USA High School Yearbooks by State and County
Gerda Oldham
Gerda Wilk Oldham of Yellow Springs died on Friday, Dec. 13, at home.
She was 90 years of age.
She was born on June 20, 1912, in Berlin, and emigrated with her
family to the United States in 1927.
She liked to travel, visiting her children and grandchildren in
England, France, Norway, Colombia and across the United States, from
New Hampshire to Washington State. She enjoyed gardening and
especially loved spending time at the seashore.
Reading was another one of her passions. She kept the library busy
tracking down books that she saw reviewed in The New York Times. She
shared her love of words with her family, and for years read with her
neighbor Nolan Miller several times a week. She also taught several
adults to read through the Greene County Laubach literacy program.
She was an accomplished pianist and organist, and up until her death
enjoyed playing music written for eight hands at two pianos. She was a
member of a piano trio that traveled every fall to Interlochen for a
week at a music camp.
She and her husband, James Oldham, made Yellow Springs their home
since 1957. Until her retirement she worked in the Antioch College
president’s office as secretary to Morris Keeton, Sam Gould and other
administrators. She served as office manager and occasional reviewer
at the Antioch Review, and continued there as eagle-eyed proofreader
until just a few years ago.
She is survived by James Oldham, her loving husband of 66 years; five
children and their partners, Ned, who shares their home in Yellow
Springs, Robert Oldham and Marcia Perkins of Richmond, Va., Kathy and
Dan Beverly of Mishawaka, Ind., David and Barbara Duvall Oldham of
Brooklyn and Susanne Oldham, who is serving in the Peace Corps in
Lesotho, and her partner, John Semmlow of New Brunswick, N.J.; four
grandchildren, Karen Klausen, Jody Lee, Andy Beverly and Carol Oldham;
three great-grandchildren; a sister, Emily Adler of Atlanta; two
nieces, two great-nephews and a great-niece and their children.
Her brother, Helmut Wilk, died in World War II.
Her remains have been donated to the Wright State Medical School. A
tree will be planted in her memory next spring. Donations in her name
to the Heifer Project (www.heifer.org), one of her favorite charities,
are welcome.
Charles R. Watts
Charles R. Watts of Springfield died Friday morning, Dec. 13, in his
residence, after a brief illness. He was 90 years of age.
Born Oct. 7, 1912, in Lima, he was the son of Alexander H. and Esther
(Brenaman) Watts.
He owned the Yellow Springs IGA for 35 years and was an avid bowler
and loved to play golf. He always enjoyed being with his friends at
the Union Club.
He was a member of the Union Club, Elks Lodge and Fraternal Order of
Eagles Aerie 397.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Agnes M. Watts; brother, Robert
B. Watts; half-sister, Doris L. Watts; stepsister, Margaret C. Gaver;
and his parents.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Carolyn L. and Thomas
W. Perkins of Springfield; grandson, Thomas W. Perkins Jr.;
great-granddaughter, Victoria L. Perkins; and several nieces and
nephews.
At Charles’s request, he was cremated. Memorial services were held
Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Rosehill Chapel.
Henry W. Gayek
Henry W. Gayek of Erie, Pa., died Tuesday, Dec. 17, at Saint Vincent
Health Center. He was 82 years of age.
Born Nov. 27, 1920, in Detroit, he was the son of the late Alexander
Gayek and Antonina Gregorew Gayek Malicki.
He recieved a B.A. in electrical engineering from Michigan
Technological University in 1942. He worked for General Electric for
over 40 years in engineering and engineering management in
Schenectady, N.Y., Waynesboro, Va., King of Prussia, Pa., and Erie,
Pa. He was the author of numerous technical papers and a life senior
member of the IEEE. He was active in the GE Elfun Society, from which
he received awards for his community service. After retirement, he was
the co-founder and chief archivist of the Museum of Erie GE History.
He was active in community theater since 1946 and appeared in 55
productions in theaters in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. He
acted at the Erie Playhouse, Roadhouse Theatre, Directors Circle,
Gannon University and the Erie Civic Ballet. He appeared in How to
Succeed in Business without Really Trying, Love Letters, You Can’t
Take It with You, On Golden Pond and The Second Time Around.
