This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Almdale, Mygrant, Bear, Lewis, Cloud, Knox, Koehlinger, Tullis, Bowman, Kirtley,
Taylor, Alford, Cotton, Rosenbarger
Classification: Obituary
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Ui.2ADI/2950
Message Board Post:
Obituaries courtesy of News-Banner Publications. Posted with permission.
Sept. 1, 2003 – Labor Day holiday – no paper
Sept. 2, 2003
Howard Almdale, 82
The founder of Almco Steel Products, Howard Almdale, 82, died at 3:12 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 31
at Bluffton Regional Medical Center after a sudden illness.
Born in Detroit, Mich. on Dec. 18, 1920 to Einar and Ruth Jersin Almdale, he married Jeane
K. Gruendler in University City, Mo. on June 7, 1947; she survives.
After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1942 with a degree in mechanical
engineering, he entered the U.S. Navy and was shipped to Pearl Harbor and served as the
supervisor of ship repair for damages done by the Japanese attack. He obtained the rank of
Navy Lieutenant.
In 1946 he founded Almco Steel Products in Bluffton, which has grown to be a major
supplier of components to auto/truck and diesel engine manufacturers. He served as
president and remained a co-owner until his death.
A member of the First United Methodist Church, he was active in the U.M. Men and
Yokefellow groups and served on a number of church boards and committees. An avid
gardener, fisherman and arborist, he was an active supporter of the Chamber of Commerce,
Creative Arts Council, the Boy Scouts of America and a number of community projects. He
started the Junior Achievement chapter in Bluffton.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons, Scott H. Almdale of Westmoreland,
N.H., James C. Almdale of Uniondale, and Dr. David P.J. Almdale, of Fort Wayne; a sister,
Marjorie Van Arsdale of Arvada, Colo.; and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by
a brother, Einar Almdale.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Thoma/Rich, Hewitt & Chaney
Funeral Home in Bluffton, and for one hour prior to the service, which will be held
Thursday at 2:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church. Pastor Bruce Holland, Rev.
Larry Ray and Rev. Gary Lewis will officiate. Burial will be at Elm Grove Cemetery.
Preferred memorials are to the church.
Clara Mygrant, 69
Clara Lou Mygrant, 69, Murray, died at 9:20 a.m. Monday, Sept. 1 at her home.
Born Nov. 18, 1933 in Bluffton to Chalmer and Margaret McCormick Steele, she worked as a
self-employed dog groomer for over 40 years. She also worked at General Electric for five
years. A 1951 graduate of Bluffton High School, she was a member of the First Church of
Christ in Bluffton and was also an associate member of the Circle W Horse Riders
Association.
She is survived by a son, Michael Mygrant of Bluffton; two brothers, Robert Steele of
Ossian and Vence Steele of Fort Wayne; a sister, Mrs.Larry (Betty) Wittwer of Bluffton;
two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Calling hours are Wednesday from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Thoma/Rich, Hewitt & Chaney
Funeral Home in Bluffton, with services to be held Thursday at 10:30 a.m. at the funeral
home, with Rev. Neil Wilson officiating. Burial in Elm Grove Cemetery. Preferred memorials
are to the Friends of the Bluffton Animal Shelter.
Violet W. Bear, 82
Violet W. Bear, 82, of Warren, died Saturday, Aug. 30 at 1:40 a.m. at Warren United
Methodist Home, where she had been a resident for nine years.
Born Aug. 7, 1921, she married Rev. Joseph F. Bear on July 12, 1941 in Warsaw; he died
Sept. 3, 1980. A member of the United Methodist Church since age 12, she worked along side
her husband in ministry. They retired from the Old Salem U.M. Church in 1974; prior to
that they had served at the Pretty Lake and Linn Grove churches.
Services were held this morning at the Warren United Methodist Home Chapel with Rev. John
Pattison officiating. Burial was in the Old Salem Church Cemetery. Memorials may be made
to the Warren United Methodist Home. Arrangements were handled by the Thoma/Rich, Hewitt
& Chaney Funeral Home in Bluffton.
Velma F. Lewis, 79
Velma Florine Lewis, 79, of Warren, died Sunday, Aug. 31 at 12:20 p.m. at Bluffton
Regional Medical Center.
Born in Salamonie Township in Huntington County on Feb. 6, 1924 to Rush and Edna Neifert
Johnson, she married William A. (Stretch) Lewis on Feb. 14, 1943 in Columbia City; he
survives.
She was employed at the Warren United Methodist Memorial Home as a housekeeper for 25
years. She was a member of the Warren First Baptist Church and the Women’s Missionary
group at the church.
