Juergen Eckert Mauger, age 58, of Huntington, IN, passed away at 2:14 pm on Sunday May 15, 2022, at his residence.  Born on December 26, 1963, in Fort Wayne, IN, he was the son of Roger and Elizabeth (Hartmann) Mauger. Juergen attended South Side High School and graduated with the Class of 1982.  He was a chicken farmer and also worked for Alfe Heat Treating Inc., Isolatek International, and General Motors throughout his working career. On January 3, 1986, he married Sharon...

Richard Jay “Ric” Hockemeyer, 68, of South Whitley, Indiana, passed away Saturday, May 7, 2022, at Miller's Merry Manor in Warsaw. Born December 29, 1953, in Huntington, he was the son of DeWayne and D. Marie (Turpin) Hockemeyer. Growing up in Whitley County, Ric graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1972. On May 8, 1993, he married Lisa Fry. Ric was a carpenter and had worked for Plastic Veneering in Tunker, J.G. Cabinet in South Whitley,...

Lana K. Jackson, 57, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at her home with family by her side. Born March 29, 1965 in Blytheville, Arkansas, she was the daughter of Anna Lou (Gray) and Wendell B. Noaker.   As a child her family moved to Michigan. She graduated from Benton Harbor High School with the Class of 1983. As a family, they moved to Bangor, Michigan and then in 1997 they moved to Indiana where she lived in Albion. Lana worked for Rieke Corp. in both...

  Dallas DeWayne "Bub" Manns, 60, of Rock Hill, South Carolina and formerly of Churubusco, Indiana passed away Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at his home. He was the son of the late DeWayne and Jeanette Manns.   Dallas graduated from Churubusco High School with the Class of 1980. On April 10, 2002 he married Cheryl A. Kreis. He served eight years in the Air Force and drove truck for many years. He even drove many years with his wife.   Dallas is survived by his wife...

Delores Jean Kreider, 83, of Columbia City, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, April 23, 2022 at Peabody Memorial Retirement Home in North Manchester. Born May 20, 1938 in Allen County, she was the daughter of Garland Otto and Emogene Pauline (Lesley) Coolman. She graduated from South Whitley High School with the Class of 1956. On July 15, 1956, she married Richard Kreider. A Whitley County native, Delores moved from South Whitley to Columbia City in 1991 and lived in Arkansas for a brief...

Richard D. Treesh, 89, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, April 22, 2022 at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. Born March 25, 1933 in Orland, he was the son of Lawrence and Hilda (Fair) Treesh. He graduated from Central High School in Fort Wayne with the Class of 1952 and went on to attend DeVry University in Chicago. In February of 1953, Richard enlisted in the U.S. Army and was awarded a National Defense Medal and the Army of Occupation Medal in Germany before being honorably...

John P. Bollinger, age 91, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 10:42 pm on Friday April 15, 2022, at Kingston Care Center, Fort Wayne. Born on a very hot day, July 7, 1930, in the northwest bedroom of a small farmhouse located in Washington Township of Whitley County, he was the son of Harry R. and W.  Joyce (Reed) Bollinger. John was a lifetime Whitley County resident and graduated from Washington Center High School with the Class of 1949.  He then attended North Manchester...

Sharon Kay White, 77, of Cromwell, Indiana, passed away Monday, April 4, 2022 at Miller's Merry Manor in Syracuse. Born November 5, 1944 in Ft. Wayne, she was the daughter of John Earl and Pauline Elizabeth (Cochren) Hatfield. She graduated from Huntertown High School with the Class of 1963. She moved from Allen County to Whitley County in 1975 and on July 2, 1988, she married Thomas D. White in Columbia City. In 1996, she and Tom moved to Cromwell. Sharon had been an industrial sewer...

Judith A. Hayden, age 80, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 5:51 am on Thursday March 31, 2022, at Miller’s Merry Manor, Columbia City.  Born on February 6, 1942, in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of John and Mildred (Burk) Kissick. Judith worked for Preferred Technical Group, Columbia City until her retirement in 2004.  She enjoyed gardening, caring for stray animals, drawing, reading Sue Grafton books, and watching the old TV shows. Survivors include her daughter...

Ross Lee Veldhof, age 40, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 11:16 am on Sunday March 27, 2022, at his residence.  Born on January 2, 1982, in Holland, Michigan he was the son of Roger and Carol (Mouw) Veldhof. Ross attended Pensacola Christian High School and graduated with the Class of 2000. He enjoyed woodworking, making home repairs, weightlifting, and riding motorcycles, especially if it was a Kawasaki Ninja.  Ross also loved watching the Simpsons and spending time with...

