Our Obituaries
RICHARD C ARMSTRONG
December 8, 2019
RICHARD C. ARMSTRONG of Seville, OH died December 8, 2019 at the age of 76. He preceded his father and grandfather in owning and operating the Armstrong Funeral Home for a combined total of over 100 years. Armstrong was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association.
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SHIRLEY P GRAUMLICH
December 7, 2019
SHIRLEY P. GRAUMLICH of Worthington, OH died December 7, 2019 at the age of 84. A funeral director for more than fifty years, she was the owner and president of Graumlich Funeral Home. She was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association, Central Ohio Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association.
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NEIL GRANT MACKENZIE
December 5, 2019
NEIL GRANT MACKENZIE of Springfield, MA died December 5, 2019 at the age of 73. He worked alongside his parents in his family's business, MacKenzie Vault, Inc. He owned and operated the business for thirty years, proudly working alongside his son, Scott, until his retirement.
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KEITH MARLIN JENSEN
November 30, 2019
KEITH MARLIN JENSEN of Chubbuck, ID died November 30, 2019 at the age of 89. He worked alongside his wife, Marian as a funeral director, owner and operator of the Shaffer-Jensen Mortuaries in Payette, New Plymouth and Fruitland. He also owned and operated funeral homes in Bonners Ferry and Burley as well as many other business enterprises around the country.
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FRANK STEVENS "STEVE' BRYAN, JR
November 30, 2019
FRANK STEVENS "STEVE' BRYAN JR of Columbia, NC died November 30, 2019 at the age of 77. He was the president and owner of Bryan Funeral Service. In 1977, Bryan partnered with Alex Lee and a group of family and friends to create the Bryan Lee Funeral Home in Garner and in 1986 he purchased the former Owens Funeral Home in Swan Quarter. He graduated from the Eckels College of Mortuary Science in...
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RANDY L. KISTLER
November 26, 2019
RANDY L. KISTLER of Olney, IL died November 26, 2019 at the age of 69. A funeral director for nearly 50 years, he was the lifelong owner of Kistler-Patterson Funeral Home, formerly Summers-Kistler Funeral Home. He served as coroner of Richland County for the past 32 years.
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DAVID READING PARKER
November 25, 2019
DAVID READING PARKER of Kaufman, TX died November 25, 2019 at the age of 68. A funeral director and embalmer, he worked at Mathis Funeral Home in Seagoville and Anderson-Clayton Bros Funeral Home in Terrell before establishing the Parker-Ashworth Funeral Home in Kaufman in 1977. A 1972 graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, he was president of the East Texas Funeral Directors...
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JOSHUA KEVIN JENNINGS
November 25, 2019
JOSHUA KEVIN JENNINGS of Jasper, TN died November 25, 2019 at the age of 36. He spent his early career at Chattanooga Funeral Home as a licensed mortician before managing the Tate Funeral Home in Jasper for several years. In 2011, Jennings partnered with Ralph Mosier and Burt Schaerer to developed Hamilton Funeral Home and in 2018 they purchased Rogers Funeral Home. A graduate of the John A....
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JACK LESLIE BURNETT
November 23, 2019
JACK LESLIE BURNETT of Chaffee, MO died November 23, 2019 at the age of 67. He was a second generation funeral director and co-owner of Amick-Burnett Funeral Chapels for 47 years.
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JOHN EVERETT BULLIS
November 22, 2019
JOHN EVERETT BULLIS of Hardin, MT died November 22, 2019 at the age of 96. He was a licensed funeral director at Bullis Mortuary for 70 years and served as Big Horn County Coroner for 50 years. A 1947 graduate of the St. Louis School of Mortuary Science, Bullis was president of the Montana Funeral Directors Association in 1968 and was a member of the Selected Independent Funeral Homes.
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RAYMOND P. GAMBLE
November 20, 2019
RAYMOND P. GAMBLE of Hopkinsville, KY died November 20, 2019 at the age of 68. A licensed funeral director and embalmer, he worked for Babbage Funeral Home until 1983 and later the Freudenberg Corporation. After receiving his Tennessee embalmers and funeral director license, Gamble went to work for Foston Funeral Home in Clarksville, TN before establishing Gamble Funeral Home in Hopkinsville, KY...
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JOHN M MAZZARELLA
November 18, 2019
JOHN M. MAZZARELLA of Parma, OH died November 18, 2019 at the age of 79. He was the longtime manager of American Limousine Service and a founding member of the National Limousine Association.
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IRWIN WALTER SHIPPER
November 13, 2019
IRWIN WALTER SHIPPER of West Palm Beach, FL died November 13, 2019 at the age of 88. He was an active member of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association for 69 years. Shipper served as president of the association from 1996–1998 and was inducted into the ICCFA Hall of Fame in 2004. He chaired the Government and Legal Affairs Committee for 25 years and in 2017 was named...