He was active in the Unitarian Universalist Association for over 50
years. He served for many years as a lay leader of the First Unitarian
Church of Erie, and more recently with the First Universalist Church
of Girard. He was a commissioned lay leader serving a district
covering most of Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
He was preceded in death by his wife, June Tracy Gayek, in 1996, and
by two brothers, Joseph and Bill Gayek.
He is survived by two daughters, Ann Gayek of Yellow Springs and
Alexandra Gayek of Kirkland, Wash.; a son, Peter Gayek, and his wife,
Alison, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; a sister, Irene Blatchford of Grosse
Pointe Shores, Mich.; two grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
A service was held on Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Unitarian Universalist
Congregation of Erie.
Edith E. Hampton
Edith E. Hampton of Cedarville died Saturday, Dec. 21, in Greenwood
Manor in Xenia. She was 83 years of age.
Born on April 10, 1919, in Dayton, she was the daughter of Jacob and
Marie (Birdzisk) Gierus.
She was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church in Yellow Springs and the
American Legion Post No. 544 Ladies Auxiliary of Cedarville.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Roy M. Hampton;
grandson, Joshua Matthew Chesser; two sisters, Jean Krowalias and Mary
Brozowski; and her brother, Ziggy Gierus.
Survivors include two sons and daughters-in-law, Roy M. and Debbie
Hampton Jr. of Germantown and Ron Hampton and Suzette Castonguay of
Yellow Springs; daughters and sons-in-law, Beverly J. Hampton of
Xenia, Barbara and Robert Slone of Xenia and Sherry and Dennis Chesser
of Toledo; grandchildren, Justin and Jennifer Slone of Centerville,
Seaman Apprentice Brandon Slone of Indiana, Jeremy, Jeffrey, Jason and
Jena Chesser of Toledo, Amy, Lisa, Kristen and Megan Hampton of
Springfield; one great-granddaughter, Jenifer Marie Slone of
Miamisburg; and her sister, Irene Bockenek of Dayton.
A funeral mass was held Tuesday, Dec. 24, in the St. Paul Catholic
Church in Yellow Springs. Burial followed in St. Paul Cemetery.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the S.I.D.S. Foundation &
Children’s Medical Center, One Children’s Plaza, Dayton, OH 45404.
Marjorie A. Kinney
Marjorie A. Kinney of Springfield died Thursday, Dec. 19, at Oakwood
Village Health Care Center following a short illness. She was 87 years
of age.
Born Oct. 17, 1915, in Yellow Springs, she was one of three daughters
and three sons born to Charles and Jessie Kinney.
She attended Beehive Grade School in Yellow Springs. She attended Ohio
State University for undergraduate work and took graduate-level
courses at the University of Chicago and New York University, where
she received an M.A.
She served as an officer in the Army Nurse Corps from 1943 to 1948.
She taught nursing at Michigan State University, Western Reserve
University and Wright State University, from where she retired in 1984
as professor emeritus.
After retirement, Marjorie developed an avid interest in genealogy and
began a several-year quest into the study of the ancestry of the
Kinney family. This search led not just to hundreds of letters and
phone calls but many trips throughout the country and even outside of
this country. She had documented her findings and had begun a book on
the Kinney family ancestry, still to be finished by others.
She was preceded in death by both parents, one sister and three brothers.
She is survived locally by one sister, Elma Wolf and her sons, Dana,
Larry and Leslie of South Charleston; two nephews, Charles Kinney of
New Moorfield and Keith Kinney of Yellow Springs; a sister-in-law,
Marjol Kinney of Springfield. She is also survived by six nephews,
Mike, Daryl, Myron, Joe, Charles and David; one niece, Sarah; and
several great-nephews and great-nieces.
Funeral services were held on Sunday, Dec. 22, at Littleton Rue
Funeral Home in Springfield. Burial was at Glen Forest Cemetery.
Susan E. Sieminski
Susan E. Sieminski died Sunday, Dec. 22, in Community Hospital in
Springfield after a brief illness. She was 90 years of age.
Born in Clifton, she was the daughter of George W. and Laura Belle
(White) Iliff.
