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Surnames: Kidd, Milby, Speece, Graff, Roop, Cromer, Rennaker, Whitton, Engle, Coffee,
Price, Bishop, Fuhrmann, Reed, Hoch, Jennings, Brown, Balentine
Classification: Obituary
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http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Ui.2ADI/3226
Message Board Post:
Obituaries courtesy of News-Banner Publications. Posted with permission.
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005
Carolyn H. Kidd, 75
A native of Bluffton, Carolyn H. Kidd, 75, of Findlay, Ohio, died at 8:35 a.m. Tuesday,
Aug. 30 at the Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center in Findlay.
Born Dec. 31, 1929 in Bluffton to Ralph B. and Elizabeth Perry Henry, she married Max
J.Kidd on May 27, 1952. He preceded her in death on Nov. 22, 1990.
She was a 1952 graduate of Purdue University and also graduated from Lancaster Central
High School. She was an active volunteer with numerous organizations, including the
United Methodist Women at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Findlay, the Findlay
Area Hockey Association, Mobile Meals and the American Cancer Society.
She is survived by a son, John Kidd of Deerfield Beach, Fla., a 15-year veteran of the
National Football League, and a daughter, Dr. Janet Kidd Stewart of Marshfield, Wis.
Also surviving is a sister, Margaret Ayers of Bluffton and six grandchildren.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. (Ohio time) Saturday, Sept. 3 at St. Andrew’s United
Methodist Church in Findlay with Rev. Todd E. Frail officiating. Burial will be in Maple
Grove Cemetery in Findlay. Calling is Friday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at
Coldren-Crates Funeral Home in Findlay.
Preferred memorials are to the Kidd Foundation, 1731 Windsor Place, Findlay, Ohio 45840.
Memorials will be distributed to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Bridge Home
Health and Hospice and the church.
Mabel Milby- — Graveside Rites Set
Graveside services for Mabel Milby, who died July 26, 2005, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday,
Sept. 3, at Fairview Cemetery. Goodwin Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Friday, Sept. 2, 2005
Phyllis Speece, 73 — Rites Pending
Phyllis Speece, 73, of Montpelier, died at 8:13 a.m. this morning, Sept. 2, at Blackford
County Hospital. Rites are pending at Glancy Funeral Homes, Walker Chapel in Montpelier.
Edward Allen Graff, 47
Edward Allen Graff, 47, of Fort Wayne, died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at Parkview Hospital,
Fort Wayne.
Mr. Graff was born Jan. 18, 1958, in Marion to Mildred (Enyeart) and Arthur D. Graff Sr.,
who survive and reside in Warren.
Other survivors include a sister, Mrs. Ted (Linda) Bowman of Warren; and two brothers,
Arthur D. Graff Jr. of Warren and Roy Graff of Huntington.
A chapel service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Gardens of Memory Cemetery in Marion with
Rev. Tom DeFries officiating. There is no calling.
In lieu of flowers, preferred memorials are to the family.
Glancy Funeral Homes-H. Brown & Son Chapel in Warren is in charge of the
arrangements.
Rex E. Roop, 75
Rex E. Roop, 75, a resident of Millers Merry Manor Nursing Center in Columbia City, died
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at the nursing facility.
A former resident of Churubusco, Mr. Roop is survived by relatives in Bluffton, Churubusco
and Decatur.
Services are pending at the Sheets and Childs Funeral Home, Churubusco.
John Elvin Cromer, 85
A lifelong farmer and a bookkeeper for the Blackford County Highway Department, John Elvin
Cromer, 85, of Hartford City died Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, at the Marion National
Veterans Hospital in Marion.
Mr. Cromer served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He formerly attended the Olive
Branch Church of the Nazarene in Blackford County. He had lived at Bradner Village for
several years.
Born Feb. 28, 1920, in Hartford City to William Vance and Nora Marie Lockwood Cromer, his
marriage on June 3, 1943, in Montpelier was to Helen Louise Manor. She preceded him in
death on Nov. 25, 2004.
Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Dennis (Connie L.) McEvoy of Montpelier and two
grandsons, Aaron McEvoy and Brian McEvoy, both of Muncie.
He was preceded in death by a brother, William Cromer.
Services were this morning at Keplinger Funeral Home, Hartford City, with Rev. Kevin Lex
officiating. Burial is at Twin Hill Cemetery in Pennville.
Preferred memorials are to the Blackford Humane Society Building Fund.
Woodrow J. Rennaker, 89
Woodrow J. Rennaker, 89, died Saturday, Aug. 27, 2005, in Quality of Life Nursing Home at
Mission Viejo, Calif.