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JOHN W MCDOWELL
November 13, 2019
JOHN W. MCDOWELL of Reed City, MI died November 13, 2019 at the age of 72. A funeral director for more than 50 years, he was the owner and operator of McDowell Funeral Home, which was established by his grandfather in 1913. A 1968 graduate of the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association.
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SHELDON A. SCHLABACH
November 12, 2019
SHELDON A. SCHLABACH of Shreve, OH died November 12, 2019 at the age of 56. A funeral director and embalmer, he was the owner and operator of Schlabach Funeral Home and graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1984.
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JOHN JOSEPH DEEB
November 5, 2019
JOHN JOSEPH DEEB of Manchester, CT died November 5, 2019 at the age of 75. He worked as an apprentice embalmer for Robinson and Wright Funeral Home in Centerbrook, CT before working as a funeral director at Holmes Funeral Homes in Manchester. Deeb retired in 2010 after 38 years. A 1965 graduate of the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, he was a member of the Connecticut...
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JULIAN H. RENFRO, SR
October 31, 2019
JULIAN H. RENFRO SR of Cincinnati, OH died October 31, 2019 at the age of 74. A third generation funeral director and embalmer, he was president of Renfro Funeral Services, where he had worked since the age of 18. He graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.
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WILLIAM R BICAN
October 28, 2019
WILLIAM R. BICAN of Cleveland, OH died October 28, 2019 at the age of 70. A third generation funeral director, he was the owner of Bican Bros Funeral Home and a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association.
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BETTY SUE MCDANIEL
October 24, 2019
BETTY SUE MCDANIEL of Bowling Green, KY died October 24, 2019 at the age of 69. She was a funeral director at Hardy & Son Funeral Home for 20 years.
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JACQUELYN S TAYLOR
July 14, 1953 - October 20, 2019
JACQUELYN S. TAYLOR of Walpole, MA died October 20, 2019 at the age of 66. A funeral director, embalmer and teacher, Jacquie served her apprenticeship at the McGaffey Andreason Eugene Memorial Chapel in Oregon before it was sold to Uniservice Corporation. Founder and CEO Ellsworth "Ells" Purdy became a devoted mentor to Taylor. She attended the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science, where she...
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JUSTIN I HEATH
October 18, 2019
JUSTIN I. HEATH of Belleville, IL died October 18, 2019 at the age of 43. He was employed at Schrader Funeral Home in St. Louis, MO and earned his degree in mortuary science at the Saint Louis Community College.
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LARRY M THOMPSON
May 25, 1944 - October 17, 2019
LARRY M. THOMPSON of Greenwood, IN died October 17, 2019 at the age of 75. A funeral director and embalmer for fifty-two years, he worked for the Watson Funeral Home in Cayuga, Miller Funeral Service in Brazil and the Russell & Hitch Funeral Home in Lebanon before retiring from the Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service in Greenwood after 25 years of service. Thompson and his wife, Nancy Jo,...
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GERALD "JERRY" LEE SPRAGG
October 15, 2019
GERALD "JERRY" LEE SPRAGG of Manitowoc, WI died October 15, 2019 at the age of 70. A funeral director for over 20 years, he served as the general manager at Range Funeral Home in Virginia and Hibbing, MN until his retirement in 2012. Spragg graduated from the Worsham College of Mortuary Science in 1992.
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FRANCIS L PLUMLY
October 14, 2019
FRANCIS L. PLUMLY of Barnesville, OH died October 14, 2019 at the age of 96. A retired funeral director, he was the former owner and operator of Campbell-Plumly-Milburn Funeral Home, which he began working at in 1948. A graduate of the Cleveland College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association.
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JOHN F. BUCH
October 14, 2019
JOHN F. BUCH of Manheim, formerly of Lititz, PA died October 14, 2019 at the age of 91. A licensed funeral director, he was the former owner and operator of Buch Funeral Home, Inc in Manheim.
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PHILIP J. "PHIL" CAUVEL
October 12, 2019
PHILIP J. "PHIL" CAUVEL of Titusville, PA died October 12, 2019 at the age of 77. Phil's career in the automobile business spanned several decades. He was last employed for a number of years as a sales representative with American Coach Sales, Cleveland, OH for the Western PA and Western NY regions.
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ROBERT D. CARPENTER
October 8, 2019
ROBERT D. CARPENTER of Huntington, WV died October 8, 2019 at the age of 87. He was a licensed funeral director and mortician at the Klingel–Carpenter Mortuary. A member of the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners, Carpenter began the National Directors Emergency Disaster Committee, now known as D-Mort in 1980 and was past president of the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association.
