Pretty outgoing, quick-witted with fast comebacks, and definitely the comedian/goofball of the family are just a few ways to describe Gary Wireman.  A few events which occurred in history in 1961 include Alan Shepard making the first U.S. space flight, the Peace Corps was established by President John F. Kennedy, the construction of the Berlin Wall began, Pampers started selling their first disposable diapers, the first Six Flags Amusement Park was opened, and on August 4, 1961 in...

Judith Ann Ancil, 79, formerly of North Webster, passed away Saturday, May 8, 2021at her new home in Columbia City. Born March 2, 1942 in Selma, she was the daughter of  Bill Cox and Geneva (Hendricks) Sanders.   Growing up in Grant county, Judy graduated from Marion High School with the Class of 1960. One day while being at Custer's Last Stand Drive-In in Marion, Judy's life would change when she met James Ancil. Even though they grew up just six houses from each other,...

Joyce A. Pawlak, age 80, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 4:05 pm on Saturday December 26, 2020 at Parkview Regional Medical Center.  Born on August 7, 1940 in South Bend, she was the daughter of Joseph and Helen (Murphy) Bonjorno. Joyce attended Washington Clay High School in South Bend and graduated with the Class of 1958.  On February 8, 1964 she married Gerald Pawlak at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, South Bend. Joyce worked for many years as a clerical assistant at IPFW,...

Donald L. Weller, 94, of Columbia City, passed away Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at Miller's Merry Manor, Columbia City. Born March 12, 1927 in Huntington County, he was the son of  Walter and Maude (Burkhart) Weller.   He graduated from Columbia City High School and serve in the U.S. Army at the end of WWII. On April 23, 1949, Don married Betty Hartman. For over 33 years, Don worked at Silgan Company in Ligonier, retiring in 1992. He was a proud American who enjoyed learning the...

Friendly, loving, and an ornery prankster, with a very relaxed disposition are just a few ways to describe Jan DeKoninck.  Several events that occurred in 1955 include Rock & Roll music popularity increasing, which featured Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry and The Platters,  "The Mickey Mouse Club" debut on ABC, the Broadway musical "Peter Pan" was broadcast live on television, Disneyland opened in California along with Ray Kroc starting...

Shelby Lee McClellan, 26, of Columbia City, passed away Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from injuries from a car wreck along with her unborn son, Ty and daughter Olivia. Born June 1, 1994 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of Travis Lee McClellan and Elizabeth (Slusher) King. Growing up the youngest of four, Shelby was involved with being in beauty pageants, spending time with her family, cheerleading and playing baseball. She had attended Central Noble High School and graduated from Churubusco...

Jean Ann "Jeanne" Comparet, 62, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Monday, April 26, 2021 at her home. Born March 4, 1959 in Flint, Michigan, she was the daughter of Bernard and Juna (Woods) Smarowski. She graduated from Fenton Senior High School with the Class of 1977 and Mott Community College. Jeanne would move to Fort Wayne, Indiana in the early 80's and worked at Fort Wayne Pools. After meeting Tom Comparet in 1985, the two would be married in their back yard on...

Cozetta "Cozy" R. Barnes, 55, of Columbia City, passed away Sunday, April 25, 2021 at her home. Born December 7, 1965 in Whitley County, she was the daughter of Earl B. Wagner and Edna M. (Brockmeyer) Meyer. Cozy graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1984. She also completed an Early Childhood Care Certificate Program at Ivy Tech. Cozy worked for Magnovox/ITT from 1986 until 2000 before Starting at Autoliv. She also had worked at Ultra Electronics...

Eunice Sturgill, 85, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, April 23, 2021 at her home. Born November 6, 1935 in Breathitt County, Kentucky, she was the daughter of Robert and Ethel (Spencer) Fugate. Growing up in Boone County, she was the oldest child. She attended Hebron School. Eunice began working as a teenager on her father's tobacco farm before moving to Chicago to live with her aunt. She would send money home to her parents to help them move to Larwill, Indiana in 1950....

Deloris May Geeting Ware, 90, formerly of Columbia City, passed away March 9, 2021, at Peabody Retirement Community in North Manchester, IN. Born October 23, 1930 in Whitley County, she was the daughter of Lawrence and Chlora May (Clark) Geeting.   She graduated from Washington Township High School with the Class of 1948 where she was Salutatorian. On May 29, 1949, she married Orren Albert Ware. Aside from being a farm wife and bookkeeper, Deloris was a bra seamstress from 1948-1953...

