In Memoriam

Use obituary notes to submit information you would like to share with classmates.

1934
Clara (Huffman) Redfern, La Crescenta, Calif., died April 26, 2008. She is survived by her half-sister, Faith; a son, John; and two grandchildren.

1937
Dr. Kathryn J. Beck, Canal Fulton, Ohio, died March 17, 2008. She taught high school and college classes and in 1950, she moved to New York to teach history at the State University of New York at Geneseo, retiring in 1979. She received her Ph.D. in history from Case Western Reserve University. She is survived by her brother, Rev. Robert F. Beck, ’41; and several nieces and nephews, including
Barbara (Beck) Steingass, ’67 and Marguerite (Beck) Frey, ’74.

Edith (Harding) Whitaker, Salt Lake City, died May 23, 2008. She was a graduate of the Fairview Park Hospital School of Nursing. She is survived by four daughters, Susan, Nancy, Joan and Margaret; a son, Jim; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Alice and Mary.

1940
Donald L. Barrett, Athens, Ohio, died April 4, 2008. He completed graduate work at Ohio University and the University of Nebraska. He was a career Air Force officer for 28 years, having achieved the rank of colonel. In 1965, he joined the OU faculty as professor of aerospace studies and served as mayor of Athens from 1972-84. He is survived by a daughter, Beth Ann; two sons, Donald and Douglas; three grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Martha (McDowell) Shinn, Washington, D.C., died June 16, 2008. A retired piano teacher and community volunteer, she is survived by a daughter, Sandy, and two grandchildren.
Geraldine (Difford) Smith, Pittsfield, Mass., died April 2, 2008. She was a librarian for the Berkshire Athenaeum. She is survived by a daughter, Sandra; two sons, Scott and Denison; twin granddaughters; and a sister, Nancy.

1941
Florence I. “Peggy” (Woleslagel) Brook, Fort Myers, Fla., died April 12, 2008. The first female graduate from Heidelberg to enlist in the military, she was the first woman officer candidate from the Great Lakes Naval District selected by the Coast Guard in 1942. After receiving her commission, she served as a communications officer working on coding boards in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. She left active service in 1945 as a lieutenant. She is survived by her husband, Iver; two children, Jean and John; and two grandchildren.

1943
F. Louise (Herman) Dettmer, Elyria, Ohio, died March 31, 2008. She retired from Baldwin-Wallace College, where she had worked in the Registrar’s Office. Surviving are two sons, James and Herbert; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Lenora M. (Graeter) Shaw, Knoxville, Tenn., died March 28, 2008. She taught high school general science and biology for 30 years. She is survived by two daughters, Heather and Katie; and a granddaughter.

1946
Dr. John Bugosh, Venice, Fla., died June 12, 2008. He received his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University and worked for the DuPont Co., where, as a research chemist, he was responsible for 29 patents. He published many scholarly articles through his career. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Ann; two daughters, Nancy and Pamela; and a brother, Andrew.

Rev. George F. Roser, Largo, Fla., died June 14, 2008. He served as a UCC pastor in New York for more than 38 years

1947
Beverly (Deinzer) Imhoff, Rittman, Ohio, died March 16, 2008. She had been a chemist at Morton Salt Co. and a middle school teacher. She is survived by three daughters, Cindy, Jennifer and Catherine; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

1949
Robert E. Steinecker, Perrysburg, Ohio, died July 14, 2008. His college years were interrupted by U.S. Army service, for which he received a  Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. A member of the Heidelberg Athletic Hall of Fame, Bob earned his master’s degree from The Ohio State University and worked in many capacities for Perrysburg Schools. He was a teacher, coach, guidance counselor, athletic director and assistant principal. He served on the city council for six years and as city treasurer for 14 years. He is survived by his wife, Nelva; two sons, David and Robert; a daughter, Cyndie; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Dr. Robert Turk, Hollywood, Fla., died May 30, 2008. A sergeant in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he received his master’s degree from Ohio University and his doctorate from Florida Atlantic University. He spent his career as a high school and college teacher, retiring in 1985 from Miami Dade Community College. He is survived by his wife, Martha; three children, Susan, Jeff and Michele; and two grandchildren.