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KENNETH HAROLD SCHROM
October 6, 2019
KENNETH HAROLD SCHROM of Salem, OH died October 6, 2019 at the age of 87.He worked for several funeral homes in northeast Ohio as a licensed funeral director and graduated from the Cleveland School of Mortuary Science.
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ODESSA PITTS JOHNSON
October 4, 2019
ODESSA PITTS JOHNSON of Bessemer, AL died October 4, 2020 at the age of 87. She and her husband, Howard Johnson founded Johnson Memorial Funeral Directors, where she served as a licensed funeral director and corporate secretary. Odessa was a member of the Alabama Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, where she was past president of the Ladies...
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MARK C. KOWALCZYK
October 2, 2019
MARK C. KOWALCZYK of New York Mills, NY died October 2, 2019 at the age of 54. A licensed New York State funeral director, he began his career in funeral service with the J. S. Waterman Funeral Homes in Boston, MA and the Griswold Funeral Homes in Schenectady, NY. He later joined his father in the operation of Kowalczyk Funeral Homes, Inc in Utica and New York Mills, where he served as vice...
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SCOTT R. SELLS, CCFE
September 29, 2019
SCOTT R. SELLS, CCFE of San Jose, CA died September 29, 2019 at the age of 57. He was market director for Service Corporation International. Prior to relocating to the San Francisco Bay area, Sells served as area vice president for SCI in Hawaii. In 2017, he served as International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association president. He is a past president of the Colorado Association of...
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JACK W HOTTINGER
September 28, 2019
JACK W. HOTTINGER of Marion, OH died September 28, 2019 at the age of 81. A licensed funeral director and embalmer for 53 years, he began working at Croll Funeral Homes as a non-licensed associate in Grand Rapids and Tontogany before becoming manager of Witzler-Shank Funeral Home in Bowling Green. In 1975, Jack moved to Marion to pursue the opportunity to be the succession plan for Harold Denzer...
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PATRICK JASON MAYO
September 24, 2019
PATRICK JASON MAYO of Stevens Point, WI died September 24, 2019 at the age of 46. A licensed funeral director, he served his apprenticeship at Schmidt and Bartelt Funeral Service in Milwaukee. During his funeral service career, he was employed at Bradley Funeral Home in Antigo, Gunderson Funeral Home in Madison, Peterson-Kramer Funeral Home in Wausau, and at the time of his passing Helke Funeral...
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MARTIN R. DABLE
September 19, 2019
MARTIN R. DABLE of Waukesha, WI died September 19, 2019 at the age of 83. A licensed funeral director, he worked for Borgwardt Funeral Home, Molthen Bell Funeral Home and John J. Walloch Funeral Home before purchasing the former Hansen Funeral Home in 1972 with his partner William Randle. He remained co-owner of the Randle-Dable Funeral Home until his retirement. A graduate of the Wisconsin...
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ELISSA ANN "DR. D" DEBENEDICTIS
September 18, 2019
ELISSA ANN "DR. D" DEBENEDICTIS of Pleasantville, NY died September 18, 2019 at the age of 49. She worked at American Academy McAllister Institute for 22 years as a professor, director of academic support and coordinator of clinical embalming.
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EUGENE FRANCIS KOWALCZYK
September 15, 2019
EUGENE FRANCIS KOWALCZYK of South Windsor, CT died September 15, 2019 at the age of 74. A licensed funeral director and embalmer for over 50 years, he was employed by several funeral homes including Weinstein Mortuary in West Hartford, Guiliano-Sagarino Funeral Home in Hartford, and Maple Hill Chapels-Talarski Funeral Home in Hartford, where he worked until his retirement in 2015. He graduated...
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JOHN E. "JAKE" BAALS
September 12, 2019
JOHN E. "JAKE" BAALS of Northfield, NJ died September 12, 2019 at the age of 59. A licensed funeral director, he worked at the Godfrey Funeral Homes for over 20 years and graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1984.
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DONAVON "DON" CRAIG LAKIN
September 4, 2019
DONAVON "DON" CRAIG LAKIN of Pierce City, MO died September 4, 2019 at the age of 78. He owned Commercial Embalming Service for several years in Springfield, MO before selling it. Don and his wife Mary, also a licensed funeral director, operated Larkin Funeral Homes in Pierce city and Stotts City. A graduate of the John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science, he was appointed to the Missouri State...
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BRIAN RICHARD HUBERT HORNE
May 21, 1973 - September 1, 2019
BRIAN RICHARD HUBERT HORNE of Christiansburg, VA died September 1, 2019 at the age of 46. A third generation funeral director, Certified Funeral Service Practitioner and certified CANA Crematory Operator, Horne was president of the Horne Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Christiansburg. A 1992 graduate of the Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service, he was active in the Virginia Funeral...
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RICHARD DANIEL "DAN" SNYDER
August 30, 2019
RICHARD DANIEL "DAN" SNYDER of Mount Vernon, formerly of Fredericktown, OH died August 30, 2019 at the age of 75. A retired funeral director, he managed Snyder Funeral Home. Snyder graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science and was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association.