Mary E. Earl, age 75, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 4:20 pm on Sunday April 11, 2021, at her residence.  Born on December 29, 1945, in Monroe, Michigan, she was the daughter of Arthur and Hilda (Johnson) Williams. Mary attended Bremen High School, Bremen, IN.  She has been a Whitley County resident since the 1970’s and worked as a forklift operator at Dana Corporation, Columbia City until her retirement in 2009. Survivors include her children Rick Earl of Churubusco,...

Betty Jean Gray, 91, of Churubusco, passed away Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at her home. Born November 5, 1929 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of George Earl and Mary Alice (Addis) Loe. She attended Columbia City High School. On October 30, 1947, Betty married Paul Gray. In 1958, they moved to the farm where she spent the rest of her life at. Along with helping on the family farm, Betty worked for  at the Dana Distribution Center in Churubusco for 25 years. She was an active and...

Loving, caring, and giving would first come to your mind when you hear Carolyn Martin’s name. She loved ministering as God had gifted her and encouraged others not only in their faith, but in life itself. Carolyn never wanted to leave anyone out, enjoyed entertaining others and having fun.   With the Great Depression finally beginning to ease in 1939, Americans were stimulating the economy. The Hewlett-Packard Company was created, LaGuardia Airport opened in New York, the first...

Margaret N. Kay, 89, of Albion, passed away Monday, March 29, 2021 at Lutheran Life Villages in Kendallville. Born January 20, 1932 in Noble County, she was the daughter of Frank and Nona (Smith) McCoy. She graduated from Albion Jefferson High School with the Class of 1950. While attending Indiana Business College, Margaret met Charles Kay and her life would be forever changed. On September 19, 1952, the two were married in Fort Wayne. Aside from being a housewife, Margaret had been a...

Roger Herman Tucker, age 79, of Columbia City, IN, passed away peacefully, with his loving wife and daughters, Amy and Christelle, by his side at 7:25 am on Sunday, March 28, 2021 at his residence. Born September 17, 1941 in Ligonier, he was the son of Herman and Irene (Carter) Tucker. Roger attended Albion High School and graduated with the Class of 1959. He proudly served his country as a medic in the U.S. Army. On July 28, 1988, he married Rose Gawthrop. Roger worked for Porterfield...

Gerald L. Pensinger, 90, of Albion, passed away Sunday, March 21, 2021 at Ashton Creek Health & Rehab. Born August 5, 1930 in Portland, Indiana, he was the son of Dale and Mary (Nixson) Pensinger. When he was 6, Gerald's family moved to Bear Lake in Noble County from Jay County and he would remain there for the rest of his life. It was there where he would meet a girl who would become his future wife, Anita J. Leaman. Gerald worked for Newman Foundry for over 40 years. After...

Roselyn A. Roth, 81, of Columbia City, passed away Monday, March 15, 2021 at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born April 1, 1939 in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of William and Armella (Bendele) Boschet. She graduated from Central Catholic High School with the Class of 1957. Rosie was very nurturing, compassionate, loving, and was a lifelong caregiver. She began as a nanny while in high school, raised five loving children and was a nursing assistant for Parkview Randallia Hospital for...

The sunshine to her family, Marilyn Pletcher was always smiling. She was loving, caring, and loved to laugh. Marilyn being a hard worker, not only took care of her husband and her five children with making breakfast and having dinner ready every night, but she also still found time to work outside of the home.   Marilyn J. Wilkinson was born on August 14, 1935 on the family farmhouse off Etna Road in rural Whitley County, Indiana. During this same year news around the country was...

Laura Jane Johnson, age 58, of Garrett, IN, passed away at 7:46 pm on Wednesday March 10, 2021 at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne.  Born on March 21, 1962 in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of Donald and Betty Jane (Lewis) Merriman. Laura attended Carroll High School and graduated with the Class of 1980.  She also attended Ravenscroft Beauty School and Ivy Tech Community College.  She earned a degree in nursing graduated with the Class of 1994.  Laura worked as a Licensed...

Betty H. Treece-Green, 94, of Columbia City, passed away Wednesday morning, March 10, 2021 at Miller's at Oak Point. Born January 9, 1927 in Allen County, she was the daughter of Paul C. and Sarah (Steel) Reimer.            She attended Arcola High School. After a brief marriage to Donald Rhoades, Betty married Roger Treece on December 30, 1963. They were married for 40 years prior to his passing. Betty worked J.I. Case for 3 years and for 26...

