This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Shafer, Cowens, Boxell, Eisenmann, Sheets, Minnich, Hahn, Ginter, Swyers,
Bailey, Wiegman, Luginbill, Cook, Teagle
Classification: Obituary
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/Ui.2ADI/3111
Message Board Post:
Obituaries courtesy of News-Banner Publications. Posted with permission.
Saturday, Nov. 27, 2004
Louis B. Shafer, 76
A former television repairman, Louis B. Shafer, 76, of 228 East Washington St., died at
12:18 a.m. Friday, Nov. 26 at his residence.
Mr. Shafer graduated from Salamonie Township Schools in 1946 and worked at I.T.T. in Fort
Wayne from 1952 to 1964. He worked at RCA in Marion from 1964 to 1969 and for 30 years at
Grant County TV as a repairman, retiring in 1993. After retirement, he worked part time at
Wittwer TV in Bluffton and was a volunteer at Caylor-Nickel Clinic for 11 years. He had
resided in Bluffton since December of 1993 and was a member of the First Church of Christ
and the Parlor City Country Club.
Born July 4, 1928 in Huntington to Howard M. and Mary Eleanor Bonham Shafer, his marriage
on Jan. 10, 1947 in Newport, Ky., was to Esther Campbell, who preceded him in death on
Jan. 29, 2001.
Surviving are five sons, Kelly L. Shafer of Bluffton, Bruce E. Shafer of New Carrollton,
Md., Reed I. Shafer of St. Louis, Mo., Barry A. Shafer of Fort Wayne and Randal K. Shafer
of Spring Arbor, Mich. Also surviving are eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Dean Shafer and a sister, Dorothy Laurila.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at First Church of Christ in Bluffton
with Pastor Larry Sprinkle officiating. A private burial service will be held.
Calling will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at the church.
Memorials may be made to the church building fund or Family Hospice of Northeast Indiana.
Funeral arrangements are by Thoma/Rich, Hewitt & Chaney Funeral Home.
Monday, Nov. 29, 2004
John O. Cowens, 76
John O. Cowens, 76, of 207 Toll Circle, died at 7:01 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 28 at the Bluffton
Regional Medical Center.
A native of Bluffton, he was born Nov. 17, 1928 to William F. and Nellie F. Fisher Cowens,
and married Floy L. Biddle on Dec. 17, 1949 in Bluffton; she survives.
A 1946 graduate of Petroleum High School, he was a metallurgist for Dana Corp. for 38
years, retiring in 1989. In 1983 he moved to Milford and resided there until moving back
to Bluffton one year ago. A Ham radio operator, he attended the First Church of the
Nazarene, was a 50-year member of Bluffton Masonic Lodge 145 and a 50-year member of the
Fort Wayne Scottish Rite.
Other survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Bob (Debbie) Landrum of Warren; a son, John W.
Cowens of Grant Pass, Ore.; two sisters, Mary Jane Elston of Bluffton, and Alice Ann Lash
of Daytona Beach Shores, Fla.; a brother, Charlie Cowens of Bluffton; six grandchildren;
and three great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Anna Melinda Gerber
in 1998; and a sister, Helen Nichols.
Calling hours are Wednesday from 1 to 8 p.m. and for one hour prior to the service, which
will begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, at Thoma/Rich, Hewitt & Chaney Funeral Home.
Officiating will be Rev. Larry Sheets and Rev. Walter Graeflin. Masonic Funeral Rites will
be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Six Mile Cemetery.
Preferred memorials to the church's building fund.
Lester A. Boxell, 87
Lester A. (Bub) Boxell, 87, Warren, died at 9:20 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27 at the United
Methodist Memorial Home.
Born in New Hope, Ohio to Albert and Anna Stottler Boxell, he married Winifred Palmer on
Dec. 24, 1940 in Bedford, Ky.; she survives.
Mr. Boxell attended Batson School in Wells County and served in the Army Air Corps during
World War II as a gunner on a B-17. He worked for Overhead Door in Hartford City for 25
years, transferring to their plant in Newport, Ky., where he worked for 17 years before
retiring in 1982, at which time he returned to Warren.