Survivors also include a daughter, Betty Collins of Batesville, Ark.; two sons, Paul Lewis
and Mike Lewis, both of Warren; two brothers, Robert and Carl Johnson, both of Van Wert,
Ohio; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a
son, Raymond Lewis; two brothers, Gerald and Glen Johnson; and a sister, Shirley Johnson.
Visitation hours will be held Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Glancy Funeral
Homes, H. Brown & Son Chapel in Warren. There will also be visitation for one hour
prior to the service which will be Thursday at 2:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in
Warren, with Pastor Bill Fisher officiating. Burial in I.O.O.F. Cemetery in LaFontaine.
Preferred memorials to the church.
Larry D. Cloud, 65
A native of Wells County, Larry D. Cloud, 65, Lake Alfred, Fla., died Friday, Aug. 29 at
his residence.
Born on July 11, 1938 in Wells County, he moved to Florida in 1972. He was Public Safety
Chief for the city of Lake Alfred.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon Cloud of Lake Alfred; a daughter, Anne Cloud of Lake
Alfred; two sons, Mark Cloud of Clermont, Fla. and Alan Cloud of Lake Alfred; and a
brother, Lyle Cloud of Barrow, Fla.
Services were held this morning at the First Baptist Church in Lake Alfred. Memorials may
be made to Good Shepherd Hospice in Auburndale, Fla. Arrangements were handled by
Ott-Laughlin Funeral Home in Auburndale, Fla.
Sept. 3, 2003
Horrace “Bud” Knox, 79 — Rites Pending
Former Bluffton resident Horrace “Bud” Knox, 79, died today in Lafayette, Ind. Funeral
arrangements are pending at Goodwin Memorial Chapel.
Marjorie 'Margo’ Koehlinger, 78
Mother of Fred Koehlinger of Markle, Marjorie “Margo Ness” Koehlinger, 78, of Fort Wayne
died Sunday, Aug. 31, 2003, at her home.
Born Sept. 24, 1924, at Huntington, she was a daughter of Herman and Emma Pfister Ness. A
1942 graduate of Huntington Township High School, she resided in Fort Wayne and the
surrounding area a number of years, and she worked throughout her adult life in the
restaurant business.
She was crowned as “Miss Indiana Restaurant Association” in 1961 and was employed at the
VanOrman Hotel as a hostess for five years. In addition, she was the owner of Margo’s Den
from 1970 to 1973. She also lived for a time at Lake Wawasee and worked at The Beacon.
She moved to Florida in 1979 and resided at St. Petersburg where she worked at Aunt
Hattie’s and retired from Precision Air. She moved back to Fort Wayne in 1997.
She was a member of the VFW in Huntington and American Legion Post 82.
Surviving in addition to the Markle son are four brothers, Charles ness of Florida and
Herman “Jack”, Don and Richard Ness, all of Huntington; two sisters, Helen Mueller of Fort
Wayne and Frances Bowen of Huntington, and two grandchildren. She was preceded in death by
three sisters.
Calling is one hour before a memorial service set for 7 p.m. Saturday at D. O. McComb
& Sons Lakeside Park Funeral Home, Fort Wayne, with Father John Pfister officiating.
Memorials to the donor’s choice.
Gerald Tullis, 84
A former employee of the Concord Mobile Home factory in Monroe and a truck driver for
Schafer Wholesale Company in Decatur until retirement in 1987, Gerald Tullis, 84, of
Geneva died at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2003, at his home.
Born Jan. 4, 1919, in Flat Rock, Ill., he was the son of Harvey and Bessie Gladys Pyle
Tullis. His marriage was in Jay County on June 18, 1950, to Doris Brunson, who survives.
Mr. Tullis, a 1936 graduate of Bryant High School, was a member of the High Street United
Methodist Church in Geneva. He was employed for the Standard Oil Company for 21 years in
addition to his years with the Monroe factory and Decatur wholesale firm. He was a former
resident for a period years in Jay County.
Surviving, in addition to the wife, are three sons, Steven and Roger, both of Geneva, and
Gary of Collierville, Tenn.; one sister, Mary I. Murnan of Jacksonville, Fla., and three
grandchildren.
Calling will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday at Downing & Glancy Funeral Home in Geneva,
where services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday with Rev. Edwin L. Clark officiating. Burial
will be in Gravel Hill Cemetery at Bryant.
Memorials to the High Street United Methodist Church or the donor’s choice.
