Our Obituaries
RALPH E. WAITE
February 18, 2020
RALPH E. WAITE of Medina, OH died February 18, 2020 at the age of 93. A funeral director, he worked alongside his father, Harold Elliot Waite at the Waite & Son Funeral Home. He continued to own and operate the family business for over 50 years. A graduate of the Cleveland School of Mortuary Science, he was president of the Tri County Funeral Directors Association.
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RUTH MARIE PAUL
February 14, 2020
RUTH MARIE PAUL of Williamsburg, KY died February 14, 2020 at the age of 84. A funeral director for 40 years, she and her husband, Carl Paul purchased Ellison Funeral Home in 1971 and continued to own and operate it until 2014.
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DONATO "DANNY" F. DELIBERATO
February 13, 2020
DONATO "DANNY" F. DELIBERATO of Garfield Heights, OH died February 13, 2020 at the age of 81. A licensed funeral director and embalmer, he owned and operated the Golubski Deliberato Funeral Home since 1971. He was a member of the Cuyahoga Funeral Directors Association, Ohio Funeral Directors Association and the Cleveland Embalmers Association.
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LESTER GLENN WINTER
February 13, 2020
LESTER GLENN WINTER of Tallmadge, OH died February 13, 2020 at the age of 82. A licensed funeral director and embalmer, he was a sales representative for the Dodge Chemical Company for 34 years. He retired in 2005.
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A. LEE RICHARDS
February 12, 2020
A. LEE RICHARDS of Jupiter, FL died February 12, 2020 at the age of 81. A fifth generation funeral director, he worked alongside his father and grandfather at the Richards Funeral Home in Riverdale. In 1972, he expanded the facility to include a second location in West Milford. A 1957 graduate of the McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, he was a member of the New Jersey State Funeral...
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WILLIAM C. CELENTANO , JR
February 11, 2020
WILLIAM C. CELENTANO JR of New Haven, CT died February 11, 2020 at the age of 81. A funeral di-rector and embalmer since 1963, he had worked closely with his father, the late William C. Celentano at the Celentano Funeral Home since 1957. A graduate of the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Greater New Haven Funeral Directors Association, Connecticut Funeral...
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WILLIAM CONAN "BILL" COYLE
February 11, 2020
WILLIAM CONAN "BILL" COYLE of Holland, OH died February 11, 2020 at the age of 86. A funeral director, he worked alongside his father, William, his uncle Jim, and brother Joe at the James Coyle and Son Funeral Home, eventually rising to the position of owner and president. Bill retired in 1999. A graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors...
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MARK L DAMES
February 8, 2020
MARK L. DAMES of Joliet, IL died February 8, 2020 at the age of 87. He worked alongside his father, Fred and brother, Joel at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home until his father's passing in 1962. His sons, Jeffrey, Brian and Fred continue the family's legacy. Mark remained involved in the business following his retirement in 2002. A graduate of the Worsham College of Mortuary Science, he was a 50...
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JEFFREY ALAN STOUT
February 7, 2020
JEFFREY ALAN STOUT of Russiaville, IN died February 7, 2020 at the age of 55. A fifth generation funeral director and embalmer, he was the owner and operator of Stout & Son Funeral Home in Russiaville, co-owner of Hasler-Stout Funeral Home in Greentown and was also co-owner of Shirley & Stout Funeral Homes in Kokomo. In 2010, he and Jeff Shirley opened S & S Crematory Services and later Howard...
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RICHARD WADE "RICK" PRIDGEN
February 7, 2020
RICHARD WADE "RICK" PRIDGEN of Goldsboro, NC died February 7, 2020 at the age of 62. He was a licensed funeral director with Shumate-Faulk Funeral Home for many years.
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NOE HAMMER
February 6, 2020
NOE HAMMER of West Haverstraw, NY formerly of New York, NY died February 6, 2020 at the age of 42. He was a licensed funeral director in both New York and New Jersey, having worked in every aspect of the funeral industry until his final role as general manager of T. J. McGowan Sons Funeral Home in Haverstraw and Garnerville. He graduated from the American Academy of McAllister Institute of...
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POPE COLEMAN LONG
February 6, 2020
POPE COLEMAN LONG of Greenwood, SC died February 6, 2020. A funeral director and embalmer for 50 years, he worked for Ramey Funeral Home, Sullivan-King Mortuary, and Blyth Funeral Home. A graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was named Piedmont Group Funeral Director of the Year in 2008 by the South Carolina Funeral Directors Association.