Sotirios "Steve" Damianos Toskos, 88, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away peacefully at his home on Saturday, March 26, 2022, with his wife, May, by his side. Born July 11, 1933, in Vissinia, Greece, he was the son of Damianos and Vasiliki (Pantsios) Toskos. As a child growing up in Greece during the Second World War, his grandfather would tell Steve and his siblings and cousins stories about a place called Fort Wayne, where they could work hard, earn lots of money, and always...

Jack D. Smith, 87, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, March 25, 2022 from injuries sustained in a car accident. Born March 17, 1935 on the family farm in Whitley County, he was the son of Noel A. and C. Leona (Ferrell) Smith. A lifelong resident of Whitley County, Jack graduated Jefferson Center High School with the Class of 1953 and attended Carpenter Apprentice School for 4 years. On September 25, 1954, he married M. Marie Hine. Along with being a lifelong farmer, Jack worked...

Dorothy "Dottie" Mance, 85, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Monday, March 21, 2022 at her son's home. Born August 5, 1936 in Mariana, Arkansas, she was the daughter of John and Hazel (Christian) Henley. At five months old, Dottie's family moved to Culver City, California for her dad's job. While growing up, she lived on Keystone Ave and the neighborhood children were known as the Keystone Kids. She enjoyed the typical life of children then, including hide and...

Joan E. Murphy, 91, of Columbia City, passed away Monday, March 21, 2022 at North Woods Village. Born August 1, 1930 in Huntington, she was the daughter of Rex and Clara (Gardner) Morrett. Growing up on the north side of Huntington, Joan attended  Huntington High School where she was a Majorette and involved with school athletics for all four years. She graduated with the Class of 1948 and went on to Ravenscroft Beauty College. On July 12, 1971, she married Dr. Edgar Murphy. Aside from...

Darwin E. Genth, age 90, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 4:40 am on Friday March 18, 2022, at Coventry Meadows, Fort Wayne.  Born on August 21, 1931, in Fort Wayne, IN, he was the son of Howard and Elloise (Glick) Genth. Darwin attended Washington Center High School and graduated with the Class of 1949.  He then proudly served his country in the U. S. Navy.  On July 23, 1955, he married Barbara Richardson at Washington Center United Methodist Church. Darwin was a...

Marvin Arnold Goble, age 78, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Thursday, March 17, 2022, at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born October 24, 1943, in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Arnold and Grace (Palmer) Goble. Marvin attended Columbia City Joint High School and graduated with the Class of 1962. On July 14, 1973, he married Jane Schmitt at St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church where he served on the Financial Committee for many years.  Raising their seven children in South...

Richard A. Rose age 82 of Fort Wayne, IN, passed away at 6:13 am on Thursday March 17, 2022, at Sage Bluff Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Fort Wayne.  Born on August 14, 1939, in Sturgis, MI, he was the son of Arno and Sylvia (Weiss) Rose. Richard attended Springfield Township High School and graduated with the Class of 1957.  He also attended DeVry Technical Institute, Chicago.  Richard proudly served his country in the U.S. Airforce.  On November 26, 1970, he...

Maudie Lou Kiester, 67, of Albion, Indiana, went home to be with the Lord March 16, 2022. She had been on dialysis for several years and suffered a stroke that precipitated her death. She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Jerry D. Kiester; her daughter Tonia (Craig) Smith and her precious grandchildren Elizabeth, Sarah, and Timothy Smith; two sisters Sharron Biggs and Janice (Rodger) Held; three brothers, Ron (Janice) McFalls, Jon (Gina) McFalls, and Todd McFalls; and many nieces and...

Neva Rose Harris, 90, of Larwill, Indiana, passed away Wednesday, March 16, 2022 after an extended stay at Miller's at Oak Pointe. On March 22, 1931 Neva was born in Troy Township of Whitley County in an old log cabin near Troy Cedar Lake to Charles A. and Thelma (Monroe) Bills. She had four brothers and one sister. In January of 1949, she married Phil Hull and he passed in August of 1954. In April of 1958, Neva married Kenneth "Buck" Harris. He preceded her in death in...

Carolyn Sue Behm, age 85, of Ligonier, IN, passed away at 8:15 am on Tuesday March 15, 2022, surrounded by her family.  Born on April 16, 1936, in Muncie, IN, she was the daughter of Vent and Dorothy (Stephens) Farmer. Carolyn attended Muncie Central High School and graduated with the Class of 1953.  On July 17, 1955, she married Edward Behm in the Lutheran Church, Muncie, IN.  Carolyn was a homemaker and also worked at Goss Grocery, Big Lake, IN, for 10 years.  She...

