Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992
Wayne H. Becraft
February 22, 1931 - March 24, 2010
Wayne H. Becraft, 79, of Rushville, died March 24 at Rush Memorial Hospital.
He was born Feb. 22, 1931, in Ogden, a son of the late Harley and Dorothy (McCorkle) Becraft.
Mr. Becraft served in the U.S. Marine Corps from during the Korean War, 1952-1954. He earned the National Defense Ribbon, Korean Service Ribbon and the United Nations Service Ribbon. He retired from International/Schnadig Furniture Company after 40 years of service. He later retired from the Rush County Sheriff’s Department, where he served as a jailer from 1988-1996. Mr. Becraft was a member of First Baptist Church, Indiana Sheriff’s Association and Rush County Roadrunners. He was also a cub league and Little League coach for several years.
Survivors include a son, Richard (wife, Phyllis) Becraft of Mitchell; a daughter, Beth (husband, Doug) Jarman of Rushville; a daughter-in-law, Janet Craig of New Castle; a brother, Ralph (wife, Donna) Becraft; and six grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy; a son, Michael; three brothers; and three sisters.
Funeral services were March 29 at Todd Funeral Home in Rushville with Pastor Phil Mitchell officiating. Burial, with full military honors, followed at East Hill Cemetery in Rushville. Visitation was March 28 at the funeral home.
Leota Mae Gross
July 18, 1933 - March 23, 2010
Leota Mae Gross, 76, of Spiceland, died March 23 in Indianapolis.
She was born July 18, 1933, in Clinton County, Ky., a daughter of the late Charles "Lit" and Maudie (Wray) Jones.
Mrs. Gross lived in the Spiceland area for almost 40 years. A homemaker, she was known as a devoted mother, grandmother and wife.
Survivors include a son, David (wife, Teresa) Gross of Indianapolis; a daughter, Ruthanne (husband, Jon) Powless of New Castle; three granddaughters, Lisa (husband, Brian) Kuhn of Ohio, Autumn Powless of New Castle and Shannon Gross of Indianapolis; one great-grand daughter, Layla Kuhn of Ohio; three step-grandsons, Jason, Alex and David Skeens of Indianapolis; and three cousins, Flonnie Lowhorn of New Castle, and Thelma Smith and Georgia Tallent, both of Albany, Ky.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Grant Gross; three sisters, Lucille Aaron, Ruth Smith and Uldean Witham; three brothers, Tom, Denzel and Doyle Jones; and two infant siblings.
Funeral services were March 26 at Marshall & Erlewein Funeral Home in Lewisville. Burial followed at Circle Grove Cemetery in Spiceland; Visitation was March 25 at the funeral home.
Clifford Morris Hardin
October 9, 1915 - April 4, 2010
Clifford Morris Hardin, 94, of Nebraska, died April 4.
He was born in Knightstown in 1915, a son of the late Alvin and Mabel (Macy) Hardin.
Mr. Hardin served as Secretary of Agriculture under President Richard M. Nixon from 1969-1971, a tenure that included passage of the 1970 farm bill. He later talked with pride about putting together a bill that won bipartisan support, the result of months of weekly meetings with key players from both parties. Mr. Hardin extended the food stamp program and established the Food and Nutrition Service to administer food programs for the poor, and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to coordinate efforts with state and local officials.
Mr. Hardin was appointed chancellor of the University of Nebraska in 1954, at age 38, making him the youngest university president in the country. As chancellor of the college from 1954-1969, he presided during a time of racial and social upheaval that largely bypassed the Lincoln campus. However, when he learned a conference rival planned to house Nebraska’s African-American and white football players in separate hotels, he refused to let his players board the plane until the other university relented and allowed for integrated accommodations.
Proud of his role as a mentor, Mr. Hardin’s two former assistants in Washington, Richard Lyng and Clayton Yeutter, later became Secretaries of Agriculture. Thirteen administrators who worked for him at the University of Nebraska went on to become university presidents in their own right.
After his service in Washington, he served as vice chairman and vice president for research at Ralston Purina, as well as chairman of Ralston Purina of Canada from 1971-1980. At age 65, he became director of The Center for the Study of American Business at Washington University and vice president and board member at Stifel Nicolause, an investment-banking firm in St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Hardin also served on the board of the Rockefeller Corporation, Gallup Inc., Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and others. Additionally, he served as president of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. He also edited the book Overcoming World Hunger and wrote numerous articles. He received the Flame of Truth Award from the Fund for Higher Education.
Hardin grew up in Knightstown on the family farm, which was located on Greensboro Pike, five miles north of Knightstown. He was thrust into the role of responsibility at a young age. In high school he ran the family farm while his father ran another in Florida.
