (Thomas) of Brunswick and Wendy (Jim) Martin of Hinckley Township; and 13 grandchildren.
Service: 10 a.m. today at St. John Neumann Church, 16271 Pearl Road, Strongsville.
Burial: Holy Cross Cemetery.
Tomon & Sons Funeral Home, Middleburg Heights, handled arrangements.
Everett B. Cook
Everett Bud Cook, 42, of Chippewa Lake, formerly of Creston, died Saturday, Jan. 13, 2001, at his residence.
He was born June 11, 1958, to Raleigh and Irene Miranda Cook and lived in Chippewa Lake the past five years. He was a food processor for Sandridge Salads in Medina and a member of the Medina congregation of Jehovah's Witness.
Mr. Cook is survived by his mother, Irene Cook of Ravenna; sisters, Nancy Bridgman of Ravenna and Beverly Bailey of Brunswick; brothers, Robert E. Cook of Strongsville, Jack R. Cook of Mantua, Peter Peterman of Barberton and Charles Eakin of Medina.
He was preceded in death by his father and brother, Paul Daniel.
Service: 2 p.m. Tuesday at Shorts Funeral Home, Streetsboro Chapel.
A private burial will take place.
There will be no visiting hours.
Josephine Imhoff
Josephine Imhoff, 86, of Wadsworth, died Saturday, Jan. 13, 2001, at her home.
Arrangements will be announced at Murray Funeral Home in Creston.
Dorothy J. Ribelin
Dorothy June Ribelin (nee Schlechty), 83, of Mansfield, died Saturday, Jan. 13, 2001, in Mansfield.
She was born in Medina and was a lifetime Medina County resident, prior to moving to Mansfield in 1999. She was a longtime member of Lafayette Methodist Church, where she played the organ for many years. She was a former member of Montville Grange, played in the Albrecht Orchestra and was a member of Eastern Star 266. She also worked on the Medina County Board of Elections and loved music
She is survived by her daughters and sons-in-law, Brenda and Flay Blanchard of Mansfield and Bonnie and Jeffrey Deems of Columbus; granddaughter, Beth Pennell; grandson, Mark Blanchard; great-grandchildren, Sara Appleby, Daniel Pennell, Nick, Mike and Mark Jr. Blanchard; sister, Mae Sanford of Lodi; and brother, Charles Schlechty of Van Wert, Ohio.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Dwight Ribelin; grandchildren, Shelley and Eric Deems; and brother, Fred Schlechty.
Service: 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Waite & Son Funeral Homes, Medina Chapel, 765 N. Court St. Pastor Bonnie Peltoma will officiate.
Burial: Spring Grove Cemetery, Medina.
Visiting hours: 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
The family suggests memorial contributions may be made to Twin Oaks Care Center, 73 Madison Road, Mansfield, 44905.
Dora M. Akers
Dora Mae Akers, 82, of Polk, died Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2001, at Samaritan Hospital in Ashland.
She was born Dec. 11, 1918, in Mayberry, W.Va., to Walter and Emma (Carden) Stowers. Mrs. Akers was a homemaker and a member of Church of the Nazarene.
She is survived by her husband, Andrew L. Akers, whom she married on July 17, 1942; sons, Jerry (Betty) Akers of Litchfield and Tom Akers and Raymond (Vicki) Akers, both of Polk; daughters, Lila (Norman) Haney and Betty (Robert) Travis, both of Lodi, Susan Getson of Ashland and Ronda Bragg of Springfield; 22 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; sisters, Annie Shaddle of Austinville, Va., Maybel Wade of Bluefield, W.Va., Ruth Keith of Radford, Va., and Fanny Stowers of Polk; and brother, Berman Stowers of Austinville, Va.
Service: 2 p.m. today at Ashland County Memorial Park Mausoleum, 1058 state Route 250 N., Ashland. The Rev. Don Thompson will officiate.
Burial: Ashland County Memorial Park.
Visiting hours: 1 to 2 p.m. today at the mausoleum chapel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the donor's choice.
Roberts Funeral Home, Wooster, is handling arrangements.
Dillard D. Lester
Dillard D. Lester, 70, of Medina, passed away Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001, at home following a short illness.
He was born April 9, 1930, in Lake, W.Va., to Dennie and Alie Lester and was a Medina County resident for 45 years. Mr. Lester retired from Ford Motor Co. and belonged to United Auto Workers Local 1250.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Dale Lester (nee Holton); son, Dillard Lester Jr. of Medina; daughters, Robin (Terry) Powers of Medina and Deanna (Bob) Sanborn of North Royalton; grandson, T.J. (Jessica) Powers of Medina; granddaughter, Rachel (Dan) Gibbs of Medina; great-granddaughter, Marlayna Powers; brother, Charles Lester of Hewitt, W.Va.; sisters, Hazel Nichols of Lake, W.Va., and Dillie Wallen of Ripley, W.Va.; and many nieces and nephews.
Service: 1 p.m. Monday at Waite & Son Funeral Homes, Medina Chapel, 765 N. Court St. Therman and Dallas Wallen will officiate.
Burial: Spring Grove Cemetery, Medina.
Visiting hours: 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
The family suggests memorial contributions be made to Hospice of Medina County, 797 N. Court St., Medina, 44256.
Sara Hammerschmidt Ritter
Sara Hammerschmidt Ritter died Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2001, of natural causes following a brief illness.
She was born Jan. 25, 1921, in Medina to William L. Hammerschmidt and Pearl Eva (Sellers) Hammerschmidt. Her family roots in Medina stretch back to the 1850s. Mrs. Ritter graduated valedictorian from Medina High School in 1937. She was a scholarship student at Wheaton College and at Baldwin-Wallace College, where she graduated valedictorian in 1943. She completed her master's degree in music at the American Conservatory of Music in 1946, where she won the Young Artists' Contest of the Society of American Musicians. A gifted organist, she studied with several prominent artists, including Marcel Dupre.
She returned to Baldwin-Wallace to join the conservatory faculty from 1946 to 1949 and 1962 to 1968. After returning to Medina with her family in 1957, she became active in Medina County Chorus, Musical Arts Club and Community Concerts Association, and in 1962, began a 27-year tenure as organist at Medina United Methodist Church. She developed a large class of private piano and organ students and, after retirement, was still active as a substitute organist at several Medina churches as well as playing for many weddings. Honored twice by resolution of the Ohio House of Representatives for her community service, she worked diligently for Mission to Medina, a volunteer transportation organization for the elderly.
She is survived by her sons, the Rev. Carl F. Ritter (Audrey) of Pageland, S.C., Dr. George W. Ritter (Priscilla) of Columbus; daughter, Allie Ritter Jensen (Dr. Eric) of Worthington; brothers and sisters, Andrew L. Hammerschmidt (Hazel) of Columbus, N.C., Dr. William W. Hammerschmidt (Dorothy) of Falls Church, Va., and Joan (George) Pletsch of Park Ridge, Ill.; three grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Memorial service: 4 p.m. Sunday at Medina United Methodist Church with a reception to follow in Fellowship Hall.
In place of flowers, contributions may be made to the Sara Hammerschmidt Ritter Memorial Fund at Medina United Methodist Church.
Schoedinger Worthington Chapel is handling arrangements.
