USA High School Yearbooks by State and County
John McConville
John Theodore McConville died unexpectedly Monday morning, Nov. 25, at
his home in Yellow Springs after finishing his daily morning walk. He
was 75 years of age.
Born Nov. 15, 1927, in Centerville, Iowa, he was the son of John and
Louise McConville.
He joined the U.S. marines at age 17 and served in the Pacific and
China during the last few months of World War II.
After the war, he earned a bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology
from the University of New Mexico, where he was also employed as a
park ranger on Navajo land. He then received a master’s from the
University of Arizona and his Ph.D. in physical anthropology from the
University of Minnesota.
John married Mildred Bachman, started a family and moved to Yellow
Springs in 1959 to do research at Antioch College. At his retirement
in 1992, he was president of Anthropology Research Project, an
offshoot of his earlier work at Antioch.
As an active member of the Yellow Springs community he was involved
with the Yellow Springs Tree Committee, the Yellow Springs Men’s Group
and often volunteered with the Glen Helen Association and at the
Dayton Art Institute.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Mildred; three daughters, Kay
Reimers, Jean Payne and Lynn McConville; three sons-in-law, Gary
Reimers, Steve Payne and Leland Mayne; grandchildren, Johnny and Eric
David Reimers, Shayna and Eric McConville, and Peter and Eleanor
Mayne; his sister, Mary Warner of Des Moines, Iowa; and a host of good
friends and associates.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to the John
McConville Memorial Fund at the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. A
memorial service will be held at a later date.
Memorial service for John McConville
A memorial service for John McConville will be held Saturday, Jan. 4,
at 1 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church, 314 Xenia Avenue.
McConville died on Monday, Nov. 25.Susan Sieminski
James Sandford
James Sandford Smith of Yellow Springs died Wednesday, Nov. 20, in
Good Samaritan Hospital in Dayton. He was 77 years of age.
Born Jan. 1, 1925, in Xenia, he was the son of James W. and Marjorie
(Williams) Smith.
He attended Ohio State University and was a graduate of Sinclair
Community College. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
He retired from Wright Patterson Air Force Base and was also a retired
local realtor. He was a member of the First Baptist Church in Yellow
Springs and the Yellow Springs Men’s Group.
He was a good father and devoted husband, who truly lived and believed
in his vows of “for better or worse” throughout his diligent care of
his wife, Charlene, during her long illness. He indulged his daughter,
Lisa, in her love of animals and many times remarked that the money he
spent to buy her first horse was the best money he ever spent.
Jim had a great love of aviation and late in life finally was able to
take flying lessons and became a certified pilot. He bought an
airplane and enjoyed buzzing around the homes of friends and around
the barn at the Riding Centre.
He was also a fan of Ohio State football and shared his love with Lisa
by attending games with her while she was a student at OSU. In 1985,
they cheered the Buckeyes on at the Rose Bowl.
He was an excellent cook, a skill he acquired from his father, who was
a baker by trade. Unfortunately, many of Jim’s best meals cannot be
replicated since he cooked by sight, not by measurement.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his beloved wife, Charlene
Helen Smith; and sisters, Evelyn and Imogene.
He is survived by his daughter, Lisa Smith of Fredericktown; one
sister, Alice Smith of Dayton; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Curtis
B. and Barbara Smith of California and Laurence B. and Karen Smith of
Michigan; a nephew, Michael Smith of North Carolina; and a host of
nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held Sunday, Nov. 24, at the First Baptist
Church in Yellow Springs. At the request of Lisa, his body will be
cremated. Porter-Qualls Funeral Home was in charge of the funeral.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American
Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity or the Heifer Project
International.
Katherine Benning
Katherine L. Benning of Springfield died Friday, Sept. 20, in
Southbrook Care Center. She was 90 years of age.
Born Feb. 12, 1912, in Yellow Springs, she was the daughter of William
and Fannie Mae Hubbard.
She was a fulltime pioneer minister for the Jehovah’s Witnesses West
Congregation and was a past employee of Greene Memorial Hospital.
She was preceded in death by her parents; four sisters, Jewel Smith,
Anna Lee Butler, Goldie Douthy and Lucille Peterson; three brothers,
Floyd Hubbard, Leon Hubbard and Marion Hubbard, who died when he was a
baby.
She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Ellsworth L. Benning; two
brothers, Cassius Hubbard and his wife, Doris, of Cedarville, and John
Hubbard of Dayton; and a host of nieces and nephews, great-nieces and
great-nephews.
Memorial services were held on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Jehovah’s
Witnesses West Congregation.
Harry Butler
Harry Butler of Oakwood died Friday, Sept. 27, in the Kettering
Medical Center. He was 83 years of age.
Born Dec. 25, 1918, in Springfield, he was the son of Harry and Sarah Butler.
He served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was
retired from the Van Dyne Crotty Company, where he was twice named
“Man of the Year.” He was also employed at Crowell-Collier for 19
years.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Bernice, who died
in August 2001; one brother, Bob Butler; and one grandson, Jerry
McKee, who died on Sept. 5, 2002.