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CORA MESSINGER
January 27, 2020
CORA MESSINGER of Scottsdale, AZ died January 27, 2020 at the age of 90. In 1959 Cora and her husband, Paul, founded Scottsdale's first funeral home, Messinger Mortuary & Chapel as well as the area's first commercial ambulance service, Messinger's Ambulance Service.
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JOHN C WOOD
January 26, 2020
JOHN C. WOOD of Seward, NE died January 26, 2020 at the age of 85. He worked as a funeral director and mortician alongside his father, Wilber, and his uncle, Faye, at the Wood Brothers Chapel and Funeral Home. He and his wife, Darlene became owners of the firm and continued to operate it until his retirement in 1998. Wood graduated from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science.
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PAUL T. LOCHSTAMPFOR
January 18, 2020
PAUL T. LOCHSTAMPFOR of Loysville, PA formerly of Waynesboro, PA died January 18, 2020 at the age of 56. A master embalmer and funeral director, he was the owner and operator of Lochstampfor Funeral Home in Waynesboro and Nickel-Lochstampfor Family Funeral Home in Loysville. Lochstampfor received his degree in funeral service from the Catonsville CCBC and was a member of the Tri-County Funeral...
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MARK G EIKENBERRY
January 17, 2020
MARK G. EIKENBERRY of Springboro, OH died January 17, 2020 at the age of 64. He retired in 2019 after working 43 years as a field rep for Federated Funeral Directors of America.
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MELISSA CAIN SHIRLEY
January 14, 2020
MELISSA CAIN SHIRLEY of Baton Rouge, LA died on January 14, 2020 at the age of 60. She was a location director with Church Funeral Services & Crematory in Baton Rouge and had served as managing director with Comer Funeral Home & Flower Shop in Ferriday, LA.
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SHERMAN CARL ROWLEY
January 13, 2020
SHERMAN CARL ROWLEY of Mt. Pleasant, MI died January 13, 2020 at the age of 67. He served his apprenticeship at Palmer-Bush Funeral Home in Lansing before joining Stinson-Helms Funeral Home in Mt. Pleasant in 1979. He purchased the business in 2010, renaming it Rowley Funeral Home. Rowley continued to own and operate the funeral home until his retirement in 2018, when his business merged with the...
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DEAN W. "DEANO" ROGERS
January 9, 2020
DEAN W. "DEANO" ROGERS of Trotwood and Brookville, OH died January 9, 2020 at the age of 68. A licensed funeral director for 45 years, he joined his father, Emerson "Lee" Rogers in the family business, Rogers' Funeral Homes. He retired in 2012. Rogers graduated from the Indiana College of Mortuary Science.
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JEFFREY D WILSON
January 8, 2020
JEFFREY D. WILSON of Providence, RI died January 8, 2020 at the age of 65. A Certified Funeral Service Practitioner for 48 years, he was a funeral director and embalmer at the Nardolillo Funeral Homes in Cranston and Narragansett, RI for the past 23 years. He was president of the Rhode Island Funeral Directors Association and served on National Funeral Directors Association policy board.
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STEPHEN J BECKER
January 7, 2020
STEPHEN J. BECKER of Hamilton, OH died January 7, 2020at the age of 69. He was a retired sales representative in the funeral industry, having worked at Aurora Casket Company and Deaton Kennedy Stationary. He was president of the St. Stephens and St. Marys Cemetery board for 20 years.
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CHARLES A. "CAPPY" PERRY, JR
January 6, 2020
CHARLES A. "CAPPY" PERRY JR of Weare, NH formerly of Harvard, MA died January 6, 2020 at the age of 75. He served his apprenticeship with the former David Fudge & Son Funeral Home in Somerville, MA prior to working as a mortuary identification specialist during his tour in Vietnam. Following his retirement as Harvard, MA Chief of Police, Perry worked at the McGaffigan Family Funeral Home as a...
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LARRY PAUL MUIR
January 3, 2020
LARRY PAUL MUIR of Lapeer, MI died January 3, 2020 at the age of 82. A licensed funeral director for 60 years, he was a third generation owner and operator of Muir Brothers Funeral Home. He graduated in 1959 from Wayne State University with a degree in mortuary science.