She retired from the Civil Service at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
in 1976 after 27 years. She was a member of the Eagles.
Music was her inspiration. During her teens she played the piano for
most of the musical events at Bryan High School and for the Yellow
Springs United Methodist Church. She loved to dance, fish and travel.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Virgil
Crabbe, and second husband, Frank Sieminski.
She is survived by her daughter, Shirley Finney of Springfield;
grandson Graig Finney and his wife, Allison of Marysville; sister,
Ethel Beatty of Yellow Springs; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the Richards, Raff & Dunbar Memorial Home today
(Thursday), 10–11 a.m. Funeral services will be held today (Thursday)
at 11 a.m., with burial in Rose Hill Cemetery to follow.
Edward L. Lind
Edward L. Lind died Monday, Nov. 4, at Miller’s Senior Center in
Indianapolis. He was 72 years of age.
He was born on April 16, 1930, in Minneapolis. He lived for 32 years
in Hustead, where he attended Oak Grove School. He graduated from Enon
High in 1948.
He was a member of Ohio National Guard, Demolay, and was employed by
New York Central Railroad. He transferred to Indianapolis when the
railroad’s offices closed in Springfield. He later owned and operated
Economy Food Supply in Indianapolis.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Bessie Linson Lind, his father
Herbert C. Lind of Hustead and his brother Herbert C. Lind Jr. of
Minneapolis.
He is survived by his wife, LaGora, and son, Daniel L. Lind, both of
Indianapolis, and daughter, Malinda K. Lind of Hopewell, Va.; two
grandchildren; one grandson; one great-grandchild; and his brother
Phillip Lind of Hustead.
Visitation will be held on Friday, Nov. 8, from noon to 2 p.m., in the
Jackson Lytle & Ingling Williams Funeral Home, 322 Xenia Avenue, with
funeral services following at 2 p.m. Burial will be held in Glen Haven
Memorial Gardens.
Ruth Hamilton
Ruth B. Hamilton, a prominent portrait painter known as Ruth Nestor,
died peacefully on Saturday, Nov. 9. She was 82 years of age.
She was born on Jan. 29, 1920, in Cincinnati as Ruth Barbara Aukenthaler.
At age 16, she began attending the Cincinnati Art Academy, where she
was awarded a scholarship to complete her studies.
During her artistic career she was commissioned to create portraits of
many distinguished public figures, including William Howard Taft;
Judges Paul C. Weick, Anthony J. Celebrezze, John W. Peck and S.
Arthur Spiegel; Stanley Chesley; Ohio Governor Richard Celeste; and
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart.
A fellow alumnus of the Cincinnati Art Academy once described her
portraits as “having a richness of color, a depth and roundness,
reminiscent of the old world masters.”
She was an especially kind and caring woman who helped many of her
friends in their time of need. She supported numerous social and
environmental causes.
She moved to Xenia with her late husband William “Bill” Hamilton in 1968.
She is survived by her sister, Emma Louise Reeves of Cincinnati; her
nieces and nephews, Judy and Wayne Witherby of Cincinnati, Kathryn
Reeves of West Lafayette, Ind., and David Reeves of Ludlow, Ky.;
friends Debra and Brady Karns of Yellow Springs, Angie and Joe Heiman
of Cincinnati, Tom and Dorcas Denger of Xenia and Lisa Millot of
Dayton.
Her friends will hold an open remembrance gathering Saturday, Nov. 23,
2–4 p.m., at the home of Debra and Brady Karns, 1425 Meadow Lane in
Yellow Springs.
Memorial donations may be made in Ruth’s name to Hospice of Dayton.
The family is being served by Littleton & Rue Funeral Home in
Springfield.
Gertrude Nickell
Gertrude Rachael (Gillespie) Nickell of Yellow Springs died Tuesday,
Nov. 19, in Friends Care Community. She was 97 years of age.