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WILLIAM C. MCCONAGHY
August 26, 2019
WILLIAM C. MCCONAGHY of Newtown Square, for-merly of Villanova, PA died August 26, 2019 at the age of 82. A third generation funeral director, he was the owner and operator of the McConaghy Funeral Home in Ardmore, which was established by his grandfather in 1894. Due to his funeral service background, he was assigned to Arlington National Cemetery while being enlisted in the Army in 1958, where...
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MELVIN THOMAS LEWIS
August 20, 2019
MELVIN THOMAS LEWIS of Lodi, CA died August 20, 2019 at the age of 71. He worked in the cemetery industry for over 40 years in various capacities including serving on the board of directors for Cherokee Memorial Park; Lone Tree Cemetery; Cemetery 360; and Cordeiro Vault Company. He was a member of the Catholic Cemetery Conference.
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STANLEY THEODORE LEVINSON
August 19, 2019
STANLEY THEODORE LEVINSON of Pikeville, MD died August 19, 2019 at the age of 89. A third generation funeral director, he worked for more than 70 years at his family's funeral home, Sol Levinson & Bros Inc, which was established by his grandfather in 1892. He was a member of the Maryland State Board of Morticians.
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HELEN J "FOTH" DORFMEYER
August 18, 2019
HELEN J "FOTH" DORFMEYER of Toledo, OH died August 18, 2019 at the age of 96. A third generation funeral director, she had been licensed in the state of Ohio for 60 years. Dorfmeyer began working at the John C. Foth Undertaking Co, which was established by her grandfather, John C. Foth in 1982. She later served as the owner and operator of Foth-Dorfmeyer Mortuary with her late husband, Emery W....
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DARLA BUTZINE TRIPOLI
August 17, 2019
DARLA BUTZINE TRIPOLI of Washington, PA died August 17, 2019 at the age of 55. A licensed funeral director, certified celebrant and life tribute professional, she worked at Salandra Funeral and Cremation Services for the past five years as the manager and pre-plan specialist. Tripoli graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in 2002, where she had been an instructor of the past...
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RICHARD J. FLUEHR, JR
August 16, 2019
RICHARD J. FLUEHR JR Philadelphia, PA died August 16, 2019 at the age of 59. A fourth generation funeral director, he served the communities of Philadelphia and Bucks County for over 40 years at Fluehr Funeral Home, which was established by his great grandfather in 1898. He graduated from the Mercer County Community College in New Jersey.
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ERIC DALE COLLINS
August 13, 2019
PASTOR ERIC DALE COLLINS of Bainbridge, GA died August 13, 2019 at the age of 47. He was the founder and president of Collins Family Mortuary, Inc in Bainbridge. He previously worked at the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home in Atlanta for 20 years and had served his apprenticeship with Raleigh Rucker Funeral Home, Inc. He graduated from the Gupton Jones College of Mortuary Science in 1992.
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LOWELL PUGH
August 12, 2019
LOWELL PUGH of Golden City, MO died August 12, 2019 at the age of 87. A funeral director for 66 years, he joined his great-uncle Enoch Phillips and his parents, Harold Franklin Pugh and Hazel Wanda Thomas Pugh at their family's business, Pugh Funeral Home. In 1991, Pugh began publication of The Dead Beat-The Caregivers Soapbox and co-authored a continuing education course on grief resolution for...
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JEREMIAH C. "JERRY" BORDEN
August 10, 2019
JEREMIAH C. "JERRY" BORDEN of Sheffield, PA died August 10, 2019 at the age of 77. A licensed funeral director for over 50 years, he was the fourth generation working alongside his father and grandfather at the Borden Funeral Home in Sheffield. A 1963 graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, he served 25 years with the Warren County Corners office.
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A. CHARLES MUELLER , JR
August 9, 2019
A CHARLES MUELLER JR of LaSalle, IL died August 9, 2019at the age of 70. A longtime funeral director, he joined his father in 1970 at the Mueller Funeral Home in Peru and Lostant as well as the Mueller-Pagani Funeral Home in LaSalle. He also worked alongside his brother and father to establish the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa and Cherry and later became a partner at Prey-Mueller Funeral Home in...
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ADAM BENJAMIN ROBINSON, JR
August 8, 2019
ADAM BENJAMIN ROBINSON JR of Pine Bluff, AR died August 8, 2019 at the age of 69. A fourth generation funeral director, he served as president of the Ralph Robinson & Son, Inc, president of Cooperative Life Insurance Company and secretary/treasurer of Robinson & Fuller, Inc. A 1973 graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, he was a president and member of both the Arkansas Funeral...