He is survived by his stepmother, Esther Ours of Springfield; his
daughter, Phyllis McKee of Pittsburgh; one son and daughter-in-law,
Jack and Barbara Harkins of Springfield; two brothers and three
sisters-in-law, Jay Lee and Garnet Butler of Fort Wayne, Ind., Tom and
Sue Butler of Springfield, Mary Butler of Yellow Springs; six
grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and one great-great grandson;
numerous nieces and nephews who loved him; a special cousin, Marge
Kirby; and three special friends, Steve Wolf and Bill and Mary Frye.
Funeral services were held Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Littleton & Rue
Funeral Home in Springfield. Burial was in Rose Hill Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Dayton, 324
Wilmington Avenue, Dayton, OH 45420. Condolences may be expressed to
the family at www.littletonandrue.com.
Virginia Hofmann
Virginia (Ginnie) Hofmann of Yellow Springs, whose life was spent
working for environmental and liberal causes, died on Sunday, Sept.
29, at Hospice of Dayton.
Her earliest interests were not social, but centered on music. She
became a member of the Detroit All-City Orchestra and played bass
guitar in dance and bluegrass bands.
A lifelong interest in learning caused her to give up music to attend
colleges in California, where she received bachelor of science degrees
in political science and liberal arts.
She then earned a master’s degree in public administration from the
University of Dayton. She received a commendation from the Washington
Air Force Office of Scientific Research for her work as assistant
director of the Engineer Training Program for Minorities at U.D.
She was a teacher in the Dayton school system, worked for a while as a
reporter for area newspapers and was campaign manager for Ed Orlett
when he ran for state representative. She worked for eight years as a
grant coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in
Columbus.
She spent a great deal of her spare time working with various
organizations concerned with human rights and community issues. She
served on the Trotwood-Madison school board for four years and was
elected for 16 years to be a Madison Township trustee.
After moving to Yellow Springs in 1992, she kept up her activism in
various capacities. She continued as president of the Miami Valley
Landfill Coalition, a citizens group that worked 15 years to bring
about the cleanup of the Powell Road Landfill, a superfund site. She
became a member of the Village Environmental Commission and served as
president of the Greene County Democratic Women’s Club.
She is survived by her sister, Charlene Florin-Amacher of Apache
Junction, Ariz., a daughter, Vickie Marmelstein of Woodbridge, Va.,
and two grandchildren, Allen and Sarah.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
Quaker memorial service for Enid Keen
A Quaker memorial service for Enid Keen will be held Saturday, Oct. 5,
2 p.m., at the Rockford Chapel, on the Antioch College campus.
Keen died in June at the age of 96. All who wish to celebrate her life
are welcome to attend the service.
Dessie Newsome
Dessie Lorena Newsome of Yellow Springs died Sunday, Sept. 29, after a
courageous battle with breast cancer. She was 71 years of age.
Raised in Plantsville, near Athens, Ohio, she was the daughter of John
and Bernice Tate. She graduated from Amesville High School and moved
to Columbus to work at Mt. Carmel Hospital.
She later moved to Yellow Springs, where she worked at the Antioch
Bookplate Company, now called The Antioch Company, and the Yellow
Springs Clinic.
She married Thomas “Tommy” Newsome in January 1953. After Tommy died
in 1977, she devoted her life to caring for her children and
grandchildren.
She was also a very active member of her church. She sang in the
choir, visited and assisted the sick, and ministered to many through
her cards of encouragement.
She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Howard; sisters
Marie and Dorothy; and her husband.
She is survived by her loving children, Brent, Belinda Ramsey, Bryan,
Brad and Barrett; daughters-in-law, Debby, Gayle and Linda;
son-in-law, Peter Ramsey, and 11 grandchildren. Also mourning her
passing are numerous friends and church family.
A memorial wake service will be held today (Thursday), 1–3 p.m., at
the Jackson, Lytle & Ingling Williams Funeral Home in Yellow Springs.
Services honoring her life will be held tomorrow (Friday), 1 p.m., at
the Church of God, 760 East Second Street in Xenia. Burial will be in
Glen Forest Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Church of God at the
address above.
Eileen Roche
Eileen M. Roche of Yellow Springs died Tuesday, Sept. 24, at her home.
She was 80 years of age.
Born in North Fitzroy, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, she was the
daughter of Cyril and Myrtle French.
After graduating from the University of Melbourne, she worked at The
Royal Australian Naval Office in Melbourne during World War II and at
the Fels Research Institute in Yellow Springs from 1970 to 1976. She
was an active member of the Xenia Woman’s Club and the Shakespeare
Club of Yellow Springs.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Jack.
She is survived by her husband, Alex, of Yellow Springs; her children,
Peter and his wife, Ginni, of Enon, Stephen of Boston, and Margaret
and her husband, Charles Adams, of Beavercreek; grandchildren, Eric
Adams of Oxford and Nicole Adams of Dayton; and many friends and
relatives in Australia, particularly her sister, Joan, and her
husband, Jim Davin, and her sister-in-law Joan French.