Charlene M. McDevitt, age 69, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 9:32 pm on Sunday March 13, 2022, at Majestic Care West, Fort Wayne.  Born on January 16, 1953, in Cumberland, Maryland, she was the daughter of John Clark and Janet (Salkheld) Lumpkins. Charlene attended Arundel High School, Gambrills, MD., and graduated with the Class of 1971.  She then attended Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD.  On April 3, 1971, she married Nicholas McDevitt in Severn, MD. ...

Marla R. Herbst, 60, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away unexpectedly Friday evening, March 11, 2022 at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born November 18, 1961 in Columbia City, she was the daughter Donald W. and Betty C. (Myers) Bratt. Growing up in rural Whitley County, Marla enjoyed time spent outdoors with her horse and family dog. She also enjoyed camping, dancing at the Eagles, going to the skating rink, and was involved with doing Pom-poms at school. Marla began her work career...

Ross A. Binkley, 79, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, March 11, 2022 at his home on Tri-Lakes with family by his side. Born August 2, 1942 in Kansas City, Missouri, he was the son of Herman and Mary (O'Rear) Binkley. After being adopted by Herman and Mary (O'Rear) Binkley, Ross was raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Ross enjoyed spending time in the summer at Tri-Lakes where his parents had a lake cottage that they bought in 1945. Ross attended Plymouth Congregational...

Virginia Lois Maggart-Stout, age 93, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 2:20 am on Friday March 11, 2022, at Miller’s at Oak Pointe, Columbia City.  Born on April 11, 1928, in Whitley County, she was the daughter of Clarence and Blondena (Geiger) Jones. Virginia was raised in Collins and Churubusco.  She has lived in Larwill, Columbia City, and Ligonier. Virginia attended Churubusco High School. She married Gerald L. Maggart on November 18, 1944, in Columbia City.  On...

Richard Hale Berghoff, age 85, of Columbia City, IN, passed away on Sunday March 6, 2022, at his residence.  Born on June 26, 1936, in Fort Wayne, IN, he was the son of Hale and Blanche (Dickson) Berghoff. Richard attended North Side High School and graduated with the Class of 1956. He then attended University of Miami, where he played basketball and graduated with the Class of 1960. Richard worked for Old Fort Industries in concrete sales until its closing.  He then went to...

Laurel L. Steill, age 81, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 7:50 am on Friday March 4, 2022, at Majestic Care West, Fort Wayne.  Born on September 8, 1940, in Niles, Michigan, she was the daughter of William and Ruzela (Kennedy) Carlson. Laurel attended Buchanan High School, Buchanan, MI, for two years, before moving to Whitley County in 1956.  She graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1958.  Laurel then attended University of St. Francis where...

Roger Dale Mathias, 61, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at his brother's home. Born March 25, 1960 in Columbia City, he was the son of William and Gracie (Kincaid) Mathias. He attended school in Larwill and Whitko High School. Roger was a handyman who had been a mechanic and also worked at Jerry Reiff Inc. He loved spending time with his family, loved his grandchildren, and enjoyed working on cars and mushroom hunting in the spring time. Roger was hard...

Margie Ann Coble, 80, of Columbia City, passed away Sunday, February 27, 2022 at Majestic Care West Allen. Born June 4, 1941 in Huntington, she was the daughter of Keith and Opal (Landrum) Wohlford. Growing up in Bippus, Margie attended school in Huntington County. On July 12, 1958, she married Larry Lee Coble After marriage, they moved and purchased Larry's grandparents farm in rural South Whitley. She had been a nurse's aid at Timbercrest Senior Living before helping her husband...

Joan Geiger, age 85, of Big Lake, passed away at 3:18 pm on Sunday February 27, 2022, at her residence.  Born on April 17, 1936, in Noble County she was the daughter of Benton and Lovinna (Scripter) Fruchey. Joan grew up on the Fruchey Farm.  She attended Wolf Lake High School and graduated with the Class of 1954.  She then attended Ivy Tech Community College.  Joan worked as a seamstress at Blue Bell, Columbia City before working at Essex Wire, Columbia City as a claims...

Betty Marie Plummer, 76, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Saturday afternoon, February 26, 2022 at her home. Born March 17, 1945 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of George Miller and Betty Miller. She graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1963 and went on to earn her Bachelors Degree in Criminal Science from Purdue University. Betty had worked for International Harvester until they closed and retired from TI Automotive in Ossian. She was a little...