Mr. Rennaker retired from the United States Air Force after 25 years of service and also
worked for the Florida State Highway. He was a member of Blessed Trinity Catholic Church
in Orlando, Fla.
Born in Miami County, Ind., to Ernest V. and Harriett Penrod Rennaker, his marriage in
October 1941 was to Mary Francis Palmer, who preceded him in death in 1990.
Survivors include a daughter, Sharon F. Speights, and a grandson, Charles Speights, of
Mission Viejo, Calif.; a sister, Wanda Rennaker Wolf of Huntington; and a brother, Wayne
Rennaker of North Manchester. Several other relatives reside in the Bluffton area.
He was preceded in death by two brothers, Irving A. Rennaker and Everett L. Rennaker.
Burial will be in Glen Haver Memorial Park in Winter Park, Fla.
Memorials are to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Saturday, Sept. 3, 2005
Lorene Grace Whitton, 85
Mother of Mrs. Kent (Debra) Shady of Bluffton, Lorene Grace Whitton, 85, of Brownstown,
died at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Hoosier Christian Village.
Born Feb. 22, 1920 to Herbert and Alberta Mae Alford Schultz, she married Robert Lee
Whitton in Cambridge City March 15, 1941. He preceded her in death in 1997.
A former resident of Greenfield, she was a graduate of Cambridge City Lincoln High School.
She worked at American Hosiery Mills in Indianapolis and Bearcat Scanner in Cumberland as
a secretary. She and her husband also owned and operated Country Town Laundry-matt in New
Palestine for several years.
In addition to the daughter in Bluffton, she is survived by a son, James Lee Whitton of
West Lafayette; two other daughters, Mrs. Michael (Nancy) Lay of Dow, Ill. and Mrs. Stan
(Jane) Thomas of Medora; two sisters, Iris Chew of New Lisbon and Ruth Ann Wallis of
Little Rock, Ark.; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services at 3 p.m. today will be held at Medora Christian Church with calling at the
church starting at noon today until time of services. Stan Thomas, Mrs. Whitton’s
son-in-law and the minister of the church, will be presiding along with Gary Morning, and
burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery in Cambridge City.
Memorials are to either the Lake James School of Missions in Angola or the Adevntures in
Missions in Bloomfield.
Bernice B. Engle, 86
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, rural Monroe,
for Bernice B. Engle, 86, of Swiss Village, who died at 1:05 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2, at her
residence.
A long-time resident of French Township in Adams County, she had many acquaintances in
this area and did business in Bluffton.
She is survived by three daughters, Mrs. Max (Karen) Beer and Mrs. David (Gloria) Sommer,
both of Berne and Mrs. Steve (Ann) Sprunger of Crown Point; a brother, Robert Presdorf of
LaGrange; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Calling at Yager-Kirchhofer Funeral home will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Memorials may be made to either the church or Swiss Village.
Phyllis L. Speece, 73
Phyllis L. Speece, 73, of Montpelier died Friday, Sept. 2, 2005, at Blackford Community
Hospital in Hartford City.
Mrs. Speece worked at Pennville Glove Factory and Montpelier Glove Factory before becoming
a full-time homemaker. She belonged to the First Church of the Nazarene in Montpelier and
its WOW group.
She was born Oct. 8, 1931, in Wells County to Henry and Verda Viola Hersher Murphy. She
attended Jay County Schools. Her marriage Oct. 27, 1950, in Jay County was to Robert
“Jack” Speece, who survives.
Other survivors include two daughters, Diana Davidson and Mrs. Larry (Karen) Tarr, both of
Montpelier; two sons, Mike and Randy Speece, both of Montpelier; a sister, Mrs. Ralph
(Loretta) Thiery of Lima, Ohio; a brother, Kenneth Murphy of Montpelier; eight
grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Calling is from 2 to 8 p.m. Monday at Glancy Funeral Homes - Walker Chapel, Montpelier.
Services are at 1 p.m. Tuesday at First Church of the Nazarene, Montpelier.
Burial is at Brookside Memorial Park, Montpelier.
Preferred memorials are to the First Church of the Nazarene, Montpelier.
Monday, Sept. 5, 2005 - No paper published. Labor Day holiday.
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005
Patricia E. Coffee, 77
Co-owner of Gensic Creative Metals, and owner-operator of Graphic Typesetters along with
her husband, Fred, for 25 years, Patricia E. Coffee, 77, of Fort Wayne, died of cancer at
2:22 a.m. today, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005, at her home, following an illness of nine
months. Also known as an accomplished seamstress, she was a member of St. Charles Catholic
Church, Fort Wayne, and American Legion Auxiliary #333, Fort Wayne.
