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Date of these obituaries: 06-19-97
Eugene Burchell, big band leader
In his day, Eugene Burchell was a prince of swing.
Mr. Burchell was renowned around the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati area for being a teen-aged big band leader, performing nightly at Cincinnati's Netherland Plaza hotel and on WLW radio.
He died Wednesday at his Fort Mitchell home after a lengthy illness. He was 82.
Mr. Burchell was a retired marketing manager with Post-Glover Electric Co., Erlanger. But it was his musical talent that took him, in the 1930s, from Covington to the White House to Hollywood - and into the fond memories of young people of that era.
"It's funny because I have 85-year-old women come up to me when they find out who my dad was and tell me they had a crush on him, " said a son, Dr. Eugene J. Burchell Jr. of Edgewood. "I say, "Whatever.' People tell us all the time how they used to dance to his music and listen to his radio show."
Originally from Lima, Ohio, Mr. Burchell's family moved to Covington when he was a toddler.
"He was given a saxophone to basically keep him out of mischief, " Gene Burchell said.
Mr. Burchell graduated from St. Xavier High School but played in the Xavier University band while in high school.
At age 18, Mr. Burchell's musical talent led him to stand next to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House for a front page picture in The Kentucky Post.
Using that experience - as well as his talents with the clarinet and flute - Mr. Burchell became an orchestra director.
He got his big break in 1933 when his orchestra began playing for crowds at the downtown Cincinnati Netherland Plaza where WLW radio broadcast nightly shows of his band. He played at the hotel through 1935 before being attracted to the bright lights of Hollywood at age 22.
While there, he appeared in two movies - "Honolulu, " starring George Burns and Gracie Allen, in which he leads an orchestra on an ocean liner during a Halloween party, and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, " starring Shirley Temple, in 1938.
"He left Hollywood because basically musicians were starving out there, so he came back and started Continental Electric in Ludlow, " Gene Burchell said.
Mr. Burchell was a member of Blessed Sacrament Church; Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus of Kehoe Council Knights of Columbus, Ludlow; and the Musicians Union.
Other survivors include his wife, Manola Nodi Burchell of Fort Mitchell; daughters, Judith Bloom of Fort Mitchell, Suzanne Bush of Edgewood, Linda Kenning of Villa Hills; a son, Dr. Del Burchell of Lakeside Park; 20 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Ronald B. Jones Funeral Home, 316 Elm St., Ludlow. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Blessed Sacrament Church, Fort Mitchell.
Memorials may be given to the St. Elizabeth Hospice Unit or the Home-Health Hospice Unit, 401 E. 20th St., Covington 41014.
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Margaret Armstrong, 63, of Erlanger, died at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Hospice, Covington. She was an employee of the Supply Processing and Distribution Department of the hospital.
Survivors include a son, Richard A. Armstrong of Erlanger; a daughter, Pat Bailey of Lakeside Park; a brother, Gilbert Chipman of Covington; sisters, Mary Baher of Ludlow and Roberta Doung of Covington; and two grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Don Catchen and Son Funeral Home, Elsmere. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Independence Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the hospice, 401 E. 20th St., Covington 41014.
E. Lucian Bailey, 79, of Burlington, died at 8:39 p.m. Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence.
Arrangements are pending at Hamilton-Stanley Funeral Home, Verona.
Joe Calendar, 91, of Williamstown, died at 1:30 a.m. today at Ross Manor Nursing Home, Dillsboro, Ind.
Arrangements are pending at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Williamstown.
George O. Florence Sr., 72, of Falmouth, died Tuesday on U.S. 25 in Kenton County of injuries suffered in an automobile accident. He was a retired electrician with Interlake Steel, Newport, and a member of Falmouth Baptist Church. He was an Army veteran of World War II. A son, George O. Florence Jr., died in March.