Survivors include his wife, Martha; five children, Sue (husband, Larry) Wood, Clifford W. (wife, Glenna) Hardin, Cynthia (husband, Robert) Milligan, Nancy (husband, Douglas) Rogers and James (wife, Mary Pat) Hardin; 15 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; a sister, Phyllis (husband, John) Walls; a cousin, Lowell (wife, Mary) Hardin; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
Memorial contributions may be made to the University of Nebraska Foundation, 1010 Lincoln Mall, Ste. 300, Lincoln, NE 68508-2886.
Charles Douglas Wright
January 22, 1966 - March 31, 2010
Charles Douglas Wright, 44, of Dunreith, died March 31 at Hancock Regional Hospital in Greenfield.
He was born Jan. 22, 1966, in Wabash, a son of Betty (Isaacs) Wright and the late Charles Vernon Wright.
Mr. Wright was a 1984 Wabash High School graduate and a 1985 ITT Tech graduate. He was a maintenance worker at Chrysler in Kokomo.
Survivors include his wife, Julie K. (Gavin) Wright of Dunreith; his mother, Betty Wright of Wabash; a step-daughter, Nikki Modlin of Indianapolis; a sister, Vicky (husband, Todd) Gates of LaFountain, Tenn.; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were April 6 at Todd Funeral Home in Knightstown. Burial followed at Glen Cove Cemetery in Knightstown. Visitation was April 5 at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society.
Joan Turner
May 24, 1929 - March 30, 2010
Joan Turner, 80, of Shirley, died March 30 at Glen Oaks Health Campus in New Castle.
She was born May 24, 1929, in New Castle, a daughter of the late Bill William and Louise (Stegner) Newhouse.
Mrs. Turner worked at Ruth’s Odds and Ins in Shirley for 15 years. She enjoyed spending time outdoors, painting and crafts.
Survivors include a daughter, Sharon (husband, Michael) Bell of Knightstown; a sister, Donna Hilleman of Middletown; two grandchildren, Tisha (husband, Michael) France of Woodstock, Va., and Tina (husband, Tony) Holden of Greenfield; four great-grandchildren, Aaron Michael Holden of Greenfield, Jacob Michael France and Katie and Courtney France, all of Woodstock, Va.; and several nieces and nephews, including Sandy (husband, Ron) Grabner of Macon, Ga.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Frank Turner; a sister, Betty Frazier; and a brother, Richard Newhouse.
Funeral services were April 2 at Condo and Son Funeral Home in Wilkinson. Burial followed at McCray Cemetery in Wilkinson. Visitation was April 2 at the funeral home.
Stephen John Phelps
December 27, 1946 - March 30, 2010
Stephen "Steve" John Phelps, 63, of Spiceland, died March 30 at his home.
He was born Dec. 27, 1946, in New Castle, a son of the late John Oscar and Nola (Armstrong) Phelps.
Mr. Phelps retired from Delphi Corporation (Delco Remy) in Anderson after 34 years of service. He enjoyed playing country and bluegrass music on both the guitar and banjo. He also enjoyed building guitars, singing, woodworking and carving. Known as an avid family man, Mr. Phelps was also an outdoorsman who enjoyed working on his tractor.
Survivors include his wife, Helen (Buck) Phelps of Spiceland; three children, Shane (wife, Carol) Phelps of Lewisville, Juli Phelps of Indianapolis and Dusty Phelps of Indianapolis; two grandchildren, Masen and Averi Phelps, both of Lewisville; a sister, Carolyn (husband, Gordon) Riddle of Mt. Summit; two nieces, Jennifer (husband, Brandon) McQuiddy of Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Heather (husband, Fredrick) Hampton of Indianapolis; two nephews, Greg (wife, Kathy) Riddle of Hanover, Minn., and Travis (wife, Cassie) Mummert of Shelbyville; and two brothers-in-law, Bill (wife, Brenda) Buck of Knightstown and Keith (wife, Carrie) Buck of Dunreith.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister-in-law, Karen Mummert; a brother, Ronald Phelps; and his mother-in-law, Ruby Buck.
Funeral services were April 2 at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle with Rev. Mark O’Brien officiating. Visitation was April 1 at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Liver Foundation with envelopes available at the funeral home.
Phil Wood
July 9, 1926 - March 13, 2010
Phil Wood, 83, of Baxter, Iowa, died March 13 in Roseville, Cal.
He was born July 9, 1926, in Knightstown.
Survivors include a brother, Reuel Wood of Florida; seven children; 19 grandchildren; 11 great-great-grand children; and one great-great-great-grandchild.
Funeral services are April 17 at Calvary Baptist Church in Los Gatos, Cal.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Jasper County, 204 N. 4th Ave. East., Newton, Iowa 50208.