Mable I. Creech, 90, of Churubusco, passed away Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at Betz Nursing Home in Auburn. Born June 20, 1930 in Whitley County, she was the daughter of Floyd and Mary (Knight) Trumbull. She graduated from Churubusco High School with the Class of 1948. Mable married Ralph Creech on December 18, 1948 and was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt. Mable is survived by her sons, Randy (Anne) Creech and Steve (Millie) Creech; daughter, Teresa (Gary) Price;...

Donald  Bingham, 66, of Larwill, Indiana passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at his home. Born May 6, 1954 in Columbia City, he was the son of Richard Elwood Bingham and Edna "Mimi" (Gordon) Yagel.  He attended Columbia City Joint High School and went on to serve in the U.S. Marine Corp. Don worked in construction most of his adult life and was a skilled carpenter and restored cabinets. Don is survived by his mother and stepfather, "MiMi" and...

Stephan Easterday, age 70, of Warsaw, IN, passed away at 1:05 pm on Saturday March 6, 2021 at Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw.  Born on February 3, 1951 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Dallas and Marjory (Blew) Easterday. Stephan enjoyed spending time with family and eating sweets, especially chocolate. Survivors include his nephews Bradley (Shannon) Plattner and Dallas Plattner, both of Avilla and niece Sarah Plattner of Avilla. He was preceded in death by his parents, twin...

Richard Earhart, age 72, of Fort Wayne, IN, passed away at 2:41 pm on Saturday March 6, 2021 at Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne.  Born on October 11, 1948 in Huntington, he was the son of Deloise and Emma (Lavine) Earhart. Richard attended Huntington County Schools and graduated from Huntington North High School with the Class of 1968. On November 21, 1979 he married Teresa Hyser in Fort Wayne. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, civil war era history, and listening to Christian and classical...

Nell W. Faurote, age 90, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 8:50 am on Friday March 5, 2021 at Sage Bluff Health & Rehabilitation, Fort Wayne.  Born on July 30, 1930 in Jackson, KY, she was the daughter of Charles and Mattie Lou (Robertson) Banks. Nell attended Kentucky Schools and moved to Indiana in 1961.  She was a homemaker and member of Freewill Baptist Church in Columbia City. Survivors include children Victoria Runyan of Columbia City, Kristi (Jack) Bevans of...

Alondale B. King, age 42, of Fort Wayne, IN, passed away at 1:35 pm on Thursday March 4, 2021 at his residence.  Born on May 7, 1978 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Jerry and Diane (Ray) King. Alondale attended Columbia City High School, where he wrestled and played football.  He then proudly served his country in the U.S. Army with eight tours of duty in his career. Alondale enjoyed playing the latest and greatest video games available in his free time. Survivors include his...

Robert "Bob" Trout, 56, of Fort Wayne, passed away Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at Parkview Hospital. Born March 18, 1964 in Toms River, New Jersey, he was the son of Janice (Trout) Minick. At a young age Bob moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. He attended Washington and Hoagland Elementary, Fairfield Middle School and South Side High School. Bob was an extremely hard worker. He began working at 17 as a prep cook at Bob Evans. By the time he turned 20, Bob started what would become a 35...

Jon "Jamie" Joseph, 56, of Columbia City, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at his work. Born March 17, 1964 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he was the youngest child of Charles F. and Vivian M. (Strebig) Joseph. Growing up in Fort Wayne, he was an adventurous kid who enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. Jon graduated from Northside High School with the Class of 1983 and served in the Army National Guard. While on a white-water rafting adventure in West Virginia, Jon...

Cynthia Lee Slowey, age 64, of Kimmell, IN, passed away at 9:29 am on Thursday February 18, 2021, at her residence.  Born on November 12, 1956 in Janesville, WI, she was the daughter of Marvin and Madge (Woodrell) Robertson. Cynthia attended Craig High School in Janesville, and graduated with the Class of 1975. She worked in Quality Control at General Motors until her retirement. Cynthia enjoyed buying clothes for her grandchildren, collecting antiques, interior design, landscaping,...

David F. White, age 61, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 1:40 pm on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at his residence. Born on December 22, 1959 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Richard White and Martha (Wehnert) White. David attended Columbia City High School and went on to serve his country in the United States Air Force.On September 19, 2018 he married Julie Ritumalta. David worked for Dial-X in Albion for several years then was the owner & operator of White Glove Janitorial...