Born in Kentucky on Oct. 11, 1905, she was the daughter of William
Henry and Martha Evaline (Tolson) Gillespie.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Benjamin Nickell; her son,
Herbert; and her grandson Phillip Breckner.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Helen and John
Breckner of Yellow Springs; one sister-in-law, Lillie Gubeno of
Lorraine; three grandchildren, David Nickell of Yellow Springs, Linda
Nickell-Richmond of New York City and Eric Breckner of Yellow Springs;
four great-grandchildren, Nicole Richmond of New York City,
Christopher Nickell of Columbus, Michael Jensen of Yellow Springs and
Drew Breckner of Yellow Springs; three great-great-grandchildren; and
numerous nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be held today, (Thursday), 2 p.m., at Glen
Forest Cemetery. Jackson Lytle & Ingling Williams Funeral Home is
assisting the family.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations in
Gertrude’s memory be made to Friends Care Community, 150 East Herman
Street, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387.
Robert Morgan
Robert Ralph Morgan of Fairborn died on Monday, Nov. 18, in the U.S.
Air Force Medical Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He was 78
years of age.
Born on May 27, 1924, in Bath Township, he was the son of the late
Charles and Florence (Koontz) Morgan.
He was a graduate of Bryan High School class of 1942, a World War II
veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps and a retired employee of
Southwestern Portland Cement Company with 39 years of service. He was
a member of the Fairborn St. Luke United Methodist Church, the Greene
County Agricultural Society, the Greene County Farm Bureau, Bath
Grange and Pomona Grange.
He was a well-known fast-pitch softball player during the 1940s
through the 1960s, an avid hunter and fisherman, and he loved farming
and raising livestock.
He was preceded in death by two brothers.
He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Juanita F. (Flatter)
Morgan; two sons, Charles D. Morgan and his wife, Brenda, of Lebanon,
and R. Brian Morgan of Fairborn; two granddaughters, Brittany and
Ashley Morgan; an aunt, Margaret Roleke of Florida; a niece, Tina
Merriman of Kansas City; a sister-in-law, Dora Mae Riggle and her
husband, Lester L., of Kettering; two brothers-in-law, Harold D.
Flatter of Fairborn and Joe W. Flatter Sr. and his wife, Betty, of
Fairborn; and numerous other family members and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, Nov. 22, 1 p.m., in the
Fairborn St. Luke United Methodist Church, 100 North Broad Street.
Burial will follow in the Byron Cemetery.
The family will receive friends today (Thursday), 5–8 p.m., in the
Belton Funeral Home in Fairborn.
Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to the Fairborn St.
Luke United Methodist Church Memorial Fund.
Jean Marie Janis
Jean Marie Janis of Yellow Springs died Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Liberty
of Xenia. She was 75 years of age.
Born June 23, 1927, in Cleveland, she was the daughter of Joseph and
Mary (Hamacek) Janecek.
She received a bachelor’s degree from Radcliff College and a master’s
degree in English from Cornell University. She held many positions
while she was able to work, including director of housing for Antioch
University and president of the Yellow Springs Senior Center.
She was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church in Yellow Springs.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother.
She is survived by a niece, Joyce Turner and her husband, Richard, of
Cincinnati; a nephew, Edward Janis and his wife, Kellye, of Indiana;
and great-nephews, Robert Turner and his wife, Meredith, and Jonathan
Turner, all of Cincinnati.
Friends visited with the family on Saturday, Nov. 16, in the Jackson
Lytle & Ingling Williams Funeral Home in Yellow Springs. A private
burial was held in St. Paul’s Cemetery in Yellow Springs.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Yellow Springs Senior
Center, 227 Xenia Avenue, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387, or the Humane
Society of Greene County, 765 North Detroit Street, Xenia, Ohio 45385.
Wallace Eugene Townsend
Dr. Wallace Eugene Townsend died on Friday, Nov. 22, at his home in
Abrams, Wis. He was 74 years of age.
Born on July 6, 1928, he was the son of the late Walter and Marie Townsend.
He was a 1946 graduate of Bryan High School in Yellow Springs. He
graduated in 1956 from Ohio State University with a degree in
veterinary medicine and practiced for 30 years in Gillett, Wis.
He is survived by his wife, Edith; four daughters, Nancy, Terrie Sue,
Amy and Karen; and six grandchildren.
Funeral services were held Monday, Nov. 25, at the United Methodist
Church in Gillett, Wis.
Memorial contributions may be made to one’s favorite charity.