1950
John L. Marty, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, died April 17, 2008. A World War II veteran, he graduated from Purdue University and retired after 35 years as an aeronautical engineer with Rockwell International. He is survived by his wife, Carol (Bode) Marty, ’49; a daughter, Kathy; two sons, David and Dan; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Charles R. Dispenza, Rochester, N.Y., died June 12, 2008. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and a retired teacher. He is survived by his son, Gregory, and a sister, Sally.

Jerome Keller, Tiffin, died March 23, 2008. He graduated from Coyne Electrical School in Chicago and was a U.S. Army veteran. He was a timekeeper and lathe operator at National Machinery, retiring after 46 years of service. He is survived by his wife, Ann; a son, Phillip; a daughter, Jacqueline; a grandson; and two sisters, Madlyn and Mary.

Robert J. Storck, New Philadelphia, Ohio, died July 15, 2008. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was an insurance agent for Western-Southern Life Insurance Co. for 28 years, retiring in 1980. He is survived by his wife, Janice; a daughter, Susan; two sons, David and Donald; four grandchildren; and a sister, Phyllis.

1951
Leonard P. Spore, Sandusky, Ohio, died March 29, 2008. A decorated Army veteran of the Korean War, he was an accountant for American Crayon/Dixon Ticonderoga for 42 years. He is survived by his wife, Janet; three sons, Peter, Jan and Richard; a sister, Gloria; 10 grandchildren; three step-grandchildren; and a step-great-grandchild.

1952
Phyllis Mae Ashbolt, Canton, Ohio, died April 17, 2008. She was a missionary in India, and later taught the hearing impaired for 38 years after receiving her master’s degree from Columbia University.  After retirement in 1989, she was a tutor and a bank teller. She is survived by many cousins.

Phyllis A. (Rogers) Washka, Elyria, Ohio, died Feb. 3, 2008. She was employed by Elyria and Midview Schools as a teacher for many years. Surviving are two daughters, Sandra and Marilyn; three grandchildren; and a sister, Evelyn.

1954
H. David Barringer, Mansfield, Ohio, died April 2, 2008. A Korean War Army veteran, he worked for the Social Security Administration, retiring as a field representative in 1986. He is survived by wife, Betty; a son, John; a daughter, Susan; and two grandchildren.

Beulah J. “Boo” (Bertsch) Stephens, Fort Wayne, Ind., died Aug. 6, 2008. She received her master’s degree from St. Francis College and was a teacher and counselor for 32 years, retiring in 1995. She is survived by her husband, James; a son, Thomas; a brother, Rev. William Bertsch, ‘56; and three grandchildren.

1959
Joyce E. (Blossom) Rawson, Madison, Ind., died April 7, 2008. She spent her career as an elementary school teacher in Indiana. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Harve E.; two sons, Paul and Reed; a sister, Jeannine; and four grandchildren.

1961
Sara E. (Marty) Jacobs, Clarington, W.Va., died April 13, 2008. She worked at the College of Ganado on the Navajo Indian Reservation for 10 years. In Clarington, she worked as a tutor for many years. She also was clerk and treasurer for the village and was an accomplished grant writer. She is survived by her husband, Melvin G. Jacobs, ’63; a son, Devon; two sisters, Eileen and Lois; and a brother, Marvin.

1963
Susan Brown, Torrance, Calif., died May 11, 2008. She was a teacher in the Torrance School System from her graduation until her retirement, and had earned a master’s degree from Pepperdine University.

1964
Karl T. “Tom” Bame, Newkirk, Okla., died March 28, 2008. An ace pilot, he served three tours of duty in Thailand and Vietnam. He received numerous service medals and after achieving the rank of colonel, he retired from the Air Force in 1976. His second career was with General Electric. He is survived by his wife, Jeannette; a brother, Paul Christian “Chris,” ‘62; a sister, Judy; and a half sister, Janice.