Kay I. Coolman, 75, of rural Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, February 25, 2022 at Parkview Hospital. Born August 10, 1946 in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of Earl and Dorothy (Ness) Scott. She graduated from Roanoke High School with the class of 1964. On  March 12, 1966, she married Ronald Coolman in Carlsbad, California while Ron was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. Ron and Kay had lived in California and North Carolina before moving back to Roanoke, Indiana and...

Larry V Reynolds Sr., 83, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, February 25, 2022 at Parkview Whitley Hospital with family by his side. Born June 27, 1938 in Muncie, he was the son of Lloyd V. and Verna (Lounsbury) Reynolds.  Growing up in Delaware County, Larry attended school at Selma Elementary; Blaine Junior High where he met the love of his life; and then Yorktown High School. On July 29, 1957, Larry married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Dodd. Larry also served in...

Susan J. Fry, 73, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born January 19, 1949 in Fort Wayne, she was the oldest child of William and Joan (Blanchard) Kessler.   She graduated from Churubusco High School with the Class of 1967. On September 4, 1970, she married Richard Alan Fry. Susan began her work career at Precision Plastics before becoming a mother to Sheila, Nicole and Devon. After all her children were in school, Susan...

Hilda M. Diffendarfer, 102, of Summerville, South Carolina and formerly of Fort Wayne, passed away Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at Canterbury Nursing and Rehab Center in Fort Wayne. Born August 16, 1919 in Thorncreek Township of Whitley County, she was the daughter of Earl and Nellie (Black) Chapman. Growing up on the family farm in Thorncreek Township, she graduated from  Columbia City High School with the Class of 1937. On October 12, 1940, she married her high school sweet heart,...

Don LeRoy Irwin, 62, of rural Columbia City, Indiana, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, February 20, 2022 at his home. Born June 11, 1959 in Muncie, he was the son of Paul and Beverly (Graham) Irwin. Growing up between Muncie and North Webster, he graduated from Wawasee High School with the Class of 1978 and attended Purdue University. On May 26, 1995, he married Kathy Cox. Don worked for over 16 years at Forest River and for the past two years was employed at Bosch Automotive in Albion. Don...

Phyllis I. Hull, age 96, of Columbia City, IN, passed away peacefully at 7:10 pm on Saturday February 19, 2022.  Born on November 18, 1925, in Whitley County she was the daughter of David and Jennie (Quinn) Weigold. Phyllis was a lifetime resident and graduated from Wolf Lake High School with the Class of 1944.  On April 6, 1946, she married Donald R. Hull in Columbia City.  Phyllis enjoyed sewing, crocheting, and spending all the time she could with her...

Jeffrey Lynn Geiger, 50, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Wednesday, February 16, 2022 at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Born April 20, 1971 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Jerry and Cheryl (Doty) Geiger. Growing up in Union Township, he first attended school in Coesse and while attending Columbia City Joint High School, Jeff played football and was a basketball manager. After graduating with the Class of 1989, Jeff went on to graduate from Purdue University in 1993 with a...

Manuela Coburn, age 62, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at Miller's Merry Manor, Warsaw. Born April 18, 1959 in Berlin, Germany, she was the daughter of James and Helga (Brathering) Hewitt. After moving to the United States, Manuela had worked at Maple Leaf Farms and also McDonalds.  She lived with her son Ronny and loved spending time with him and driving around together. Manuela is survived by her mother, Helga (Larry Carter) Hewitt; son, Ronny...

Richard “Dick” Kohne, 79, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away unexpectedly Monday, February 14, 2022 at his home. Born August 23, 1942 in Decatur, he was the son of Leon and Aletha (Junk) Kohne.   He graduated from Central Catholic High School with the class of 1960. Richard served in the U.S. Air Force from 1960 until 1964, then went on to further his education at IVY Tech with an Associate Degree in Robotics. On April 12, 1979, he married Beverly (Kirkman) Radosevich....

William E. Niedermeyer, 77, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Monday, February 14, 2022 at Miller's Merry Manor with family by his side. Born July 22, 1944 at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Christ and Phyllis (Judge) Niedermeyer. Bill attended Coesse and Columbia City Joint High School. On February 14, 1961, Valentine's Day, he proposed to Patricia Garrison and the two were married on May 20, 1961 at Grace Lutheran Church. Bill had been a farmer, worked at...