Survivors include his wife, Wilma McGuire Florence; sons, Terry Lee Florence of Long Island, N.Y., and David Allen Florence of Falmouth; a daughter, Rita Sue Florence of Erlanger; a brother, Edgar Florence Jr. of Falmouth; sisters, Dorothy Brown of Butler, Esther Flynn of Dayton, Jean Clark of Houston, Grace Burke of Burlington and Margaret Shields Jenkins of Falmouth; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Woodhead Funeral Home, Falmouth. Visitation will be 5 to 8 tonight at the funeral home. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Falmouth. Memorials are suggested to Air Conditioning Fund, New Hope Trailer Park for Flood Victims, Falmouth 41040.
Donna Harris, 81, of Taylor Mill, died at 6 a.m. Wednesday at her home. She was a homemaker and a member of Calvary Baptist Church, Latonia. Her husband, Edmond Harris, died in 1979. A son, Edmond Elwood Harris, died in 1975.
Survivors include a daughter, Donna Hacke of Taylor Mill; brothers, Gary Short of Gallipolis, Ohio, and James N. Short of Bella Vista, Ark.; sisters, Marcye Kerns of Galli polis, Hazel Zimmerman of Inverness, Fla., and Penny Jewett of Columbus, Ohio; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will begin there at 10 a.m. Friday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Fairhaven Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 761, Covington 41012-0761.
Joseph T. Jaber, 71, of Cold Spring, died at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas. He was a public relations worker and salesman with Seagrams and Hiram Walker. He was active in the 4-H Club and the Campbell County Horse Program. He was a member of Senior Citizens of St. Anthony of Padua Church, Cincinnati, and a charter member of Northern Kentucky Saddle Club.
Survivors include his wife, Joan Grove Jaber; daughters, Cathie Sobieski of Loveland, Ohio, Mary Lu Gilbert of Dayton and Toni Lovelace of Demossville; sons, Joseph L. Jaber of Biloxi, Miss., and Michael C. Jaber of Cold Spring; a brother, Charles Jaber of Highland Heights; a sister, Mary Lou Quarles of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; and 12 grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Ft. Thomas. Burial will be in St. Stephen Cemetery, Ft. Thomas. Memorials are suggested in the form of Masses, or American Diabetes Association, 2805 W. McMicken Ave., Cincinnati 45225.
Elmer A. "Lindy" Lindemann, 79, of Cincinnati, died Tuesday at Hillenbrand Nursing Home, Cincinnati. He was a past president of Blue Grass Products, Ludlow, and American Legion Post No. 129 in North Carolina.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth M. Wickemeier Haller Lindemann of Cincinnati; daughters, Margaret Reed of Ludlow and Mary Pat McNeill of Independence; a son, Charley Lindemann of Erlanger; stepchildren, Dian Kindall of Georgia, Larry Haller and Belinda Haller, both of Friendship, Ind.; brothers, Kenneth Lindemann and Alvin Lindemann, both of New York, and Robert Lindemann of Vermont; seven grandchildren and two step-grandchildren.
Services will be at 8 p.m. Friday at Neidhard-Minges Funeral Home, Cincinnati. Visitation will begin there at 6 p.m. Friday. Memorials are suggested to VITAS Hospice, the Heart Fund or Grace Lutheran Church, Cincinnati.
Sister Mary Middendorf, 73, of Huntington, Ind., died Tuesday at Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters Motherhouse in Huntington. She was a former teacher with John G. Carlisle School, Covington, and a had ministered at Our Savior Church, Covington, and Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Hebron. She was a missionary.
Survivors include sisters, Dorothy Miller of Columbus, Ohio, and Sister Ann Middendorf O.S.B. of St. Walburg Monastery in Villa Hills; and brothers, Bill Middendorf of Bethany Beach, Dela. and Dick Middendorf of Cincinnati.
Mass of Christian burial will be at the convenience of the family. Memorials are suggested to Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters, in care of Sr. Lucy Regalado O.L.V.M., Victory Noll, P.O. Box 109, Huntington, IN 46750-0109. Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington, is handling local arrangements.
Carol Ann Peeno, 52, of Burlington, died Tuesday at her home. She was a homemaker and a member of Fellowship of Believers Church, Florence.