1965
Joseph E. Sevenich, Delta, Ohio, died July 1, 2008. He spent his career as a teacher and coach, beginning at St. Francis de Sales High School and moving to Wauseon as principal in 1979, after receiving his master’s degree and principal’s certificate. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen; daughters Kendra, Jacqueline, Sheryl and Tricia; eight siblings, Mary Ann, Vincent, James, Theresa, Barbara, Michael, Martha and Janel; and eight grandchildren.

1966
Juanita C. (Ziegler) Miller, Tiffin, died April 29, 2008. She taught elementary school for many years in the rural Tiffin area, retiring in 1982. She is survived by a son, Steven; a daughter, Catherine; three stepdaughters, Diana, Gail and Andrea; six grandchildren and three step-grandchildren; four great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren; a brother, Henry; and two sisters, Evelyn and Alice Jean.

1968
Judith A. (Menear) Ebbitt-Glover, North Olmstead, died March 19, 2008. A graduate of the Riverside White Cross School of Nursing, she worked in the nursing field for 35 years at Cleveland Metro and the Lorain County Health Department. She is survived by a daughter, Karen; a son, Stephen; three grandchildren; a brother, Roger; and a sister, Cindy.

Mary Jo (Klinefelter) Hyatt, Middletown, Ohio, died April 29, 2008. She taught math in the Middletown/Monroe City Schools for most of her 35-year career. She is survived by her husband, Bill Hyatt, ’68; and two children, Ken and Amy; and her parents, George, ’40, and Josephine (Nicewander) Klinefelter, ’41.

1970
Caron (Crom) Kindel, Akron, Ohio, died June 1, 2008. She was a French instructor at Kent State University. She is survived by her husband, Robert; a son, Ian; three brothers and her mother, Florence (Cartlidge) Crom, ’44.

Rev. Dr. Robert D. Sayre, Millersville, Pa., died May 16, 2008. He was an assistant professor of history at Millersville University and a retired minister, having served with United Campus Ministry at Millersville from 1981-97. From 1996-2002, he was pastor of the Wrightsville Presbyterian Church. He is survived by his wife, Roma; two daughters, Jennifer and Amanda; four grandchildren; three brothers, Conard, Larry and James; and a sister, Patricia.

1979
Bruce Corwin, Valparaiso, Ind., died Nov. 15, 2007. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1994. He worked in the lab for PMS Consolidated in Sandusky, Ohio, Chicago and Anoka, Minn., where he was manager of operations. In 1986, he joined Bee Chemicals (now NB Coatings) and was the director of business processes. He is survived by his wife, Christina (Mohr) Corwin, ’80; and two daughters, Kathi and Debby.

1992
James A. Dziorney, Alpharetta, Ga., died March 3, 2008. He received two master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and later worked in Dallas as a financial analyst for PriceWaterhouseCoopers and then with Spherion Outsourcing Services. He is survived by his wife, Wendy, and two daughters, Abigail and Anna.

FRIENDS
Janet Lea Hughes, Dayton, Ohio, died May 6, 2008. She had received Heidelberg’s Unsung Hero Award in 2003 for her hospitality and support of the college’s African students. In Tiffin, she had been the director of Easter Seals of Seneca County. She is survived by five children, Donald, Brian, Tracy, Randy and Jennifer; five grandchildren; a sister, Nancy; and a brother, Donald.

Suzanne Simmons, Tiffin, died April 24, 2008. She had worked in the Registrar’s Office at Heidelberg. Surviving are her husband, Robert; a son, Jeff; a daughter, Andrea; five grandchildren, a sister, Sr. Mary St. Paul; and three brothers, David, George and Gerard.

CORRECTION
James D. King, '58, Sharon Center, Ohio, died Feb. 25, 2008. He had worked for Ohio Bell as general manager, retiring in 1991 after 33 years with the company. Surviving are his wife, Nancy; two sons, Craig and Mitchell; a daughter, Cynthia; six grandchildren; and a sister, Melissa.

From Summer/Fall 2008 issue.