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TIMOTHY E RYAN
August 7, 2019
TIMOTHY E. RYAN of Siesta Keys, FL and Lavallette, NJ died August 7, 2019 at the age of 68. A licensed funeral director, he began working as an intern at Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Director's of Trenton and Lawrenceville, NJ. Ryan went on to serve the remainder of his internship with his uncle Jack at the John J. Ryan Home for Funerals in Keansburg, NJ. He was manager of the Colonial Funeral Home...
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FRED B SPARKS
August 4, 2019
FRED B. SPARKS of Bucyrus, OH died August 4, 2019 at the age of 76. A retired funeral director, he worked for Reeb Funeral Home in Sylvania for several years before moving to Bucyrus in 1975 to work at the Munz-Pirnstill Funeral Home. He retired in 1999 as president of the funeral home. A graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors...
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REV RICKY L CALHOUN
August 3, 2019
REV RICKY L. CALHOUN of Little Rock, AR died Au-gust 3, 2019 at the age of 66. A licensed funeral director, he began working at OT Smith Funeral Home and the Dubission Funeral Home before establishing the Calhoun Funeral Home in North Little Rock in the late 80's. A bigger facility in Southwest Little Rock was added and the funeral home became known as Calhoun-Wilson Funeral Service. In 2017,...
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KENNETH DAHL
July 30, 2019
KENNETH DAHL of Kelso, WA died July 30, 2019 at the age of 84. He owned and operated seven funerals homes and four cemeteries throughout his 62 year career as a licensed funeral director in the Southwest Washington area. In 1957 he began washing cars at a local funeral home before moving to Kelso in 1957 to work for Dahl-McVicker Funeral Home. In 1967 he became a partner in the business along...
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LYDIA PELZER KIRKLAND
July 28, 2019
LYDIA PELZER KIRKLAND of Philadelphia, PA died July 28, 2019 at the age of 93. A licensed funeral director since 1947, she established the Lydia Pelzer-Kirkland Funeral Home, Inc in 1949 and continued to own and operate it for the next seven decades. A graduate of Echols Mortuary School, she was a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and the Quaker State Funeral Directors...
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VALENTINE (WALENTY) F. "BILL" SUJKOWSKI
July 19, 2019
VALENTINE (WALENTY) F. "BILL" SUJKOWSKI of Toledo, OH died July 19, 2019 at the age of 94. He began his career as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in the early 1940s at the Sujkowski Funeral Home on Nebraska Avenue under the tutelage of his father, William. He served in the same capacity at the family funeral home on Airport Highway until he and his son, Hilary opened the funeral home on...
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WILLIAM CECIL "BILL" HOLT, JR
July 15, 2019
WILLIAM CECIL "BILL" HOLT JR of Canon City, CO died July 15, 2019 at the age of 81. He joined his father, William Cecil as a third generation funeral director at Holt Funeral Home. At age 28, he assumed ownership of the firm after the retirement of his father and served as deputy coroner for Fremont County for 40 years. He graduated from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science.
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JOHN "JACK" VELKER
July 14, 2019
JOHN "JACK" VELKER of Boardman, OH died July 14, 2019 at the age of 87. He was a second generation funeral director and embalmer at Davis-Velker Funeral Home, where his father, Paul Velker, and Alfred Davis were partners. In 1975, Jack became a partner with Robert Anstrom and Robert Gustafson of Anstrom-Gustafson Funeral Home for 22 years. He retired from the Anstrom-Gustafson-Velker Funeral Home...
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THOMAS N HUNT
July 14, 2019
THOMAS N. HUNT of Crawfordsville, IN died July 14, 2019 at the age of 75. A third generation funeral director, he joined his father, Robert F. Hunt at Hunt & Son Funeral Home, where he served until his retirement in 2016. A 1967 graduate of the Indiana College of Mortuary Science, he served on the Oak Hill Cemetery board.
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PAUL EDWARD SCHRAMKA
July 8, 2019
PAUL EDWARD SCHRAMKA of Milwaukee, WI died July 8, 2019 at the age of 91. He was a 3rd generation licensed funeral director at the Schramka Funeral Home. A 1950 graduate of the University of San Francisco, he was once a member of the Chicago Cubs during a brief career that would lead to associations with some of the most famous figures in baseball.
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ROBERT ALLEN MYERS
June 30, 2019
ROBERT ALLEN MYERS of Westminster, MD died June 30, 2019 at the age of 68. A licensed Maryland and Pennsylvania mortician, he began working with his uncle, John E. Myers, Jr at the Myers Funeral Home and later served as a partner at the then Myers-Pritts Funeral Home in Westminster. He worked for both Wetzel Funeral Home in Hanover, PA and Peters Funeral Home in Gettysburg, PA before re...
