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Date of these obituaries: 04-26-2003
Todd Sheets Sr., 35, was a faithful father
Over the course of his 35 years, Todd Sheets Sr. undertook daunting tasks such as rescuing stranded soldiers from the sea and fighting fires on a Navy battleship. But his family says the toughest thing he ever did was tell his 6-year-old son he was going to die of cancer.
"Easter Sunday he told him, " said Sheets' wife, Lynda.
"It was the hardest thing he had to do in his life. But he said it was his responsibility to tell him he was not going to make it."
Sheets, of Williamstown, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center North Hospice Unit, Covington.
Family members say despite Sheets' recent cancer diagnosis, he expected to have many more years to spend with his youngest son, "T.J."
Sheets taught T.J. about baseball, golf and, perhaps most importantly, having faith in your own abilities.
"Todd had no fear of the unknown and he took every challenge, " said Lynda Sheets. "It didn't matter if he'd never done it before, he had faith he could do it."
That self-confidence undoubtedly came in handy during Sheets' four years with the Navy, including service during Desert Storm on the U.S.S. Luce. Sheets was a Navy search-and-rescue swimmer, responsible for retrieving stranded soldiers and others from the sea. He was also an on-ship firefighter and welder.
Most recently, he worked as a manufacturing engineer for Mubea Co. in Florence and operated his own welding business in Williamstown.
Survivors include his wife, Lynda K. Sheets of Fort Wright; sons, Todd A. Sheets Jr. of Fort Wright and Benjamin A. Schwartz of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; mother, Betty Mihal Sheets of Manassas, Va.; a brother, Jack O. Sheets of Allen, Texas; maternal grandmother, Leona Mihal of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and paternal grandfather, Elmer O. Sheets Sr. of Tekamah, Neb.
Services will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at Elliston-Stanley Funeral Home, Williamstown.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to St. Elizabeth Hospice, 401 E. 20th St., Covington, Ky. 41014.
Bernard L. "Butch" Budke, 84, of Edgewood, died Friday at his home.
He was a retired foreman from the ornamental bronze divison of Newman Brother Co., Cincinnati, a member of Calvary Baptist Church, Latonia, Elsmere American Legion Post No. 0020, Ralph Fulton VFW Post 11400, Ornamental Iron and Bronze Workers Union and an Army veteran of World War II.
Survivors include his wife, Alice Glaza Budke; a son, Stanely Budke of Clearwater, Fla.; daughters, Alice Townsend of Crestview Hills, Barbara Forsythe of Edgewood and Ella Webster of Erlanger; a brother, Ralph Budke of Fort Madison, Iowa; a sister, Irene Law of Burlington, Iowa; 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Allison and Rose Funeral Home, Taylor Mill. Visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Calvary Baptist Youth Ministeries, West Southern & Tibbatts, Latonia, Ky. 41015.
Nola Caruso, 97, of Ludlow, died Thursday at Baptist Convalescent Center, Newport. She was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church of Ludlow. Her husband, Samuel Caruso, died in 1983.
Survivors include her son, Charles Caruso of Fort Wright; two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Ludlow. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time of services Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to Covington Ladies Home, 702 Garrard St., Covington, Ky. 41011; or Baptist Convalescent Center, 120 Main St., Newport, Ky. 41071.
Helen I. Courtney, 83, of Florence, died Friday at her daughter's home in Villa Hills. She was an accountant with Cincinnati Bell Telephone.
Survivors include her husband, Howard Courtney; a daughter, Patsy Grant of Villa Hills; a brother, Kelly Linn of Bromley; sisters, Evelyn Jones and Edith Clifton, both of Georgetown, Nora Clark and Arettia Clifton, both of Felicity, Ohio, and Mildred Vallandingham of Medford, Ore.; two grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Stith Funeral Home, Florence. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Entombment will be in Highland cemetery Mausoleum, Fort Mitchell. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society NCICFUL, P.O. Box 102454, Atlanta, Ga. 70368-2454; or American Heart Association, P.O. Box 82039, Dept. 313, Columbus, Ohio 43218-2039.
Elaine Schreck Fain, 52, of Cincinnati, died Friday at The Residence at Greystone, Cincinnati. She was a former expeditor for Kenner Toys.
Survivors include her daughter, Jennifer Fain of Florence; and a brother, Ken Schreck of Burlington.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Henry Church, Elsmere. Burial will be in Mother of God Cemetery, Fort Wright. Memorials are suggested to National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Southwest Ohio-Northern Kentucky Chapter, 4460 Lake Forest Drive, Suite 236, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242.
Wilma Jean Godsey, 67, of Hebron, died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South, Hebron. She was a homemaker.
Survivors include her husband, Raymond O. Godsey Jr.; daughters, Debbie Mersch of Florence, Kathy Palmer of Bromley, Rae Jeanna Godsey of Stow, Ohio, and Sandy Giordano of Hebron; a son, Randy Godsey of Hebron; a brother, Jack White of Loveland, Colo.; 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Hebron. Visitation will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2A, Florence, Ky. 41042.
Lula Marie Hornsby, 64, of Covington, died Friday at Baptist Convalescent Center, Newport.
Survivors include her son, Danny Wayne Hornsby of Covington; brothers, Curt Morgan of Latonia, Norman Morgan of Paris and Donald Morgan of East Bernstadt; and sisters, Gloria Richards of Independence, Diane O'Donnell of Latonia and Kim Morgan of Fort Thomas.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Swindler and Currin Funeral Home, Latonia. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Highland Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Lauren Paige McKnight, 21 months, of Independence, died Friday at her home.
Survivors include her parents, J. Kevin and Jayne Raye Kincaid McKnight of Independence; brothers, Nathan Raymond Perin and Benjamin James McKnight, both of Independence; grandparents, Herbert and Phyllis Staight of Tipp City, Ohio, and Rex McKnight of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Services will beat 11 a.m. Tuesday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Independence. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials are suggested to Redwood School, 71 Orphanage Road, Fort Mitchell, Ky. 41017.
Edward Meng, 76, of Cumberland, formerly of Covington, died Wednesday at Harlan ARH Hospital, Harlan.
Cremation will be at Southwest Ohio Crematory, Milford, Ohio. Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger, is handling the arrangements.
Edythe Putnam Tallon, 81, of Fort Thomas, died at 12:37 p.m. Friday at St. Luke Hospital East, Fort Thomas.
Arrangements are pending at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas.
Robert L. Wright, 76, of Bellevue, died at Thursday at his home. He was a delivery driver retired from Model Laundry Company.
Survivors include his son, Robert J. Wright of Villa Hills; daughters, Regina Faulkner of Pittsburgh, Roxanne Hesch of Fort Thomas and Renee Grammer of Southgate; six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Therese Church, Southgate. Visitation will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Newport. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate.
Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.