Survivors include her husband, Lawrence E. Peeno; daughters, Shawna Peeno and Christine Peeno, both of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; her mother, Iris Gayle of Florence; a sister, Sharon Mohlman of St. Augustine, Fla.; and brothers, Rick Gayle of Walton and Gary Gayle of Tampa, Fla.
Services will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to the church, 6800 Hazel, Florence 41042.
John William Pferrman, 80, of Alexandria, died Tuesday at St. Luke Hospital East, Ft. Thomas. He was a retired machinist with T.K.F. Engineering, Cincinnati, and an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Betty Pferrman; sons, John A. Pferrman of Dothan, Ala., Richard Lee Pferrman of El Paso, Texas, James Leroy Pferrman and Ronald Allen Pferrman, both of Florence; daughters, Carol Starkey and Sandra Edwards, both of Alexandria; 19 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Fri day at House of Deliverance Church, Newport. Visitation will be 4 to 9 tonight at the church. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate. Cooper Funeral Home, Grants Lick, is handling arrangements.
Naomi J. Rawls, 88, of Independence, died at 7:20 a.m. Wednesday at Woodspoint Nursing Home in Florence. She was a retired assembler with Wadsworth Electric, Covington, and a member of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Kenton County. She was a member of Walton Senior Citizens. Her husband, James Walter Rawls, died in 1986. A stepson, James A. Rawls, died in 1992.
Survivors include sons, James Daniel and Lloyd Daniel, both of Covington; stepdaughters, Alice Young of Rocky Mountain, Va., Ruth Ann Elbert of Independence, Martha Messingschlager of Morningview and Mary Boyle of Latonia; a stepson, Edward Rawls of Independence; 20 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Independence. Visitation will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell.
Edward Spraul, 64, of Park Hills, died at 5:23 p.m. Tuesday at Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati. He was a retired supervisor with AT&T;, Cincinnati, and a member of Telephone Pioneers.
Survivors include his wife, Barbara Bloemer Spraul; sons, Joel Spraul and Peter Spraul, both of Cincinnati; a stepson, Sean Foley of Covington; daughters, Mary Ann Bryant of Willoughby Hills, Ohio, Kathleen Meyer of Cincinnati; a brother, William Spraul of Cincinnati; a sister, Marion Halloran of Cincinnati; and seven grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mother of God Church, Covington. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington. Burial will be in St. John Cemetery, Ft. Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 7730 U.S. 42, Suite C6, Florence 41042, or to charity.
Marge Adrian Terlau, 84, of Palmetto, Fla., formerly of Taylor Mill, died at 4:22 a.m. Tuesday at her home. She was a homemaker and a member of St. Anthony Church, Taylor Mill. She was a member of the original board of directors of Northern Kentucky Rape Crisis Center and a founder of Northern Kentucky Association for the Blind. She was a member of Winston Hill Homemakers and Winston Hill Neighborhood Garden clubs.
Survivors include her husband, R. L. Terlau; a son, Robert L. Terlau II of Palmetto; a daughter, Mary Teresa Terlau of Lexington; four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Visitation will be from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at Connley Bros. Funeral Home, Latonia. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Shriners Burns Institute, 3229 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati 45229.
Cleo Vallandingham, 85, of Walton, died at 4:36 p.m. Wednesday at St. Luke Hospital West, Florence. Arrangements are pending with Stith Funeral Home, Florence.
Barney "Bear" Wieck, 77, of Covington, died at 7:35 p.m. Tuesday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North in Covington. He was a retired iron worker and planner with Litton Unit Handling Systems, Florence, and a Navy veteran of World War II. He was a Seabee and a member of the Naval Reserve.
Survivors include his wife, Nellie Wieck; sons, Fred A. Wieck of Cincinnati, Jim Wieck of Wilder and Tom Wieck of Newport; sisters, Marion Wieck of Ft. Mitchell, Julitta Overmann of Covington and Peggy Holzderber of Elsmere; and five grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Benedict Church, Covington. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Covington. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Ft. Wright.