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James L Anderson
June 27, 2019
JAMES L. ANDERSON of Clyde, OH died June 27, 2019 at the age of 73. He was a licensed funeral director at Auxter Funeral Homes since 1975. He retired from the Sandusky County EMS in 2009, where he had been for 33 years. A graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Embalmers Association, Firelands Funeral Directors Association, and the Ohio Funeral...
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WOODFORD R. "WOODY" PORTER, JR
March 24, 1947 - June 24, 2019
WOODFORD R. "WOODY" PORTER JR of Louisville, KY died June 24, 2019 at the age of 72. A fourth generation funeral director and embalmer, he owned and operated A. D. Porter and Sons Funeral Home since 2007.
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RUDY NELSON LEA, SR
June 23, 2019
RUDY NELSON LEA SR of Raleigh, NC died June 23, 2019 at the age of 73. A licensed North Carolina and South Carolina mortician, he served Lightner Funeral Home for 10 years before establishing Lea Funeral Home and Cremation Services in 1980, which he owned and operated for over 40 years. Through his funeral home, Lea mentored several students interested in pursuing a career in funeral service. Lea...
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JAMES "JIM" VAN GROESBECK
June 22, 2019
JAMES "JIM" VAN GROESBECK of Sand Springs, OK died June 22, 2019 at the age of 71. A licensed funeral director, his career in the funeral industry began in 1968 in funeral home ambulance service work. He served as regional president for Service Corporation International and was responsible for several hundred funeral homes, cemeteries and crematories in fourteen states and Canada before becoming...
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JOHN WILLIAM COKER III
June 21, 2019
JOHN WILLIAM COKER III of Sanger, TX died June 21, 2019 at the age of 81. A licensed funeral director for over 60 years, he previously worked for Harmon Funeral Home in Floydada and the Schmitz, Floyd, Hamlet Funeral Home in Delores before purchasing the funeral home in 1961, renaming it Coker Funeral Home. A 1957 graduate of the Gupton-Jones School of Mortuary Science, he was past president of...
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KEVIN PORTER
June 20, 2019
KEVIN PORTER of Tipton, IN died June 20, 2019 at the age of 62. A second generation funeral director for over 30 years, he was part owner and operator of Porter Funeral Home. He graduated from the Mid-America College of Funeral Service.
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ALAN N. KUTZ
June 14, 2019
ALAN N. KUTZ of Collegeville, PA died June 14, 2019 at the age of 78. He served as a funeral director under the former ownership of Boyd-Horrox Funeral Home in Norristown and then the R. L. Williams, Jr Funeral Home, Inc in Skippack, retiring in 2006. He graduated from the Eckels College of Mortuary Science in 1962.
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PAUL SHIELDS
June 14, 2019
PAUL SHIELDS of Pekin, IL died June 14, 2019 at the age of 87. A licensed funeral director and embalmer, he worked for the Endsley and Son Funeral Home, T. W Parks Colonial Chapel and Shields Funeral Home & Cremation Service before retiring in 2013. He graduated from the St. Louis College of Mortuary Science.
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DAVID DALE "CARMACKIE" CARMICHAEL
June 11, 2019
DAVID DALE "CARMACKIE"CARMICHAEL of Fort Wayne, IN died June 11, 2019 at the age of 53. A licensed funeral director, he was the owner and operator of Carmichael-Gholar Funeral Home in Muncie and the Carmichael Funeral Services, Inc in Fort Wayne, which he opened in 1997. He earned his mortuary science degree from Mid-America Funeral College in 1987 and was a member of the National Funeral...
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LEEROY AL HALLEY
June 11, 2019
LEEROY AL HALLEY of Palmdale, CA died June 11, 2019 at the age of 76. A retired funeral director, he worked for several mortuaries in southern California and was the former owner and operator of Halley-Olsen-Murphys Funerals and Cremations. He graduated from mortuary school in 1963.
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THOMAS DWIGHT NEWCOMER
June 8, 2019
THOMAS DWIGHT NEWCOMER of Orfordville, WI died June 8, 2019 at the age of 84. A licensed funeral director, he owned and operated Newcomer-Silverthorn Chapel on the Hill for the past 62 years.
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SADIE MELISSA OWENS MCHARGUE
June 7, 2019
SADIE MELISSA OWENS MCHARGUE of Shepherdsville, KY and Dunedin, FL died June 7, 2019 at the age of 93. A licensed funeral director, she worked alongside her late husband, Billy McHargue as manager of the old McDaniel Funeral Home in Louisville, KY.
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CRAIG A REUKAUF
June 5, 2019
CRAIG A. REUKAUF of New Smyrna Beach, FL died July 5, 2019 at the age of 72. A licensed funeral director since 1966, he was the owner and operator of Brewer Funeral Home in Lake Luzerne until 1999, when he sold the business. A graduate of the Simmons School of Embalming in Syracuse, he was a member of the New York State Funeral Directors Association and the Adirondack Funeral Directors...
