USA High School Yearbooks by State and County
Barbara Gebhart
Barbara Borden Gebhart, 46, 2794 Briargrove Lane, Fort Shawnee, died at 10:25 p.m. June 21, 2002, at her residence. She had been ill with breast cancer 2 1/2 years.
She was born Nov. 7, 1955, in St. Marys, to Robert and Marjorie (Magill) Borden. The mother survives in St. Marys. On Sept. 20, 1992, she married the Rev. Gale Gebhart and he survives.
Also surviving are a 6-year-old son, Parrish; a sister, Robin Kantner, St. Marys; and her mother-in-law, Melda Gebhart, Holt, Mich.
A 1974 graduate of Memorial High School, she had been employed at the service desk at Kmart in St. Marys. She also had worked as a manager at area health clubs. She was a member of St. Paul United Church of Christ, St. Marys.
Services are 11 a.m. Wednesday at Miller Funeral Home, St. Marys, the Rev. Char Burch officiating. Burial will follow at Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys.
Calling is 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Contributions can be made to the Angel Foundation.
Barbara Perrine
Barbara L. Perrine, 71, of Wapakoneta, died at 6:40 a.m. June 23, 2002, at her residence.
She was born Nov. 20, 1930, in Shelby County, to Otto and Luella M. (Steinke) Kinstle. In June 1943, she married Ronald E. Perrine and he died Aug. 17, 1983.
Surviving are two daughters and their husbands, Roxanna L. and Jim Stinebaugh and Deborah A. and Ed Hickman, all of Wapakoneta; a brother and his wife, Lee A. and Cinda Kinstle, Van Wert; two sisters and their husbands, Jane and Bill Hemmer, Wapakoneta, and Norma and Joe Lamborne, Melbourne, Fla., and a sister, Carol Bogart, Wapakoneta; six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Deceased are two brothers, William and Ralph Kinstle, and a brother-in-law, Larry Bogart.
She recently retired from Ohio Decorative Products Co., Spencerville, where she had worked as an administrative secretary for 39 years. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Wapakoneta.
Funeral Mass is 2 p.m. Wednesday at the church, the Rev. Peter Chiodo officiating. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Wapakoneta.
Calling is 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Tuesday at Bayliff & Eley Funeral Home, Wapakoneta. A prayer service will be held there at 9 p.m.
Contributions can be made to St. Rita's Hospice.
Doris Brandts
Doris J. Brandts, 71, 639 Maple St., Celina, died at 3:02 p.m. June 23, 2002, at St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima.
She was born May 31, 1931, in Buckland, to Eugene and Shirley (Botkin) Baker.
Surviving are a son and his wife, Clayton and Debra of Lima, and a son, Randall of Celina; two daughters and their husbands, Barbara and Charles Tadiello, Dover, and Susan and Robert Worthey, McCalla, Ala., and a daughter, Sharon Fortkamp, Celina; 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
She retired after 16 years as a dispatcher with the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. She was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church, Celina.
Services are 11 a.m. Thursday at Lehman Funeral Home, Celina, the Rev. Robert Metheny officiating. Burial will be at Mercer Memory Gardens, Celina.
Calling is 4-8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society or Celina Area Visiting Nurses and Hospice.
William Cridge
William Ruchty Cridge, 2-day-old son of Marcus and Annette (Ruchty) Cridge of Salem, Ore., died June 15, 2002, at OHSU Hospital in Portland, Ore.
The baby was born June 14 at a hospital in Salem and later transferred to the Portland facility.
Surviving with the parents are the maternal grandparents, Jerry and Thelma Ruchty, Coldwater, and the paternal grandparents, Edmund and Susan Cridge, Salem.
The body was donated to medical science.
Evelyn Keiber
Evelyn M. Keiber, 70, 800 Indiana Ave., Apt. B-2, St. Marys, died at 12:18 a.m. June 24, 2002, at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys.
She was born Nov. 22, 1931, in Winchester, to James and Etna (Chamblin) Cross. On June 8, 1952, she married Bernard Keiber and he died in 1978.