Fred Webb, age 96, of Potomac, MD, passed away on Monday February 14, 2022, at HCR Manor Care, Potomac.  Born on September 19, 1925, in Evansville, IN, he was the son of Fred and Lura (Cole) Webb. Fred attended Evansville Reitz High School and graduated with the Class of 1943.  He then proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps during both World War II and the Korean Conflict. Fred worked as a music teacher and band leader and was devoted to his music...

Kenneth C. Cozad, 100, formerly of Columbia City, passed away Thursday, February 10, 2022 at his home in Greenwood, Indiana. Born May 15, 1921 in Huntington, he was the son of Fred and Florrie Cozad. He graduated from Huntington Township High School with the Class of 1939. On June 25, 1943, he married Helen Walker. During WWII, Ken and Helen both worked for General Electric. He also had been a milk man and retired as a mechanic for Schrader Automotive in Columbia City. Ken was a proud IU...

Billy Wood, age 94, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 7:45 pm on Sunday February 6, 2022, at his residence.  Born on November 11, 1927, in Coesse, IN, he was the son of Harold and Ellen (Judd) Wood. Billy attended Coesse High School and graduated with the Class of 1946.  On June 28, 1947, Billy married Phyllis Perry in Columbia City.  Billy worked for International Harvester and was the Superintendent of Tooling until his retirement in 1983. Billy was a member of Columbia...

Mary Eileen (Harroff) Gater went to be with the Lord on February 4, 2022, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  She was born March 20, 1935, to Herbert Theodore and Bethel Marie (Pennington, Birchum, Foster) Harroff, in Churubusco, Indiana. She had many fond memories of working in her parents' restaurants while growing up. She graduated from Wolf Lake High School in 1953 and married David Rex Gater in 1957. They moved to Arizona in 1962 where being a homemaker was her primary occupation and...

Jack M. Binkley, age 89, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 4:40 pm on Thursday February 3, 2022, at Mason Health and Rehabilitation Center, Warsaw.  Born on April 24, 1932, in Columbia City, he was the son of Elvin and Peggy (Ward) Binkley. Jack was a lifetime Whitley County resident and graduated from Columbia City High School with the Class of 1950.  He then proudly served his country in the United States Air Force as a Staff Sergeant in Korea.  On May 2, 1954, Jack...

David Paul Draper, 72, of Washington Township in rural Whitley County, passed away Thursday, February 3, 2022 at Miller's Merry Manor in Columbia City. Born February 7, 1949 in Huntington, he was the son of Corwin "Corky" Alfred Draper and Margaret Katherine (Weiford) Draper.   He graduated from Huntington High School with the Class of 1967 and received his Associates degree from Sam's Technical Institute/ITT. Shortly after graduating high school, David met Mary...

Family oriented, loving, and a great sense of humor are just a few things that come to mind when talking about Susan McQueen. She always was caring about others and there for others, but never wanted to burden you with anything. Born October 8, 1947 in Wolf Lake, Indiana at Lucky Hospital, Susan J. Sheets was the first-born child of Morris and Norma (Marrs) Sheets. Growing up on the family farm in rural Whitley County off Raber Road, Sue helped her parents with doing chores and taking...

Infant Alexander “Alex” Joel Urban, son of Matt and Hallie (Adams) Urban, was born sleeping in the early hours of Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at Dupont Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana.      Even though Alex was with us a very short time, he was incredibly loved by his parents, Matt and Hallie Urban of Columbia City; six siblings, William, Estelle and Selma, Tyson, Hayley, and Landon; grandparents Larry and Susan Urban, Larry and Rebecca Walter, and Dennis...

Lewis D. “Bud” Bowie, age 77 of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 10:50 pm on Monday January 31, 2022, at Bethlehem Woods Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Fort Wayne.  Born on May 5, 1944, in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Emmett and Huldah (Ramsey) Bowie. Bud attended Columbia City Joint High School and graduated with the Class of 1962.  He then proudly served his country in the United States Army.  Bud was a laborer at Dana, Fort Wayne until his retirement in...

Georgia  M. Lock, age 82, of Larwill, Indiana, passed away Saturday, January 29, 2022 at her apartment in Warsaw. Born December 30, 1939 in Whitley County, she was the daughter of Henry B. and Vera B. (Bills) Cummins. She graduated from  Larwill High School Class of 1957. On June 6, 1987, Georgia married Larry  C. Lock. For over 11 years, she worked for Dana PTG in Columbia City, retiring in January of 2002. She was a member of Harvest Community Church in Pierceton and past...