Paul Alex Azar, 68, of Columbia City, passed away unexpectedly while outside helping neighbors on Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Born March 22, 1952 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Walter and Marcella Louise (Logan) Azar. He graduated from South Side High School with the Class of 1970 and received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. On September 22, 1987, he married Diane Northrup. Paul was an engineer for Almet in New Haven for over 20 years. In 2014, he and Diane moved to...

Sundra "Sunni" (Mullins) Watson, 73, of Columbia City, passed away Monday, February 15, 2021 at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born April 5, 1947 in Floyd County, Kentucky, she was the daughter of Glines "Glen" and Dixie (Caudill) Mullins. Sunni was the first-born grandchild on both her parents' sides. At a young age her father took a job and they moved to Huntington, Indiana and then to Columbia City when she was a teenager. She graduated from Columbia City Joint...

Patty A. Starkey, 81, of Columbia City, Indiana passed away Friday, February 12, 2021 at Alive Hospice in Murfreesboro, TN. Born December 10, 1939 in Wolf Lake, she was the daughter of Raymond and Verda (Fry) Hoffman.    She attended Coesse High School and was a lifelong resident of Whitley County. On July 9, 1966, she married David Lee Starkey. She worked at Blue Bell for 15 years, Indiana Knit Company and was a licensed insurance agent helping her husband for many years...

Gloria Mae (Sheets) Hobbs, 88, of Larwill, passed away Thursday, February 4, 2021 at her home. Born April 22, 1932 in Whitley County, she was the daughter of Arlo Sheets and Mary (Hine) Beaver. She graduated from Jefferson Center High School with the Class of 1950. Following graduation, Gloria got married and moved to Zanesville in 1950. She had been a homemaker and retired from Keebler in Bluffton. In 1995, she moved to North Manchester before moving in with her son and daughter-in-law,...

Patricia Ann Cochran, 76, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at her home. Born June 26, 1944 in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of Julius and Alice (Debolt) Zumbrun. On November 22, 1975, she married Gaylord Cochran and retired from Precision Plastics in Columbia City. Patricia is survived by her cousin, Bill (DeMaris) Valjack; nephew, Jeff Kimpel. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Gaylord "Red" Cochran in 1999; brother, Julius...

Denise A. Rambaud, age 61, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 12:07 am on Monday February 1, 2021 at her residence.  Born on June 13, 1959 in Canton, Ohio, she was the daughter of Benjamin and Anita (Yelesanko) Rambaud. Denise attended Malvern High School in Malvern Ohio and graduated with the Class of 1978.  She worked at Precision Plastics in Columbia City. Denise enjoyed talking with people and nobody was a stranger to her.  She was also an avid collector of old ceramic...

Kirby Wolfe, 47, of Columbia City, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born March 14, 1973 in Columbia City, he was the son of Harold Wolfe and Paula Anders. Growing up in Fort Wayne, Kirby enjoyed spending time listening to music, being with friends, playing baseball and being on the water. While attending Snider High School, Kirby joked that he was "Captain of the Varsity Smoking Team" and graduated with the Class of 1991. He...

John L. Couch, 73, of South Whitley, passed away Sunday, January 24, 2021 at his home. Born February 27, 1947 in Harlan County, Kentucky, he was the son of  Ed and Sina (Cody) Couch. He graduated from Cumberland High School and went on to attend college. He had been an LPN, owned and operated a construction company in Texas before moving to Indiana. John then worked for United Technologies and started his own computer business in the 90's. John is survived by his son, Johnny Wayne...

Clarence M. Dean, Jr., age 79, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 9:05 am on Friday January 22, 2021, at his residence.  Born on August 20, 1941 in Terre Haute, he was the son of Clarence and Mary (Cook), Sr. Clarence attended Terre Haute Schools and then went on to work in maintenance at Silgan Plastics, Ligonier for 43 years, until his retirement in 2000. On September 23, 1967 he married Gloria K. Trammel in Rome City, IN. He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, yardwork, gardening, and...

DeWayne Manns, 82, of Rock Hill, South Carolina and formerly of Churubusco, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at Atrium Mercy Hospital, Charlotte, NC. Born May 17, 1938 in Jackson, KY. He was the son of Curt Mann and Beulah (Taulbee) Fletcher. He attended Churubusco High School. On September 8, 1956, he married the love of his life, Jeanette King in Huntertown. They lived in the Columbia City and Collins area then moved to Churubusco in 1976. In 1993, they moved to Rock Hill,...