Born Nov.18, 1927, in Decatur, she was a daughter of Benard V. and Marcella Teeple Kintz.
Her marriage was on May 10, 1947, in Fort Wayne to Fred B. Coffee, who survives.
Also surviving are five daughters, Mrs. David (Sandra) Jump, Mrs. Greg (Jeannine) Moyer,
Susan Fletter and Mrs. Daniel (Kathleen) Lomont, all four of Fort Wayne, and Mrs.
Christopher (Janet) Carey of Cromwell; one sister, Mrs. Sal (Rosemary) Ebetino of Fort
Wayne; 18 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Thoma-Rich, Hewitt & Chaney Funeral Home is in charge of services. Calling will be
from 2 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the McComb Maplewood Park Funeral Home, 4017
Maplecrest Road, Fort Wayne, and for one hour prior to the service at the church on
Friday. A vigil service also will be at the McComb funeral home at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
The funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Charles Catholic Church, Fort
Wayne, with Msgr. Peter Kumaraki officiating. Cremation will be following the service, and
interment will be at a later date. Memorials to Allen County Cancer or Heartland Hospice.
Donald B. Price, 76 -- Rites Pending
Arrangements are pending at the Myers Funeral Home, Markle Chapel, for Donald B. Price,
76, of Bluffton, formerly of Huntington, who died at 5:22 p.m. Sunday, September 4, 2005,
at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005
Rex E. Roop, 75
A brother of Arthur Roop of Bluffton, Rex E. Roop, 75, died Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, at
Millers Merry Manor Nursing Center in Columbia City, where he had resided since 2001.
A former resident of Churubusco, Mr. Roop was a foreman for Wirco Inc. in Avilla for more
than 25 years. He was a member of St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Churubusco.
Mr. Roop was born July 18, 1930, in Decatur to Clarence L. and Doratha E. (Hakes) Roop. He
grew up in Decatur, before moving to Des Moines, Iowa. He served in the U.S. Air Force
from 1947 to 1950. His marriage on June 20, 1947, in Walnut Ridge, Ark., was to Connie L.
Wall, who preceded him in death on March 1, 1997.
Survivors in addition to the Bluffton brother include a daughter, Jaquavia Meth of Rancho
Cordova, Calif.; sisters Carol Harvey and Ruth Werst, both of Decatur, Vera Bauman of
Muncie, and Margie Thompson of Grover Hill, Ohio; brothers David Roop and James Roop, both
of West Virginia; and three grandchildren.
A brother, Donald, preceded him in death.
Graveside services will be at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Ege Catholic Cemetery in rural Noble
County. There is no calling.
Preferred memorials are to Parkview-Whitley Hospice in Columbia City.
Sheets and Childs Funeral Home, Churubusco, is in charge of arrangements.
Marjorie C. Bishop, 86
A retired former private secretary and homemaker, Marjorie C. Bishop, 86, of Fort Wayne,
died at 10:45 p.m. Sunday, September 5, 2005, at Parkview Hospital.
Born December 8, 1918, in Markle, she was the daughter of Vaughn and Hilda Roush Crow. She
was a member of the St. Joseph United Methodist Church.
Her marriage was to Oren E. Bishop, who survives. Also surviving are two sons, Vaughn F.
Bishop of Arlington, Va., and James W. Bishop of Atlanta, Ga., and four grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m.Thursday at Hockemeyer & Miller Funeral Home, 6131
St. Joe Road, Fort Wayne, where services will be at 1 p.m. Friday. Burial will be in
Markle Cemetery. Memorials to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital.
Vernon E. Fuhrmann, 60
A veteran of service in the U. S. Air National Guard’s 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing based
in Fort Wayne as a jet engine mechanic, and a Northern Wells Schools bus driver for 15
years, Vernon E. Fuhrmann, 60, of rural Ossian, died at 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5, 2005, at
his residence following an illness of two years. He also was a Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette
newspaper carrier from 1986 to 2000. He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church of rural
Ossian and Wheels of Yesteryear.
Born July 10, 1945, in Adams County, he was a son of Hugo and Louise Boese Fuhrmann. His
marriage was on June 4, 1967, in Willshire, Ohio, to Shirley A. Hamrick, who survives.