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DAVID FRANCIS MASON
January 2, 2020
DAVID FRANCIS MASON of Akron, OH died January 2, 2020 at the age of 78. A funeral director for 36 years, he served his apprenticeship at a funeral home in Marshalltown, IA before he and his wife, Linda purchased funeral homes in Independence and Quasqueton, IA. They later purchased Parker Funeral Home in Jesup, IA, which they owned and operated for 10 years. In 1984, the Adams Funeral Home in...
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CHARLES J O'SHEA, JR
December 30, 2019
CHARLES J. O'SHEA JR of Point Lookout, NY died December 30, 2019 at the age of 85. A funeral director for more than a half-century, he was the founder of the Charles J. O'Shea Funeral Homes in East Meadow and Wantagh. He was also part owner in the Albrecht, Bruno, and O'Shea Funeral Home in East Islip. O'Shea served on the New York State Funeral Directing Advisory Board from 1974-2014 and was...
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WILLIAM F RUPP , JR
December 26, 2019
WILLIAM F. RUPP JR of Lancaster, PA died December 26, 2019 at the age of 92. He served his apprenticeship with the George N. Young Funeral Home in Lancaster. Rupp continued to work for the former Young Funeral Home as a funeral director for 30 years, retiring in 2005. A 1949 graduate of the Eckels College of Mortuary Science, he received his 50 year pin from the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors...
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RAYMOND V BRUNNER
December 25, 2019
RAYMOND V. BRUNNER of Lake County, OH died December 25, 2019 at the age of 93. A retired funeral director, he was the former owner of Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Mentor, which he opened alongside his wife, Helen in 1949. He previously worked at the former Nixon Funeral Home in Painesville and the Prentice Funeral Home in Akron. A graduate of the Cleveland College...
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SHERYL ANDERSON GREEN RIGGS
December 24, 2019
SHERYL ANDERSON GREEN RIGGS of Toledo, OH died December 24, 2019 at the age of 73. She was the manager of the Dale-Riggs Funeral Home in Central Toledo, where she had worked since 1992. She previously worked as a funeral director in the late 1980s through the early 1990s at Dale-Riggs' James H. Cole and Peace Chapel and at Peace Chapel Funeral Home, both in Detroit. Prior to that, she owned and...
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HARRY CLARKE "DUKE" CURTIS
December 23, 2019
HARRY CLARKE "DUKE" CURTIS of Roanoke, VA died December 23, 2019 at the age of 63. He was the former president of the Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home and Crematory, which his father, Harry Cecil Curtis, founded in 1952 alongside Lawrence Harrison Hamlar. He worked at the funeral home for more than 35 years and served as its president for 16 years. He retired in 2019. Duke was president of the Virginia...
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JESSIE ALENOR "PATSY" YOUNG
December 20, 2019
JESSIE ALENOR "PATSY" YOUNG of Auburn, KY died December 20, 2019 at the age of 92. She was a licensed funeral director and co-owner of Young Funeral Home, which she established alongside her husband, Joseph Perry Young, Sr. in 1959.
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GEORGE G. MOELLER
December 19, 2019
GEORGE G. MOELLER of Valparaiso, IN died December 19, 2019 at the age of 92. He was a licensed funeral director and owner of Moeller Funeral Home in Valparaiso. He graduated from the St. Louis College of Mortuary Science in 1949.
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MYRON D. "MIKE ERICSON
December 12, 2019
MYRON D. "MIKE" ERICSON of Fremont, OH died December 12, 2019 at the age of 89. A licensed funeral director and embalmer for 36 years, he served 25 years with Service Corporation International, retiring in 1992. He graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1956.
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E. HAAS GALLAWAY , JR
December 11, 2019
E. HAAS GALLAWAY JR of Boynton Beach, FL died December 11, 2019 at the age of 79. Gallaway began working at Gallaway and Crane Funeral Home as a young boy, working alongside his father learning the trade. Gallaway later purchased the funeral home from his father and Mr. Crane and continued to serve his community until his retirement in 2012. He graduated from the American Academy McAllister...
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JOHN RYLAND GARRETT
December 8, 2019
JOHN RYLAND GARRETT of Appomattox, VA died December 8, 2019 at the age of 83. A Certified Funeral Service Practitioner, he worked at Robinson Funeral Home and later the Whitten Funeral Home. Garrett had been a sales representative for the Dodge Company for over 30 years. A graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the British Institute of Embalmers, Academy of...
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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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