USA High School Yearbooks by State and County
Raymond Turckes
Coldwater native Raymond Joseph Turckes, 79, of Dayton, died Oct. 6, 2003, at his residence.
He was born Oct. 2, 1924, in Coldwater, to William and Theresia Sudhoff Turckes. His wife of 48 years, the former Irene Pohlmann, survives.
Also surviving are three sons, David (Debbie) of Miamisburg, Steven (Erika) of Chicago, Ill., and Michael of Kettering; four daughters, Martha (Scott) Lester, Silver Spring, Md., Ann (Bill) Ryan, Oakwood, Janet (Jim) Pitzer, Bellbrook, and Carolyn (Mark) Filson, Centerville; a brother, Richard of Coldwater; a sister, Rosemary Umstead, Coldwater; and 12 grandchildren.
A professional tool designer, he retired in 1991 as chief design engineer at Vulcan Tool Company, Dayton, after 40 years of service. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a member of The Church of the Holy Angels and Knights of Columbus Council 3730, both of Dayton.
Funeral Mass is 10 a.m. Friday at the church. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Dayton.
Calling is 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Westbrock Funeral Home, Dayton. The K of C will hold a prayer service there at 7.
Contributions can be made to Hospice of Dayton.
Frederick Minnich
Frederick A. (Fritz) Minnich, 93, 510 N. Main St., Celina, died at 10:22 p.m. Oct. 4, 2003 at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital in St. Marys.
He was born March 12, 1910, in Bryant, Ind., to Peter and Magdaline Wagner Minnich. On June 12, 1951, he married Lelia Post, who survives.
Survivors are three daughters, Mary (Ed) Butturini and Joan (Louis) Ward, all of Celina, and Barb of Troy; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by five brothers and three sisters.
He had worked at New Idea in Coldwater. He was a member of Immaculate Conception Church and the Knights of Columbus in Celina.
Services are 1 p.m. Wednesday at the church, the Rev. Richard Reidel officiating. Burial will follow at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery in Celina.
Calling is 2-8 p.m. today at Cisco Funeral Home in Celina.
Contributions can be made to Celina Area Visiting Nurses or the Immaculate Conception restoration fund.
Josh Rios
Former Celina resident Josh Rios, 27, of Paris, was pronounced dead Oct. 5, 2003, at the scene of a traffic accident near Alliance.
He was born May 24, 1976, in Bryan, Texas, to Eulalio Lee Rios and Ella McNeilan. His mother survives in Celina.
Also surviving are his wife, Angie of Akron, a daughter, Elizabeth Marie of Celina; four brothers, Matthew (Nita) of Solon, Simon of Akron, Reuben of Celina, and Elisha of Bryan, Texas; his grandmother, Esperanza Rios, also of Bryan; and his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Chris and Dena Copper, Paris.
He was a computer numerical control operator at Ravenna Aluminum and was a member of Berean Bible Church, Cuyahoga Falls.
Services are 2 p.m. Thursday at Walton-Schrader Funeral Home in Alliance, the Rev. David Saxton officiating. Burial will be at Fairmount Memorial Park at a later date.
Calling is 6-8 p.m. Wednesday and 1-2 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Contributions can be made to the church.
Porter Stiverson
Porter Edson Fay Stiverson, 3-week-old son of Cassandra Stiverson of Celina, died at 8:55 p.m. Oct. 4, 2003, at Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton.
He was born Sept. 13 at the Dayton hospital.
Surviving are the grandparents, Cecil and Karla Stiverson, Celina; and the great-grandparents, Fay and Alberta Stiverson and Audrey Schlotterer, all of Celina.
Two great-grandfathers, Harold Sheets and Carl Schlotterer, are deceased.
He was a member of Mount Zion United Methodist Church.
Services are 1 p.m. Thursday at the church, the Rev. Kenny Baker officiating. Burial will follow at North Grove Cemetery, Celina.
Lehman Funeral Home, Celina, has charge of arrangements.
Clarence Bertke
Clarence Joseph Bertke, 84, 626 W. Fulton St., Celina, died at 1:17 a.m. Oct. 5, 2003, at Lima Memorial Hospital.
He was born Aug. 15, 1919, in Carthagena, to John and Josephine Ahlers Bertke. On Oct. 14, 1961, he married Helen Muller who survives.
Also surviving are a son, Marvin of Celina; two sisters, Wilma Bruns, Celina, and Juneta Rose, Englewood; and a brother-in-law, Herbert Huber, North Star.
A brother, Carl, and a sister, Dorothy Huber, are deceased.
He was a farmer and a retired Mersman Brothers employee with 37 years of service.
He was a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Celina, and a U.S. Army veteran who served during World War II.
Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the church, the Rev. Richard Riedel officiating. Burial will be at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery, Celina, with the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Celina American Legion Post conducting military rites.
Calling is 4-8 p.m. Tuesday at Lehman Funeral Home, Celina.
Olga Burkhart
Olga "Irene" Burkhart, 83, 130 Bayshore Drive, St. Marys, died Oct. 3, 2003, at her residence.
She was born Nov. 17, 1919, in Auglaize County, to David and Wilma Schmidt Rohrbach. On Nov. 17, 1947, he married Everett Burkhart who survives.
Also surviving are a son, Craig (Nancy) of St. Marys; three sisters, Gertrude Tinnerman, Martha Rohrbach and Vera Baumgardner, all of St. Marys.; a grandson and two stepgrandsons.
Deceased are four brothers, Walter, Leroy, Virgil and David Rohrbach Jr.