Surviving are a son and his wife, Tim and Kathy of St. Marys; a daughter and her husband, Jill and Don Axe, and a daughter, Jackie Brown, all of St. Marys; five sisters, Faye Conley, Peebles, Golda Knauff, West Union, Ruby Conley and Wanda Hill, both of Seaman, and Joann Monroe, Peebles; 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
A sister, Jean Fite, is deceased.
She retired from the housekeeping department at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys, and previously worked at St. Marys Cotton Mills. She was a member of First Friends Church, St. Marys.
Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at the Miller Funeral Home, St. Marys, the Rev. Wilbur Drummond officiating. Burial will be at Buckland Cemetery.
Calling is 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Contributions can be made to the church.
Melvin Olberding
Melvin J. Olberding, 66, 15211 Schmitmeyer-Baker Road, Minster, died at 8 a.m. June 24, 2002, at his residence. He had been ill with leukemia the past two months.
He was born April 6, 1936, in Minster, to Herman and Verona (Brandewie) Olberding. On Nov. 26, 1966, he married Martha Seger and she survives.
Also surviving are two sons and their wives, Michael and Jill of Troy and Matthew and Julie of Minster, and a son, Mark of Englewood; three brothers and their wives, Henry and Rita, Ronald and Jean and Herman and Jeanette, all of Minster, and three brothers, Paul and Edmond of Fort Loramie, and Robert of Lima; two sisters and their husbands, Laura and Don Wendeln, Denair, Calif., and Mary and Phil Brown, Port Jefferson; and four grandchildren.
He retired from Minster Machine Co. after 34 years of service and served with the Ohio National Guard for 26 years. He was a member of St. Augustine Catholic Church, St. Augustine Orphanage Society, Minster Historical Society, Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 1391, American Legion Post 387 and the Wooden Shoe Chapter of the Beer Can Collectors of America, all of Minster. He also was a lifetime member of the Ohio National Guard Enlisted Association.
Funeral Mass is 10 a.m. Thursday at the church, the Rev. Louis Schmit officiating. Burial will be at the church cemetery with military rites by the Minster Firing Squad.
Calling is 2-8 p.m. Wednesday and 9-9:45 a.m. Thursday at Hogenkamp Funeral Home, Minster.
Contributions can be made to Mercer/Darke County Hospice or the Leukemia Society of America.
Michael Koesters
Michael H. Koesters, 47, 2753 St. Johns Road, Maria Stein, was killed at 8:35 a.m. June 24, 2002, in a two-vehicle accident along Ohio 364 in Auglaize County.
He was born Oct. 4, 1954, in Coldwater, to Harold and Marcella (Brockman) Koesters. His mother survives in Chickasaw. On Aug. 15, 1981, he married Emily N. Knapke and she survives.
Also surviving are two sons, Nicholas and Tyler, and a daughter, Natalie, all at home; a brother and his wife, Gary and Jane of Coldwater; two sisters and their husbands, Sharon and Steve Osterholt, Centerville, and Deb and Bob Homan, St. Rose, and a sister, Mary Ann of Chickasaw.
He was employed at Advance Auto Parts in St. Marys. A 1973 graduate of Marion Local High School, he was a member of St. John Catholic Church and the Knights of St. John, both of Maria Stein, and a charter member of the Tri-County Van Club. He was a former adviser for Buckeye 4-H Club in Chickasaw.
Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the church, the Rev. Kenneth Schroeder officiating. Burial will be follow at the church cemetery.
Calling is 2-8 p.m. Wednesday and 9-10 a.m. Thursday at Hogenkamp Funeral Home, Coldwater.
Contributions can be made to the Koesters Children Education Fund.
Ellwood Myers
Ellwood H. Myers, 85, Its It Road, Celina, died at 10:15 p.m. June 25, 2002, at Community Hospital, Coldwater.
He was born Sept. 25, 1916, in Dayton, to Ellwood and Joanna (Reith) Myers. Following the death of his first wife, the former Verla White, he married F. Bernice (Savage) Frantz and she survives.