Other survivors include two sons, Kelly Boxell of Cloverdale and Lyle Boxell of Fort
Wayne; a daughter, Mrs. Dan (Pamela) Spahr of Portland; two brothers, Rex Boxell of Kokomo
and Robert Boxell of Hartford City; six grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren. He
was preceded in death by a daughter, Sharon Lee Boxell.
Services were held today with burial in Jones Cemetery in Warren. Graveside military
honors were performed by American Legion Post 2689, Huntington. Arrangements were handled
by Glancy Funeral Homes, H. Brown & Son Chapel, Warren. Preferred memorials to Riley
Childrens Hospital.
Mary L. Eisenmann, 75
Graveside services will be held Tuesday at 1:45 p.m. at the Apostolic Christian Church
Cemetery, Bluffton, for Mary L. (Beutel) Eisenmann, 75, Fort Wayne, who died Saturday,
Nov. 27 in the Woodview Health Care Center.
A native of Tremont, Ill., she was a registered nurse for over 40 years, retiring in 1994.
She was a member of the Apostolic Christian Church in Latty, Ohio. She was married to Lee
E. Eisenmann, who preceded her in death.
Survivors include a son, William Eisenmann of Woodburn; a daughter, Rosemary Larson of
Oakville, Iowa; a stepdaughter, Joyce M. Eisenmann of Fort Wayne; three brothers; five
sisters; and six grandchildren.
Calling hours are today from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. at D.O. McComb & Sons Maplewood
Park Funeral Home in Fort Wayne. In addition to the graveside rites, services will also be
held Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the Apostolic Christian Church in Latty, Ohio, with calling
there one hour prior to the service. Preferred memorials to the church's World Relief
Fund.
Roberts E. Sheets, 76
The husband of a former Wells County resident, Robert E. Sheets, 76, of Newberry Springs,
Calif., died Friday, Nov. 26 in Apple Valley Calif.
A native of Huntington, he married Margaret Gilbert of Wells County on Jan. 20, 1950. They
have lived in Arizona and California since 1958.
Max Minnich, 82
The father of Mrs. Tom (Linda) Schurr of Ossian, Maximilian "Max" Minnich, 82,
Hoagland, died at 8:31 p.m. Friday, Nov. 26 at Parkview Memorial Hospital in Fort Wayne,
as a result of an automobile accident on Wayne Trace near his home.
A longtime farmer and carpenter, he was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Hessen
Cassel.
Additional survivors include his wife of 55 years, Vivian (Herber) Minnich; two sons; two
other daughters; two brothers; five sisters; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild and
one step-great grandchild.
Services will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hessen Cassel.
Calling hours are from 1 to 3:30 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Zwick & Jahn Funeral
Home, Jacobs Chapel in Monroeville and for one hour prior to the services Friday at the
church. Burial will be in the church cemetery.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Floyd Vernon Hahn, 88
Rural Montpelier resident, Floyd Vernon Hahn, 88, died at 10:18 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 25, at
Florida Hospital, heartland Division, in Sebring, Fla.
Born Oct. 8, 1916 in Selma to Acel Floyd and Verna Alice Hiles Hahn, his first marriage
was to Ethelmae Stone Oct. 7, 1961. She preceded him in death June 7, 1991. His second
marriage, to the former Hazel R. Jones Shores McGeath, was Oct. 10, 1992 at the First
United Methodist Church in Montpelier. She survives.
A member of the First United Methodist Church, he and his first wife owned and operated
Hahn's Colonial Shop in Hartford City for 25 years, retiring in 1991. He was also
employed by St. Joe Container in Hartford City for 44 years, retiring in 1982.
Survivors include two sons, John Robert of Spring Hill, Fla., and Larry Floyd, of
Brookville, Fla.; two step sons, Perry J. Miles of Holyoke, Mass., and Frederic R. Miles
of Hartford City; two step-daughters, Mrs. Lowell (Carolyn J.) Gordon of Montpelier and
Mrs. Gary (Sharon K.) Sutton of Huntington; one brother, Gail C. Hahn of Bluffton; three
sisters, Mrs. Richard (Marjorie Alice May) Eliker of Glendora, N.J.; Mrs. Bill (Elizabeth
A. Carter) Aeschliman, Craigville; Mrs. Ben (Carolyn M.) Hodgin of Hartford City; several
grandchildren, great grandchildren, step grandchildren and step-great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a step-son, Harold J. Miles; and brothers William and Charles
Hahn.
