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Date of these obituaries: 03-23-2001
Rita Schneider Miller, co-owner of club Rio Rita's by the Lake
In 1950s Northern Kentucky, if you wanted to hear good live jazz, there was only one place to go.
Rio Rita's by the Lake, a night spot on Madison Pike in Kenton County owned by Ted and Rita C. Schneider Miller, took root in the old Lakeside Inn that the couple purchased in the early '50s.
It quickly became a popular gathering place for meals, music and dancing to the tunes of Dick Christen and His Orchestra, The Seven Veletones, The Maschinot Trio and Charlie Lisle and His Aristocrats.
"It was a wonderful place, " said the Millers' son, Dr. Theodore Miller of Cincinnati. "Mom was sort of the brains of the operation, balancing the books and making sure it was getting where it had to go. Dad enjoyed it more, playing gin rummy with the customers all afternoon."
Mrs. Miller, 82, died Tuesday at Madonna Manor in Villa Hills. After she and her husband sold the club, she served as an administrator at Interstate Bakeries in Cincinnati and at Filon Corp. in Latonia. In retirement she volunteered at Madonna Manor, which was next door to her home. When she later fell ill, she moved into the nursing home.
"Rita brought a real joy to our home as a volunteer for many years, " said Nancy Hiltibrand, director of social services and activities at Madonna Manor. "Our residents could always count on her warm smile and a chance to talk, many times sharing memories about visits to Rio Rita's."
Mrs. Miller also served as a fund-raiser for Villa Madonna Academy and was on the board of overseers at Redwood School and Rehabilitation Center in Fort Mitchell.
Survivors include daughters Patricia Sava of Seal Beach, Calif., and Judith Stryckman of Quebec City, Canada; a son, Dr. Theodore Miller of Cincinnati; a brother, Paul Schneider of Ridgewood; a sister, Mildred Garrison of Fort Wright; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1967.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Church, Crescent Springs. Visitation will be from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the church. A reception will follow in the church undercroft. Memorials are suggested to Redwood School and Rehabilitation Center, 71 Orphanage Road, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017; or Madonna Manor Nursing Home, 2344 Amsterdam Road, Villa Hills, Ky. 41017. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling arrangements.
Elise Adams Arney, 76, of Ghent, died Thursday at Carrollton County Memorial Hospital, Carrollton. She was a homemaker and a member of Ghent Baptist Church, Ghent. Her husband, Clayton Arney, died in 1993. A son, Gary Arney, died in 2000.
Survivors include a daughter, Jan Froman of Carrollton; a son, L. B. Arney of Ghent; a brother, Gary Wyatt of Cincinnati; and seven grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Tandy-Eckler-Riley Funeral Home, Carrollton. Visitation will begin there at 11 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Ghent Masonic Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to American Lung Association, 11113 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.
Edward C. Collopy Jr., 59, of Fort Mitchell, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Edgewood.
Arrangements are pending at Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia.
Donald W. Colvin, 78, of Foster, died Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. He was a teacher, a past president of the Northern Kentucky Educational Superintendents and an elder with Bethany Church of Christ, Foster. He was a member of the Retired Teachers Association, the Bracken County Antique Car Club and a director of the Bank of Germantown. His wife, Rosalyn Bay Colvin, died in 1998.
Survivors include a son, Ted Colvin of Foster; a daughter, Rhonda Stacy of Richmond; a sister, Mabel Maloney of Lexington; and three grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at Moore and Parker Funeral Home, Brooksville. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery, Germantown. Memorials are suggested to Bethany Church of Christ, Route 10, Foster, Ky. 41043.
Larry C. Elliott, 59, of Erlanger, died at 6:45 a.m. Thursday at his home. He was a retired finance manager with General Electric, Cincinnati, and a member of Erlanger Church of Christ. He was a former deacon, treasurer and Sunday school secretary with the church.
Survivors include his wife, Joyce Lawrence Elliott; a son, Todd D. Elliott of Edgewood; a daughter, Tiffany Miller of Erlanger; and two grandsons.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Crittenden. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger. Memorials are suggested to St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014; or American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2A, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Gladys Ferguson, 91, of Dayton, died Wednesday at her home. She was a telephone operator with the American Heart Association and a member of Senior Citizens of Dayton. Her husband, William Ferguson, died in 1977.
Survivors include daughters, Betty Herzog Huddle and Shirley Ravenscraft, both of Florence, and Delores Powers of Clearwater Beach, Fla.; a sister, Marcella Volz of Florence; six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Private services will be at the convenience of the family. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 tonight at Dobbling Funeral Home, Bellevue. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.
Helen Rhea Godsey, 73, of Erlanger, died Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit, Covington. She was a former treasurer of the Erlanger/Elsmere Board of Education.
Survivors include her husband, Harold W. Godsey; sons, Terry A. Godsey of Florence and Jeffrey W. Godsey of Augusta, Ga.; brothers, Carl Elliott, Paul Elliott and Charles Elliott, all of Dry Ridge, Jerry Elliott of Florence; five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Erlanger Baptist Church. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Erlanger. Memori als are suggested to Erlanger Baptist Church, 116 Commonwealth Ave., Erlanger, Ky. 41018.