She was a homemaker and a former St. Marys Woolen Mills employee. She was a member of St. Paul's United Church of Christ, St. Marys, and a 1937 graduate of Spencerville High School.
Services are 2 p.m. Wednesday at Miller Funeral Home, St. Marys, the Rev. Patricia Minnick officiating. Burial will be at Elm Grove Cemetery, St. Marys.
Calling is after noon Wednesday at the funeral home.
Rita Keller
Rita M. Keller, 86, 1481 Cranberry Road, St. Henry, died at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5, 2003, at Mercer County Community Hospital, Coldwater.
She was born Feb. 25, 1917, in Burkettsville, to Henry and Ida Dahlinghaus Kessens. On April 25, 1942, she married Edward Keller who survives.
Also surviving are five sons, John (Jean) of McCartyville, Dick (Marge) of St. Henry, Tom (Ruth) and Jerry (Rita), all of New Bremen, and Tony (Sue Ann) of Warren; six daughters, Mary Ann Lajcik, Thousand Oaks, Calif., Betty (Bob) Kates, Dayton, Karen (Tom) Kovac, Fresno, Calif., Norma (Dave) Will, Fort Recovery, Margie (Rick) Vagedes, Bloomington, Ind., and Ruth (Gene) Foster, Lakeland, Fla.; a son-in-law, Jim (Wendy) Lange, Chicago, Ill.; two sisters, Bernadine Covach, Troy, Mich.; 37 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.
Deceased are a daughter, Rosella Lange; a son-in-law, Tom Lajcik; two brothers, Othmar and Lawrence Kessens; a sister, Marie Zurline; and a grandchild.
She was a homemaker and a member of St. Francis Catholic Church and the Ladies Sodality, both of Cranberry Prairie, and the Knights of St. John Auxiliary, Maria Stein.
Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the church, the Rev. David Hoying officiating. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.
Calling is 2-8 p.m. Tuesday and 9-10 a.m. Wednesday at Hogenkamp Funeral Home, St. Henry.
Charles Williams Sr.
Charles "Shorty" Williams Sr., 70, 697 Gordon Grove, St. Marys, died at 1:20 p.m. Oct. 4, 2003, at the home of a daughter.
He was born June 16, 1933, in Van Wert, to Ira and Zelma Hammond Williams. On March 16, 1957, he married Dorothy Lindeman who died June 29, 1992.
Surviving are three sons, Chuck and Danny, both of Decatur, Ind., and Tony (Stacy) of Shelby, N.C.; four daughters, Connie (Lewis) Blosser, Dianne Cotterman and Vickie (Terry) Fowler, all of St. Marys, and Cindy (Tim) Smith, Celina; a son-in-law, Darrell Bayman, St. Marys; a daughter-in-law, Cora Diane Williams, Celina; two sisters, Helen Ackerman, Spencerville, and Betty Snyder, Clyde; 17 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Deceased are a son-in-law, Bob Cotterman; three brothers, Raymond, Paul and Clarence; and two sisters, Clarabelle and Marjorie.
He was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, St. Marys, and a volunteer at the Mercer County Council on Aging.
Services are 4 p.m. Wednesday at Miller-Long & Folk Funeral Home, St. Marys. Burial will follow at Gethsemanie Cemetery, St. Marys.
Calling is 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Contributions can be made to State of the Heart Home Health and Hospice.
Frederick Minnich
Frederick A. (Fritz) Minnich, 93, 510 N. Main St., Celina, died at 10:22 p.m. Oct. 5, 2003 at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital in St. Marys.
He was born March 12, 1910, in Bryant, Ind., to Peter and Magdaline Wagner Minnich. On June 12, 1951, he married Lelia Post, who survives.
Survivors are three daughters, Mary (Ed) Butturini and Joan (Louis), all of Celina, and Barb of Troy; six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by five brothers and three sisters.
He had worked at New Idea in Coldwater. He was a member of Immaculate Conception Church and the Knights of Columbus in Celina.
Services are 1 p.m. Wednesday at the church, the Rev. Richard Reidel officiating. Burial will follow at St. Marys Catholic Cemetery in Celina.
Calling is 2-8 p.m. Tuesday at Cisco Funeral Home in Celina.
Contributions can be made to Celina Area Visiting Nurses or the Immaculate Conception restoration fund.
John Garman
John A. Garman, 40, 231 N. Herman St., New Bremen, died at 11:27 a.m. [Oct. 1, 2003] at St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima, as a result of injuries he received in the line of duty as a New Bremen Firefighter during an explosion at Hoge Lumber Co., New Knoxville.
He was born Jan. 6, 1961 in St. Marys to Charles and Erline Topp Garman, who survive in New Bremen.
Also surviving are two brothers: Tim (Lori) and Keith (Yvonne), all of New Bremen; and three sisters: Janet Harrod, Amy (Robin) Webster, all of New Bremen, and Sandy (John) Bergman of Minster.
He was a member of the New Bremen/German Twp. Fire Dept. where he was a former line officer and was currently the department's fire safety education officer and was committed to teaching children about fire safety through numerous programs in area day care-preschools and New Bremen Elementary School.
He was a machine operator at Crown Equipment Corporation, New Bremen.
A mass of Christian burial will be Monday at 10:30 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Redeemer, New Bremen, with Rev. Thomas Mannabach officiating. Burial will be in the German Protestant Cemetery, New Bremen.
Calling is 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday and 9:30 to 10:10 a.m. Monday at the church. The rosary will be prayed prior to services.
Memorial contributions may be made to the family through the New Bremen/German Twp. Fire Foundation.
Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home, New Bremen, is handling arrangements.