Sept. 4, 2003
Horrace M. “Bud” Knox, 79
Former Wells County Veterans’ Service Officer Horrace M. “Bud” Knox, 79, died Wednesday,
Sept. 3, 2003, at 7:45 a.m. at the Indiana Veterans Home in West Lafayette.
Born April 20, 1924 in Wells County to Floyd and Mildred Gifford Knox, he served in the
Army Air Corps from 1945-48 and was retired from the Indiana National Guard following
service of 15 years. He served as veterans service officer from 1990-97 and was a member
of the Elks Lodge and the Hickory Hills Golf Club.
Surviving are a son, Kevin K. Knox of Fort Wayne; a daughter, Mrs. Karen K. Thornburg,
Bluffton; two sisters, Mrs. Evelyn Brown, Bluffton, and Mrs. Francis Know, Lafayette, four
grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Services at Goodwin Memorial Chapel will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be at
the Six Mile Cemetery. A special committal service in charge of Grover Sheets Post 111 of
the American Legion will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the cemetery.
Calling is from 2-8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the Indiana Veterans Home.
Grace M. Bowman, 83
Mother of Gayle Theriault of Bluffton, Grace M. Bowman, 83, of rural Roanoke, died at 3:52
a.m. today, Sept. 4, 2003, at Lutheran Hospital.
Born in Jones County, Miss. on April 16, 1920 to Clarence and Alma Rosilee Holder Pilgrim,
her marriage to Alton D. Bowman took place Dec. 7, 1946 in Laurel, Miss. He preceded her
in death Jan. 21, 1993.
Mrs. Bowman had previously resided in Hattiesburg, Miss., and in Chicago, Ill. She served
as a cook at the Hattiesburg Nursing Center and was a member of the Roanoke Baptist
Church.
In addition to the daughter in Bluffton, she is survived by another daughter, Charlotte
Holbrook, Roanoke; a brother, Clifford E. Pilgrim, Laurel, Miss.; six grandchildren and
eight great-grandchildren.
Services at 10 a.m. Saturday will be held at Elzey-Patterson-Rodak Funeral Home, Ossian,
with Rev. James Bachman officiating. Burial will be in Hoverstock Cemetery in Zanesville.
Calling hours at the funeral home are Friday from 4-8 p.m. and one hour prior to services
Saturday.
Memorials may be made to the Roanoke Baptist Church Chair Fund.
Sept. 5, 2003
Eileen G. Kirtley, 78
A sister of Dwight McCune of Markle, Eileen G. Kirtley, 78, of Rome City died Thursday,
Sept. 4 at the Hospice Home of Northeast Indiana.
Born in Adams County on Aug. 24, 1925, she retired from Seyfert’s after 16 years. In
addition to her brother, she is survived by a daughter, Linda S. Chambers of Rome City;
three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Calling will be today from 4 to 8 p.m. at Elzey-Patterson-Rodak Funeral Home in Ossian,
with services to be held Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in
Covington Memorial Gardens, Fort Wayne. Preferred memorials to the Noble County Cancer
Society.
Robert C. Taylor, 70
Robert C. Taylor, 70, of Ossian, died Wednesday, Sept. 3 at his residence.
A native of Fort Wayne, he married Faye Rose Gibson on April 7, 1956 in Fort Wayne; she
survives. He was a manager for Rogers Markets for 45 years, retiring in 1994. He was a
U.S. Army veteran and a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church.
Other survivors include a daughter, Mrs. David (Cheryl) Streeter of Ossian; three sons,
Robert Taylor and Michael Taylor, both of Ossian, and Richard Taylor of Brighton, Mich.;
three sisters, Lucille Buchanan of Turlock, Calif., Mary Ann Schlachter of Edgerton, Ohio,
and Carol Hayden of Fairfield Glade, Tenn.; a brother, John Taylor of Marlton, N.J.; and
nine grandchildren. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Kenneth Taylor and Harold
Taylor; and a sister, Catherine Pahl.
Services will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at St. Aloysius Catholic Church with a prayer
service at 12:15 p.m. at D.O.McComb & Sons Foster Park Funeral Home, with calling from
11:15 a.m. until the service. Calling will also be held today from 2 to 9 p.m. at the
funeral home, with a Vigil Service at 6 p.m. Burial will be in the Catholic Cemetery.
Memorials to the church building fund or masses.
Horrace M. “Bud” Knox, 79
Former Wells County Veterans’ Service Officer Horrace M. “Bud” Knox, 79, died Wednesday,
Sept. 3, 2003, at 7:45 a.m. at the Indiana Veterans Home in West Lafayette.