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EARL "SONNY" AMMONS
May 31, 2019
EARL "SONNY" AMMONS of Grenada, MS died May 31, 2019 at the age of 74. He was a licensed funeral director at Robinson and Son Funeral Home. His career in the funeral industry spanned more than 40 years.
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MARJORIE DAME "MARGE" GNEWIKOW
May 31, 2019
MARJORIE DAME "MARGE" GNEWIKOW of Sauk City, WI died May 31, 2019at the age of 92. She and her husband, Ortwin E. Gnewikow, purchased Mazomanie Funeral Home in 1952. Funeral homes in Sauk City and Prairie du Sac were later purchased and in 1980 a new facility was built in Mazomanie. Marge later sold the business to her daughter and son-in-law, Susie and Gary Hooverson, which is now owned and...
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ROBERT OSCAR "BOB" BETTHAUSER
May 30, 2019
ROBERT OSCAR "BOB" BETTHAUSER of Radisson, WI died May 30, 2019 at the age of 81. A licensed funeral director, he was the owner and operator of Mastercraft Casket Company in Ladysmith, WI and graduated from mortuary school in 1961.
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RICHARD "RICH" BRENNY
May 28, 2019
RICHARD "RICH" BRENNY of Little Falls, MN died May 28, 2019 at the age of 71. A licensed funeral director, he and his two brothers, Joe and Chuck, purchased the Brenny Funeral Home from their parents, Clemens and Mary Brenny, in 1977. In 1995, the brothers began operating their businesses independently. Brenny served the Little Falls, Pierz and Morrison county area until retiring in 2006. He...
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BETTY MARIE CARLSON
May 26, 2019
BETTY MARIE CARLSON of El Dorado, KS died May 26, 2019 at the age of 90. A licensed funeral director since 1960, she and her husband, Gene Carlson, purchased the Dietz Funeral Home in El Dorado in 1974 and renamed it Carlson Colonial Funeral Home. Betty remained active in the business until the time of her passing. She was a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and the Kansas...
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REV. DR. PERRY LOUIS MONTGOMERY
May 24, 2019
REV. DR. PERRY LOUIS MONTGOMERY of Woodland, MS died May 24, 2019 at the age of 85. He was the founder and owner of Montgomery Mortuary in Houston, MS. He was a Baptist pastor for nearly 60 years and retired educator for 40 years.
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A. ALLENDORPH "AL" SCHOONMAKER III
May 20, 2019
A. ALLENDORPH "AL" SCHOONMAKER III of Pleasant Valley, NY died May 20, 2019 at the age of 74. A fourth generation funeral director, he operated Schoonmaker Funeral Home Inc, which served the Dutchess County community since 1874. In 2005 Schoonmaker Funeral Home joined Parmele Funeral Home in Poughkeepsie, NY and was renamed Parmele Auchmoody & Schoonmaker Funeral Home. He graduated from the...
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JOHN A RITCHAY , SR
May 19, 2019
JOHN A. RITCHAY SR of Wisconsin Rapids, WI died May 19, 2019 at the age of 89. He founded the Ritchay Funeral Home in 1957 when he purchased the Krohn and Berard Funeral Home. In 1981 he purchased the Feldner Funeral Home, now the Feldner/Ritchay Funeral Home in Neboosa. A gradu-ate of the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science, he was honored in 2005 by the Wisconsin Funeral Directors...
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BERNARD COLEMAN CASTELLAW, JR
May 18, 2019
BERNARD COLEMAN CASTELLAW JR of Smyrna, GA died May 18, 2019. A licensed funeral director, he was retired from Castellaw Funeral Home. He received his associates degree from the Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Services.
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WALTON FREDERICK "FRED" TALLEY
May 16, 2019
WALTON FREDERICK "FRED" TALLEY of Rome, GA died May 16, 2019 at the age of 74. A licensed funeral director, he worked alongside his brother, Marvin, in owning and operating the Talley Brothers Funeral Home for several years. After Talley Brothers sold, he opened Fred Talley's Parkview Chapel and was currently employed at the Parnick Jennings, Sr.'s Good Shepherd Funeral Home at the time of his...
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BRISCO H. CRAIN
May 14, 2019
BRISCO H. CRAIN of Franklinton, LA died May 14, 2019 at the age of 88. A licensed funeral director, he was the owner and operator of Crain and Sons Funeral Homes in Kentwood, Franklinton and Bogalusa. He was a member of the Louisiana Funeral Directors and Morticians Association and the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.
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WILLIAM "BILL" GUY OLMSTED
May 14, 2019
WILLIAM "BILL" GUY OLMSTED of East Greenbush, NY died May 14, 2019 at the age of 77. A licensed funeral director, he worked as a self-employed sales representative for Embalmer's Supply Company, Bass-Mollett Industries, Schuylkill Haven Casket Company, and Columbia Casket Company. He graduated from the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science in 1968.