Also surviving are four sons, Keith A., Scott A., Vaughn A. and Myron A. Fuhrmann, all of
rural Ossian; one daughter, Joyce M. Fuhrmann of rural Ossian; two brothers, Kenneth E.
and Stanley H. Fuhrmann, both of rural Decatur, and one sister, Mrs. Michael E. (Carol A.)
Baker of rural Monroeville.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Zwick & Jahn Funeral
Home, Decatur, where services will be at 2 p.m. Friday with Rev. William Brege
officiating. Burial will be in Tocsin Cemetery. Memorials to Family Hospice of Northeast
Indiana.
Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005
Louise Reed, 88
The mother of Mark Reed of Bluffton, Louise Reed, 88, died Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005, at
Swiss Village in Berne, where she had resided the past three years.
Mrs. Reed had been a lifelong resident of the Hagerstown area. She was a former employee
of Bennett’s Pharmacy and was a member of Hagerstown First United Methodist Church.
She was born April 30, 1917, in Wayne County to Ernest R. and Nancy Louise Lentz Kirtley.
Survivors, in addition to the son in Bluffton, include a daughter, Bonnie Weiler of Fort
Wayne; two other sons, David Reed and Kurt Reed, both of Albuquerque, N.M.; a sister,
Norma Wolfel of Arizona; two brothers, Dale Kirtley of Economy and Jim Kirtley of
Plainfield; six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Keith, in 2003.
Calling will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Culberson Funeral Home, Hagerstown.
Services are at 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home with Rev. Anita Rediger officiating.
Burial will be in West Lawn Cemetery.
Preferred memorials are to Swiss Village, Berne.
Daisey P. Hoch Jennings Brown, 73
Ossian resident Daisey P. Hoch Jennings Brown died at 2:34 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 4, at
Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne.
Born in Warren Twp., Huntington County Feb. 14, 1932 to Howard and Helen Beaver Hoch, she
married Duane Jennings March 31, 1953 in Munich, Germany. He preceded her in death.
A 1950 graduate of Bippus High School, she received the Citizen of the Year award while in
high school. She was also a graduate of Warner Beauty College in Fort Wayne. She had
worked as a nanny for a family in Columbus.
She is survived by a daughter, Tammy Sue Jennings of Anderson; four brothers, Charles Hoch
of Phoenix, Ariz., Joe Hoch of Colorado Springs, Col., and Floyd and Larry Hoch, both of
Fort Wayne; two sisters, Mrs. Ralph (Norma) Weaver of Ossian and Mrs. Lester (Dorothy)
McArthur of Phoenix, Ariz.; and one grandson.
She was preceded in death by a son, Steven, a brother, Beaver Hoch, and a sister, Marjorie
Michel.
Calling will be held Friday from 1 p.m. until the time of services at 3 p.m. at
Bailey-Love Mortuary, Huntington. Rev. Kenneth Dunlop will officiate and burial will be at
the Calvary United Methodist Church Cemetery in Bippus.
Memorials may be made to the Levi Robert Jennings Education Fund.
Friday, Sept. 9, 2005
Conrad J. Balentine, 88
A former CEO and chairman of the board of Franklin Electric Co. Inc., Conrad J. Balentine,
88, of Bluffton died Thursday, Sept. 8, 2005, at Markle Health Care.
Mr. Balentine was active in numerous professional organizations and served on the boards
of Lincoln National Bank and Caylor-Nickel Research Foundation. He was listed in several
publications, including Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World.
He was born May 24, 1917, in Easton, Pa., to Howard and Eulala Brunner Balentine.
Mr. Balentine graduated from Princeton in 1940 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
During his college days, he received All-Ivy League and All-American honors as a football
player.
He worked at General Electric locations in Schenectady, N.Y., Massachusetts, and in
Philadelphia, where he was manager of the power circuit breaker division.
Mr. Balentine came to Franklin Electric in November 1961 as vice president of engineering.
He went on to become vice president of engineering and manufacturing; executive vice
president; CEO and president; and CEO and chairman of the board. He retired Dec. 31,
1983.
After retiring, he remained active with the Anne Margaret Balentine Foundation.
He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bluffton.
His marriage on June 7, 1947, in Park Hills, Ky., was to Margaret Hollohan, who survives.
Other survivors include two daughters, Mrs. James (Catherine B.) Balentine-Mueller of Park
Ridge, Ill., and Anne Margaret Balentine of Bluffton; and six grandchildren.
Calling is from 1 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Goodwin Memorial Chapel. A prayer vigil service will
be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.
Services are at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Fr. Steve Colchin
officiating.
Burial will be in Elm Grove Cemetery.
Preferred memorials are to the Alzheimer’s Association.