Growing up in a time where technology was rapidly changing and children and teens were introduced to home video gaming, Dustin Wood still loved spending his childhood being outdoors and working on the family farm. He was hard working, loving, patient and he was a great prankster! Being a handy man and a “MacGyver”, Dustin could fix anything. His family and friends meant the most to him and none of them were ever surprised if he was running late. Dustin was outgoing and could...

Mary Agnes Johnson, 89, of Arcola, passed away unexpectedly Thursday, January 14, 2021 at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born August 20, 1931 in Whitley County, IN, she was the daughter of James and Alice (McLaughlin) Clark. She attended St. Patrick's Catholic Church School and graduated from Jefferson High School with the Class of 1949. On June 20, 1953 she married Gerald Johnson at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. Mary worked at Maloley's Grocery in Fort Wayne for 13 years...

John "Jack" C. Ellsworth, 88, of Columbia City, passed away Wednesday evening, January 13, 2021 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born April 25, 1932 in Midland, Michigan, he was the son of Claude E. and Mary (Johnston) Ellsworth. He graduated from high school in Midland in 1950. Jack served in the U.S. Air Force as an airplane mechanic, served in the Auxiliary Police Force in Clare, MI, had been an EMT/Parametic and retired from Dow Chemical Company. On July 1, 1995, he married Carol...

James Michael Pfeiffer, 66, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Monday, January 11, 2021 at Parkview Hospital. Born October 24, 1954 at Lucky Hospital in Wolf Lake, he was the son of Argyle M. and Louise E.(Mason) Pfeiffer. Growing up on Shriner Lake, Jim enjoyed all of the lake activities and spent his entire life living on the lake. He graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1973. He started working for Weatherhead in Columbia City as he was finishing high...

Donna J. Weinberg, age 61, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 8:57 am on Monday January 11, 2021 at her residence. Born on June 1, 1959 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of Kenneth and Ruth (Colpetzer) Hyser, Sr. Donna was raised in Collins and attended Churubusco High School.  She graduated with the Class of 1978, then furthered her education to become a Licensed Practical Nurse.  Donna worked at several facilities locally for over 20 years.  On October 9, 1992 she...

Jerry S. Vandersaul, age 80, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 7:22 pm on Saturday January 9, 2021 at Parkview Regional Medical Center, Fort Wayne.  Born on September 7, 1940 in Kosciusko County, he was the son of Marion and Nellie (Gray)Vandersaul. Jerry attended Larwill High School and graduated with the Class of 1958.  On June 18, 1958, he married the love of his life, Janice D. Lundy and they then lived north of Larwill. Jerry farmed and ran a dairy operation, while he...

Mick (Marvin) Keith Gordon, 85, a lifelong truck driver of Lynn, Indiana completed his final trip on January 8, 2021.  He was surrounded by loved ones in his family home as he peacefully left this world for the next.  Born October 4, 1935 in Winchester, IN, he was the son of David William and Edith (Thornburg) Gordon. He graduated from Lynn High School in 1953.  On April 13, 1974, he married the love of his life, Sarah Marie Dees. Mick grew up outside of Lynn, where as a...

Phyllis Jean Egolf, age 87, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 1:13 pm on Monday January 4, 2021 at Parkview Randallia Hospital, Fort Wayne.  Born on March 15, 1933 in Allen County, IN, she was the daughter of Archie and Eva (Runyan) Smith. Phyllis attended Jefferson Center High School and graduated with the Class of 1951. On February 4, 1966 she married Ronald Egolf in Columbia City. Phyllis worked at Lincoln Life, Sears, North Line Street Marathon, and also sold Avon...

"Bill" William John McKown Jr., 71, of Columbia City, passed away Sunday, January 3, 2021 at Parkview Hospital. Born January 31, 1949 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of William Sr. and Betty (Reese) McKown.   He graduated from Columbia City Joint High School Class of 1967. On May 9, 1970, he married Dena Wolfe at Troy Presbyterian Church. Bill worked for Dana Weatherhead/ C.F. Gomma and Auto Zone in Columbia City.   Bill is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Dena...

John J. Raffety, age 95, of Fort Wayne, IN, formerly of White Hall, IL, passed away at 6:15 am on Sunday January 3, 2021 at Miller’s Merry Manor, Huntington.  Born on June 16, 1925 in Jacksonville, IL, he was the son of John W. and Lenna (Cawthon) Raffety. John attended Greene County Schools and then worked as a forklift operator at Mobil Oil Corporation until his retirement.  Following retirement he enjoyed managing the Greene County Golf Course. Outside of work, John could...