Archive - Jan 2011 - Obituary
January 17th
Stephen L. Barton-Hunley, 23, of Fort Wayne died at 4:14 p.m. Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 at his residence in Fort Wayne. Born Oct. 26, 1987 in Fort Wayne, he was a son of Sam L. Hunley and Barbara D. Brenneke.
Harold O. Fairchild, Sr., 74, widely acquainted area contractor and a resident of rural Columbia City, passed away at 6:07 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011 at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. He had been a patient there since Monday after suffering an apparent heart attack at his home.
Mr. Fairchild was born Nov. 15, 1936 in Huntington County, a son of Herbert R. and Myrtle L. (DeWitt) Fairchild. As a child he moved with his parents to rural Allen County. He spent his formative years there, and graduated from Jefferson Center High School in 1955.
January 14th
John W. Whitt, 71, of South Whitley, died at 7:27 a.m. Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 at his home.
He was born Oct. 5, 1939 in Prestonsburg, Ky., a son of Cecil and Rhoda (Elliott) Whitt. He spent his formative years in Prestonsburg and attended Prestonsburg High School. He served with the Kentucky National Guard.
On July 28, 1962, he was united in marriage to Janice C. Darley. They made their home in the South Whitley.
He spent his work career in the construction trade with D&C Construction, South Whitley.
Mary M. Cramar, 72, a former resident of Blue Lake near Churubusco and widow of Daniel R. Cramar, passed away at 6:48 a.m. Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, at the home of her daughter in Gleason, Tenn. She had been in declining health for the past four years, and had been seriously ill since July.
Mrs. Cramar was born May 9, 1938 in Marietta, Ohio, and was married in Noble County Aug. 13, 1961 to Daniel R. Cramar. She spent most of her adult life at Blue Lake near Churubusco, and had moved to Gleason three and one-half years ago to be near her daughter there.
Ronald Hugh Hile, 81, of Columbia City, IN passed away at 3:43 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 at his residence. Born Nov. 4, 1929, he was a son of Harold B. and Ruth L. (Enyeart) Hile.
The majority of his lifetime was spent in Whitley County where he attended school. He proudly served in the United States Air Force. On July 14, 1949, he married Ada Belle Herron in an outdoor wedding at his parents’ home. In 1980, he retired from Dana, Fort Wayne, with 30 years of service. His memberships included Tri-Lakes Baptist Church and the former Tri-Lakes Racing Association.
Marthann “Martha” Meyers, 85, of Warsaw, passed away at 3:45 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011, at her home following an extended illness.
January 12th
Betty I. Gaff, 85, a former resident of Churubusco and more recently of Columbia City, passed away at 3:20 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011, at Parkview Whitley Hospital. She had been a patient there since Dec. 31.
Ms. Gaff was born April 23, 1925 in Churubusco, a daughter of Roy and Alice (Hull) Gaff. She graduated from Churubusco High School in 1943, and was a lifelong resident of Churubusco until moving to Columbia City one year ago.
Upon completing her education, she became employed at General Electric in Fort Wayne and worked there for 44 years, retiring in 1985.
Marsha Colleen Schinbeckler, 61, of Columbia City, passed away at 12:48 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10, 2011 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born Aug. 29, 1949 in Indianapolis, she was a daughter of Marshall C. and Gayle M. (Brumbaugh) Schinbeckler.
Lois Eleanor Kissinger-Mossman, 97, of Columbia City, passed away at 9:35 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 at her residence. Born July 2, 1913 in Whitley County, she was a daughter of Orland James and Ada May (Nei) Hurd.
Donald A. Schwenn, 81, passed away Jan. 8, 2011. He was born Nov. 28, 1929 in Milwaukee, Wis. to Walter and Helen Schwenn.
He proudly served in the United States Army. After his discharge from the military, he moved to Minneapolis/ St.Paul, Minn. In 1960, he moved to Columbia City. There he owned and operated Viking Inc. for 55 years.