A requiem mass was celebrated for Eileen on Monday, Sept. 30, at St.
Paul Catholic Church in Yellow Springs.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Yellow Springs Senior
Center, 227 Xenia Avenue, Yellow Springs, OH 45387.
Marianna Williamson
Marianna Williamson, recently of Yellow Springs, died Sunday, Sept.
22, in Knoxville, Tenn. She was 99 years of age.
Born on August 31, 1903, in Lodi, N.J., she grew up in Yonkers, N.Y.
She was a graduate of the Dwight School in Englewood, N.J., and of
Ogontz Junior College in Philadelphia. An accomplished pianist, she
also attended music school in New York City. Later, she lived in
Knoxville for 62 years.
She was an avid traveler, particularly drawn to the ocean and beach,
and was a serious shell collector. Every year for 45 years she visited
Cape Hatteras, N.C., which became her beloved second home. She also
loved dogs.
In 1999, she moved to Yellow Springs and lived for three years with
her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Gordon Chapman.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James H. Williamson, a
faculty member at the University of Tennessee.
In addition to the Chapmans, she is survived by her son and
daughter-in-law, Robert and Mary Lee Williamson, of Knoxville, four
grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
Graveside services were held in Knoxville on Sept. 24. Memorial
donations may be made to the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley,
800 Millwood Road, Knoxville, TN 37920.
Estella B. Walker
Estella B. Walker, of Yellow Springs, passed away on Friday, Oct. 4,
in the Villa of Springfield. She was 76 years of age.
She was born August 29, 1926, in Chillicothe, the daughter of Samuel
and Estella (Winbun) Stewart.
She was a homemaker and a Springfield newspaper carrier for 16 years.
She was also a member of Faith Wesleyan Church, where she served as
church treasurer.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Raymond E. Walker;
two sons, Roland and Michael L. Walker; two daughters, Ruth E. and
Deborah S. Walker; and four brothers and three sisters.
She is survived by two daughters, Sandra K. Lynch of Orange, Calif.,
and Rose M. (Jack) Walker-Smith, of Springfield; one son, Danny R.
Walker of Yellow Springs; one sister, Jean Upthegrove of Utica, N.Y.;
one brother, Richard (Dianne) Stewart of Lancaster; six grandchildren
and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Funeral services were held Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Faith Wesleyan
Church, and burial in Glen Haven Memorial Gardens. The final tribute
was a service of the Porter-Qualls Funeral Home, Springfield Chapel.
Grace A. Tribur
Grace A. (Driscoll) Tribur died Monday, Sept. 30, at Regina Nursing
Home in Hastings, Minn. She was 91 years of age.
She was born in Columbus on April 21, 1911, to David A. and Annie
Laurie Driscoll. She made her home in South St. Paul, Minn., and
Yellow Springs.
She was a past member of St. Paul Catholic Church, Yellow Springs, St.
John Vianney Church, South St. Paul, Minn., and Regina Chapel,
Hastings, Minn. She was a past member of the Yellow Springs Senior
Citizens Center, a long-time member of the National Right to Life
Organization, and a special friend to many at Regina Care Center.
She was preceded in death by her parents, nine brothers and sisters,
husband, Cyril, granddaughter, Mirielle, and many loved family members
and friends.
She is survived by her children, Christopher A. (Marie) Tribur of
Morrison, Colo., and Laurie T. (Brad) Nilles of South St. Paul, Minn.;
grandchildren, Douglas, Zoe, Aaron, Martha, Luke and Hannah; and her
special “daughters,” Ellen Hart-Shegos and Ann C. Fox.
Mass of Catholic Burial and Resurrection was held at Our Lady of
Sorrows Chapel, with interment at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Columbus, on
Oct. 4.
Elinor B. Preis
Elinor B. Preis, a longtime resident of Yellow Springs, died of
pneumonia in San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 16. She was 88 years of age.
She was born May 25, 1914, in Elberon, N.J.
She first came to Yellow Springs in 1949 with her family and remained
here until 1963, when her family moved to New Zealand. Subsequently
she moved to Griffith, Australia, where she lived until moving to San
Diego in 1988.
She was a lover of opera and musical productions. Shortly after moving
to Yellow Springs, she performed in a Gilbert and Sullivan production
at the old Yellow Springs Opera House. She had been a member of the
Yellow Springs Friends Meeting and served on the Board of Directors of
the Yellow Springs Senior Citizen’s Center.
She is remembered for her gentle, modest, and unassuming manner and
for her kindness and helpfulness to those around her. Having worn
glasses since she was 14 years old, she had a lifelong interest in
helping those with vision problems. She frequently assisted people
with visual handicaps and particularly enjoyed reading to people with
poor eyesight.
She is survived by her sons, Michael of Port Washington, N.Y., and Pat
(Betsy) of Girdwood, Ala.; and two grandsons, Thomas and Andrew, both
of Girdwood, Ala., of whom she was very proud.
A memorial service was held on Sept. 21 in San Diego.