Services at 10 a.m. Thursday will be at Keplinger Funeral Home under the direction of Rev.
Lloyd Hall. Burial will follow in the Gardens of Memory, Muncie.
Calling hours are 3-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. Thursday and from 8 a.m. until the time of
services Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to the Tri Kappa Cancer Fund.
Harold D. Ginter, 78
Harold D. Ginter, 78, of Huntington died at 1:48 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29 at the V.A. Hospital
in Marion. He was a former owner and operator of Dyna Kleen Services in Leesburg and had
served as a corporal in the U.S. Army from December 1945 to May 1947.
Born March 6, 1926 in Kosciusko County to Minor L. and Flossie Ginter, he married Mary
Jane Miller, who preceded him in death. His second marriage was to Mary Ruth Gorman-Hefner
who survives.
Additional survivors include a son, Michael A. Ginter of Kosciusko County; two brothers,
Carlisle Ginter of Warsaw and Benjamin Ginter, a former resident of Bluffton who now lives
in Winter Haven, Fla.; two sisters, Mrs. Dave (Patricia) Luckenbill of Warsaw and Mrs.
Doyle (Imogene) Webb of South Bend; a stepson, Mike Heffner of Huntington; two step
daughters, Vickie Randolph of North Webster and Mrs. Phil (Josi) Campbell of Warren. Also
surviving are a grandson, nine step grandchildren and eight step great-grandchildren. He
was preceded in death by a granddaughter.
Calling will be Thursday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at Myers Funeral Home, Huntington
Chapel. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the funeral home with Rev. Brooks Fetters
officIating. Interment will be at Pilgrims Rest Cemetery in Huntington.
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
Violet M. Swyers, 85
Mother of Mrs. David (Zella) Butler of Bluffton, Violet Marie Swyers, 85, died Nov, 20,
2004, at the Valley View Retirement Home in Belleville, Pa. She was a former Bluffton
resident, having lived here from 1957 to 1959.
Born Dec. 18, 1918, in Munson, Pa., she was a daughter of Joseph and Lavina Wilson. She
was a 1936 graduate of Lewistown High School in Lewistown, Pa. Her marriage was on Aug.
11, 1940, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Hagerstown, Md., to Jack Swyers, who
survives.
Mrs. Swyers was a lifelong member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, past president of
the Episcopal Women's Association, an active Girls Scouts leader, a helper with Meals
on Wheels and a member of the Belleville Civic Club.
Surviving, in addition to her husband and Bluffton daughter, are another daughter, Mrs.
Randy (Debbie) Clifton of Middletown, Ohio; a brother, William Wilson of Lewistown, Pa.;
six grandchildren, 4 step-grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and
nephews. She was preceded in death by a daughter, Bonnie Cheadle, an infant granddaughter,
a brother and three sisters.
Funeral services were Nov. 23 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Lewistown with Rev.
Ronald Guy officiating. Interment was in St. Mark's Cemetery, Lewistown.
Eugene Bailey, 69
Father of Harold Bailey of the Petroleum area, rural Keystone in Wells County, Eugene
Bailey, 69, of Kenton, Ohio, died at 2:10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29, 2004, at Lima Memorial
Hospital, Lima, Ohio.
Born Oct. 12, 1935 at Hendricks, Ky., he was the son of Alec and Delmar Jordan Bailey. An
Army veteran of service in Germany, he worked on the railroad in Chicago for nine years
and then worked at Oborn Sawmill for 15 years.
Surviving, in addition to the Wells County son, are two other sons, Rick and Glen Bailey;
five daughters, Rita, Geneva, Becky and Teresa Bailey and Glenda Hirt; two sisters, May
Shepherd and Fay Ball; 15 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. He was preceded
in death by a daughter, Brenda Bailey.
Calling will be from noon until time of services Thursday at the Price Funeral Home in
Kenton, Ohio, where the funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday. Burial will be in
Grove Cemetery there with military graveside rites by Amvets Post 1994.
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004
Ben Wiegman, 23
Grandson of Ralph Meyer of Bluffton, Ben Wiegman, 23, died at his Fort Wayne residence
Tuesday, Nov. 30.