Also surviving are a son, William of Kentucky; four daughters and their husbands, Marilyn and Jerry Matthew, Englewood, and Deb and Gregory Frisinger, Pamela and Gregg Moring and Natalie and Bernard Tackett, all of Fort Wayne, Ind.; and a stepdaughter, Audrey Reynolds, West Alexandria.
Other survivors include three brothers and their wives, Joe and Winnie of Dayton, Bill and Phyllis of Englewood and Charles and Cathy of Vandalia, and two brothers, Alfred of Dayton and Stanley of New Carlisle; three sisters, Eloise Bailey, Waynesville, Lenora Gentry, Dayton, and Philomena Slusher, Thomasville, Ga.; 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Deceased are three brothers, Harold, John and David, and two sisters, Mary and Patricia.
He retired as a truck driver from Consolidated Freight in Dayton. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and was a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Montezuma, a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, Celina, and a life member of the Coldwater American Legion and Coldwater Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Funeral Mass is 11 a.m. Friday at the church, the Rev. Carl Wise officiating. Burial with military honors will follow at the church cemetery.
Calling is 4-8 p.m. Thursday and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Friday at Hogenkamp Funeral Home, Coldwater.
Contributions can be made to the Parkinson Foundation.
Wallace Imhof
Wallace F. Imhof, 75, of Celina, died at 4:35 p.m. June 25, 2002, at Upper Valley Medical Center, Troy.
He was born June 13, 1927, in Dayton, to Albin and Irene (Paulck) Imhof. On June 21, 1986, he married Vixie J. Deeter and she died Dec. 24, 1999.
Surviving are four sons, Brian K. Imhof, Troy, Mark D. Imhof, Casstown, Neil K. Imhof, Medway, and John W. Ratliff, Dayton; a daughter, Sandra Ratliff, also of Dayton; and six grandchildren.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and after he returned, graduated from Fairview High School, Dayton, in 1946 . A tool room employee at National Cash Register Co. for 28 years, he retired from Inland Corp., Vandalia, in 1989.
Services are 10 a.m. Saturday at Melcher-Sowers Funeral Home, Piqua, the Rev. Thomas Farrier officiating. Burial will follow at Forest Hills Cemetery, Vandalia.
Calling is 6-8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Condolences can by expressed at www.melcher-sowers.com.
Maurine Brooks
Maurine Stanley Brooks, 94, of Celina, formerly of Middlesboro, Ky., died at 6:45 a.m. June 27, 2002, at Celina Manor Nursing Home.
She was born March 6, 1908, in Lee County, Va., to Wylie and Ollie Stanley. On Sept. 3, 1927, she married Clarence Brooks and he died March 15, 1982.
Surviving are a son and his wife, Doyle E. and Linda of Celina; seven grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
A daughter, Charlene Stewart, and a grandson are deceased.
She attended Southside Baptist Church in Middlesboro.
Services are 1 p.m. Sunday at Shumate Funeral Home, Middlesboro, the Rev. Boyd Gray officiating. Burial will follow at Sharps Cemetery.
Calling is 5-7 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Mary Geren
Mary A. Geren, 77, 808 Pro Drive, Celina, died at 8:52 a.m. June 27, 2002, at St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima.
She was born July 21, 1924, in Van Wert, to George and Stella (Patrick) Hight.
Surviving are a son, Mark of Celina; two brothers, Leroy and Elvin Hight, both of Van Wert; two sisters, Peggy Clingenpeal, Ossian, Ind., and Dorothy McNew, Delphos; and a granddaughter.
Nine brothers and a sister are deceased.
She retired from house cleaning in the Celina area. She was a member of Wesleyan Gospel Church, St. Marys.
Services are 1:30 p.m. Monday at Lehman Funeral Home, Celina, the Rev. Charles Casey officiating. Burial will follow at Mercer Memory Gardens, Celina.
Calling is from noon Monday until the time of services at the funeral home.
Contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society.