Margaret Leurck Hansman Graue, 96, of Fort Thomas, died Thursday at Highlands Health Care Center in Fort Thomas. She was a nurse, a member of St. Paul Church in Florence and a member of Volunteers In Service to America 1966. Stepdaughters, Henrietta Maillard and Marie Hudson, died in 1988 and 1992, respectively.
Survivors include a son, Ray Hansman of Fort Thomas; stepdaughters, Frieda Fedders and Clara Weiss, both of Florence; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Paul Church. Visitation will be from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Monday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.
Sherry Kay Mathews, 29, of Erlanger, died Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence.
Survivors include her mother, Mary McDonald of Erlanger; brothers, Gary Mathews of Independence, Terry Mathews of Crawfordsville, Ind., and Jerry Mathews of Wichita Falls, Texas; and grandfather, Howard Nunley of Hubbard, Texas.
Memorial services will be at the convenience of the family. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling arrangements.
Marie E. Meyer, 100, of Latonia, died at 8:26 p.m. Wednesday at St. Charles Care Center in Covington. She was a homemaker and a member of Mother of God Church, Covington, and St. Anthony Auxiliary No. 88, Knights of St. John and Mother of God Church Altar Society. She was a member of the former Ladies Elks, Covington. Her husband, John Leo Meyer, died in 1990. A son, John R. Meyer, died in 1997.
Survivors include sons, Eugene B. Meyer of Latonia and Robert E. Meyer of Burlington; 15 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mother of God Church. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m. Saturday. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to Mother of God Church, 119 W. Sixth St., Covington, Ky. 41011. Connley Brothers Funeral Home, Latonia, is handling arrangements.
Ada Rachel Proctor, 76, of Ryland Heights, died at 2 a.m. Thursday at a niece's home. She was a retired engraver with Westinghouse Electric Co., and a member of Decoursey Baptist Church, where she was a member of the church choir. Survivors include a sister, Catherine Tenney of Latonia; and nieces, Mary Ann Parshall of Fort Mitchell and Barbara Dorman of Ryland Heights.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Flour Creek Cemetery, Butler. Memorials are suggested to Decoursey Baptist Church, 8276 Decoursey Pike, Covington, Ky. 41015.
Vivian Rigney, 58, of Brooksville, died Thursday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas.
Arrangements are pending at Woodhead Funeral Home, Falmouth.
Elmo "Mokie" Tanner, 83, of Florence, died Thursday at Florence Park Care Center. He was a retired carpenter. His wife, Nareta Tanner, preceded him in death.
Survivors include a sister, Audrey McQuire of Etowah, Tenn.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will begin there at noon Monday. Burial will be in Hopeful Lutheran Cemetery, Florence.
Laverna Mae Todd, 78, of Carthage, died Thursday at Highlands of Fort Thomas nursing home. She was a retired saleswoman with the former John Shillito Co., Cincinnati, and a member of Carthage United Methodist Church. Her husband, Wilfred Todd, died in 2000.
Survivors include sisters, Zelda Jorgensen and Vera Moher, both of Fort Thomas.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Alexandria Funeral Home. Visitation will begin there at 11 a.m. Monday. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate. Memorials are suggested to Carthage United Methodist Church, Route 1, Box 199, Carthage, Ky. 41007.
Ferol G. Parker Traub, 85, of Alexandria, died at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas. She was a salesman with H&S; Pogue Co., Cincinnati, and a member of First Baptist Church of Cold Spring, Social Seniors of Campbell County and Super Seniors of Campbell County. Her husband, Robert Traub, died in 1986.
Survivors include a son, Spencer Traub of Maineville, Ohio; a daughter, Barbara Walkenhorst of Fort Thomas; a brother, Sam Parker of Alexandria; sisters, Thelma Voss of Southgate and Lillian Vater of Alexandria; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Alexandria Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Alexandria Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Kyle Spencer Hesselbrock Fund, 3174 Bineyard Court, Maineville, Ohio 45039.
William Franklin Vannarsdall, 73, of Owenton, died Wednesday at his home. He was an employee of Montgomery Ward, a member of Beechwood Assembly of God in Owenton and an Army Air Corps veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Beulah Ellis Vannarsdall; a son, Eugene "Buggs" Vannarsdall of Owenton; a daughter, Jaynie Vannarsdall of Owenton; brothers, Carey Vannarsdall of Jonesville, Joe Vannarsdall of Owenton, Amos Vannarsdall of Georgetown and J. C. Vannarsdall of Florence; a sister, Bea Perkins of Owenton; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Beechwood Assembly of God, Owenton. Visitation will be from 4 to 9 tonight at McDonald Funeral Home, Main Street, Owenton. Burial will be in IOOF Cemetery, Owenton. Memorials are suggested to Beechwood Assembly of God Church, 201 Roland Ave., Owenton, Ky. 40359.
Catherine Hopper Worthington, 99, of Crittenden, died Thursday at Grant Manor Nursing Home, Williamstown.
Arrangements are pending at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Crittenden.