He was employed by the Fort Wayne accounting firm of Moore, Reimbold & Anderson as a
client service and planning assistant and attended Blackhawk Baptist Church. He was
preparing to graduate from IPFW in Fort Wayne in December with a degree in
communications.
Additional survivors include his parents, Gary (Mike) Wiegman and Linda Wiegman, both of
Fort Wayne; a half-sister, Teri Wiegman of Ossian; and grandmother Rosella Lucas of
Texas.
He was preceded in death by maternal grandmother, Josephine Meyer and paternal
grandfather, Gale Wiegman.
Services at 11 a.m. Saturday will be at Blackhawk Baptist Church. Burial will follow in
Concordia Gardens Cemetery.
Calling at D. O. McComb & Sons Maplewood Park Funeral Home will be 2-5 p.m. and 7-9
p.m. Friday and one hour prior to services Saturday at the church.
Memorials may be made to Riley Children's Hospital.
Leona Luginbill, 101
Step-mother of Floreine Graham of Keystone, Leona Luginbill, 101, died at 5 a.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 1, at Adams County Memorial Hospital.
A resident of Swiss Village in Berne, she was born in Adams County May 27, 1903 to Jacob
W. and Verena Habegger Amstutz. Her first husband was Irven S. Oyer, who preceded her in
death in 1977. Her second husband was Marcus Luginbill, who preceded her in death in
1993.
A member of the First Missionary Church in Berne, she was a homemaker and a clerk at
Grabill Hardware for 13 years. She was also a former member of Berne-Geneva Senior
Citizens organizations and a past president of the Women's Missionary Society at
Grabill Missionary Church.
Additional survivors include step-sons Melvin Oyer of Suwanee, Fla. and Floyd Luginbill,
Lansing, Mich.; two other step daughters Mrs. Don (Ruth) Abnet of Berne and Mrs. Jesse
(Esther) Patch of Decatur; 17 step-grandchildren, 38 step-great grandchildren and 15
step-great great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by seven brothers, Cliff, Homer, Oswin, Vilas, Jesse, Rufus and
Wes Amstutz and three sisters, Agnes Miller, Sylvia Amstutz and Celina Klopfenstein.
Services at Yager-Kirchhofer Funeral Home in Berne will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday
under the direction of Rev. Kris McPherson and Rev. Jonathan Amstutz. Graveside services
will be held at 1:15 p.m. at the Evangelical Mennonite Cemetery in Woodburn.
Calling at the funeral home will be from 4-8 p.m. Friday and one hour prior to services
Saturday.
Memorials may be made to the First Missionary Church or Swiss Village.
Friday, December 3, 2004
Christian Isaiah Sheets, Infant
Christian Isaiah Sheets died shortly after birth at 2:15 a.m. Monday, Nov. 29, at the
Bluffton Regional Medical Center.
Survivors include the parents, Chad Allen and Lisa Kaye Dickson Sheets of Bluffton; two
brothers, Cole Allen and Carson Paul Sheets; grandparents, Gary and Barbara Dickson and
Jerry and Barbara Sheets, all of Bluffton; and great-grandparents, Dean and Ilene Kern of
Bluffton, and Ed and Jane Gordon of Fort Wayne.
Private visitation and a family service was held today with Rev. Matt Hartsell
officiating. Burial in Elm Grove Cemetery. Arrangements were handled by Thoma/Rich, Hewitt
& Chaney Funeral Home.
Bonnie Milholland Cook, 75
A sister of Mrs. Stanley (Luanne) Morton of Warren, Bonnie Milholland Cook, 75, Berne,
died Thursday, Dec. 2 at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
Other survivors include her husband, Gordon R. Cook, of Berne; two sons, Greg and Allan
Milholland, both of Decatur; another sister, Kathleen Woodward of Berne; and four
grandchildren.
Services will be held Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Cross United Church of Christ in Berne.
Calling hours are Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m. at Yager-Kirchhofer Funeral Home in Berne, and
for one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial in MRE Cemetery.
Genevieve Teagle, 96 - Rites Pending
Arrangements are pending at Glancy Funeral Homes, Walker Chapel in Montpelier for
Genevieve E. Teagle, 96, of Keystone, who died Thursday morning at Ball Memorial Hospital
in Muncie.