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JOE LENNIE JENKINS, JR
May 14, 2019
JOE LENNIE JENKINS JR of South Boston, VA died May 14, 2019 at the age of 82. A licensed funeral director, he was employed at Brooks Funeral Home for 57 years and spent the last six years with Powell Funeral Home.
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EZRA U. "PANCHO BILLA" CASTRO
May 14, 2019
EZRA U. "PANCHO BILLA" CASTRO of Irving, TX died May 14, 2019 at the age of 39. A licensed funeral director, he was employed at Donnelly's Colonial Funeral Home in Irving, TX for almost 17 years. A 2002 graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, he was the recipient of the prestigious Bill Pierce Award, was a member of the Pi Sigma Eta National Morticians Fraternity, National Funeral...
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KENNETH R PETERSON
May 13, 2019
KENNETH R. PETERSON of Woodstock, NY died May 13, 2019 at the age of 69. He was a licensed funeral director, owner and operator of Lasher Funeral Home, which he purchased from Bob Boyd in 2005. He graduated from the Simmons School of Embalming in 1975.
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ELIZABETH C. FERRARA
May 7, 2019
ELIZABETH C. FERRARA of Cleveland, OH died May 7, 2019 at the age of 88. She spent a lifetime of com-forting and consoling others with her late husband, Dan at their business, the Ferrara Funeral Home in Garfield Heights.
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FRANCES M. ROGERS
May 7, 2019
FRANCES M. ROGERS of Tonawanda, NY died May 7, 2019 at the age of 101. She became president of the Lester H. Wedekindt Funeral Home in Tonawanda after her husband's death in 1960 and presided with her son, H. Lester, until she retired in 2014.
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DAVID G, REICHLE
May 6, 2019
DAVID G. REICHLE of Chicago, IL formerly of Naperville, IL died May 6, 2019 at the age of 45. He was president of American Wilbert Vault Corporation, representing the third generation of the family business.
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FREDERICK "FRED" DONATELLI, JR
May 6, 2019
FREDERICK "FRED" DONATELLI, JR of Ross Town-ship, PA died May 6, 2019 at the age of 87. In 1965, he founded the Fred Donatelli Cemetery Memorials in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, followed in later years by Pittsburgh Cremation Service and OakCrest Pet Crematory. Fred was involved for decades with the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, most recently serving as chairman of the board of...
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RICHARD G PROUT
May 5, 2019
RICHARD G. PROUT of Lenox, MA died May 5, 2019 at the age of 92. A licensed funeral director, he was the owner and operator of Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst for many years until his retirement in 1995.
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GEORGE R. "DICK" DEVORE, JR
May 5, 2019
GEORGE R. "DICK" DEVORE JR of Sunbury, OH died May 5, 2019 at the age of 89. A second generation funeral director and embalmer for 62 years, he joined his parents at the DeVore Funeral Home in Galena. In 1960 he opened a second location in Sunbury and expanded again in 1967 with the opening of the Marengo Chapel. In 1978 Dick and his wife Phyllis built a new funeral home chapel in Sunbury. In...
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JACQUELYN LOUISE HAIZLIP
May 3, 2019
JACQUELYN LOUISE HAIZLIP of High Point, NC died May 3, 2019 at the age of 85. She joined her sister, Lois Powell, as a licensed funeral director in the family business, Haizlip Funeral Home, which was established by their father in 1924. She continuously served High Point and the surrounding communities until 2003, when the business sold. She earned her funeral directing certificate from Forsyth...
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RONALD EDWARD POOLE
May 3, 2019
RONALD EDWARD POOLE of Bahama, NC died May 3, 2019 at the age of 66. A licensed funeral director for over 38 years, he worked at Brooks & White Funeral Home until retiring in 2014. He continued to work part time for the firm until his health no longer allowed him.
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RICHARD EUGENE "DICK" PETERSON
April 29, 2019
RICHARD EUGENE "DICK" PETERSON of Monona, WI died April 29, 2019 at the age of 86. A licensed funeral director since 1963, he worked at Gunderson Funeral Home for 22 years, retiring in 1998. He continued to serve families on a part time basis until 2016. A 1962 graduate of the Wisconsin Institute of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association.
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SPENCER F. WILKERSON
April 25, 2019
SPENCER F. WILKERSON of Lancaster, PA died April 25, 2019 at the age of 96. A licensed funeral director, he served with the Hooper Memorial Funeral Home in Harrisburg, PA for seven years. In 1957, he founded the Spencer F. Wilkerson Funeral Home in Lancaster. He continued to own and operate the business until selling it in 1988. A graduate of the Eckels College of Mortuary Science, he was a...
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