Born April 20, 1924 in Wells County to Floyd and Mildred Gifford Knox, he served in the
Army Air Corps from 1945-48 and was retired from the Indiana National Guard following
service of 15 years. He served as veterans service officer from 1990-97 and was a member
of the Elks Lodge and the Hickory Hills Golf Club.
Surviving are a son, Kevin K. Knox of Fort Wayne; a daughter, Mrs. Karen K. Thornburg,
Bluffton; a sister, Mrs. Evelyn Brown, Bluffton, and a brother, Francis Knox, Lafayette,
four grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Services at Goodwin Memorial Chapel will be held Saturday at 10:30 a.m.. Burial will be at
the Six Mile Cemetery. A special committal service in charge of Grover Sheets Post 111 of
the American Legion will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the cemetery.
Calling is today from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the Indiana Veterans Home.
(The above obituary is being re-published to provide corrected information)
Sept. 6, 2003
Jay Alford -- Rites Pending
Arrangements are pending for Jay Alford of Delight, Arkansas, who died Friday afternoon at
a hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas of leukemia.
He was the grandfather of Ryan Alford of Markle and brother of Beryl (B.J.) Gray of
Liberty Center.
Mr. Alford was a foreman in this area for Moellering Construction in a career of 40 years,
with his last Moellering job before retirement having been the Bluffton Revitalization
streetscape by which the central Bluffton infrastructure was modernized and made greatly
safer as well as more attractive.
Very well known and highly regarded in the business district during the project, he was
given city honors by then-Mayor Everett “Tuck” Faulkner, who proclaimed a “Jay Alford Day”
in praise of his work.
Sept. 8, 2003
Steven F. Cotton, 52
Plant manager for Almco Steel Products in Bluffton for the past 11 years, Steven F.
Cotton, 52, of 411 West Washington St., Bluffton, died at 9:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6,
2003, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, where he had been critically ill during the week
up to his death.
A 1968 graduate of Bluffton High School who obtained his industrial engineering degree
from Purdue University at Fort Wayne, he was a son of Bluffton City Court Judge Lyle J.
Cotton and wife, Gladys McAfee Cotton, who survive.
Steven F. Cotton was born in Bluffton Oct. 1, 1950. He was employed from 1979 to 1972 at
Sheller Globe (UTA) as a General Plants Manager and at Bucyrus-Erie, a company producing
construction equipment, in Pocatello, Idaho.
He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Bluffton.
Mr. Cotton’s first marriage was on Aug. 19, 1969, in Bluffton to Judy Ann Croy, who died
April 11, 1988.
His marriage to Elizabeth Bennett, who survives, was on Aug. 6, 1997, in Tennessee.
Surviving in addition to the wife and parents here are four sons, Matthew S. Cotton of
Fort Wayne, Joshua F. Cotton of Boca Raton, Fla., Daniel C. Cotton of Bluffton and Ryan M.
Collins of Bluffton; two daughters, Nichole E. Collins and Kara L. Collins, both of
Bluffton; one brother, David M. Cotton of Lynnwood, Wash.; one sister, Mrs. Richard L.
(Claudia A.) Gipson of Dillsboro, Ind., and one grandchild.
Calling will be from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Thoma-Rich, Hewitt & Chaney Funeral
Home. Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the First United Methodist Church with Rev.
Gary Lewis officiating. Burial will be in Prospect Cemetery.
Memorials to the Bluffton First United Methodist Church.
Perry Earl Rosenbarger, 106
A civil service inspector for the United States Air Force until his retirement in 1967 and
a former railroad inspector for the Pullman Company, Perry Earl Rosenbarger, 106, of
Huntington, died at 6:40 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, 2003, at the Norwood Nursing Center in
Huntington.
Born Aug. 25, 1897, in Corydon, Ind., he was the son of John D. and Mary K. Gable
Rosenbarger.
He was married to his first wife, Helen, in Vincennes in 1943. She died in February of
1959. He was married on Feb. 26, 1962, in Indianapolis to Olga E. Miller, who preceded him
in death in August of 1985.
Surviving are a step-daughter, Betsy Bruemleve; two step-grandchildren and six
step-great-grandchildren. A step-grandson, Bruce R. Bruemleve, preceded him in death in
1998.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Myers Funeral Home Huntington
Chapel, where services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday with Rev. Brooks L. Fetters
officiating. Burial will be in Gardens of Memory cemetery in southern Huntington County.
Memorials to the Bruce R. Bruemleve Memorial Scholarship Fund.