Timothy D. “Tim” Wiedman, age 75, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 7:12 pm on Friday July 23, 2021, at his residence.  Born on June 30, 1946, in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Donald and Gretchen (Kohlmeier) Wiedman. Tim attended Fort Wayne Schools and graduated from Concordia Lutheran High School, with the Class of 1964.  He then earned his Master’s Degree in Mathematics from Indiana University, where he also took a liking to track and cross country and later...

Rita Marie  Coverstone, 82, of Mena, Arkansas, passed away Saturday, July 17, 2021 at Arkansas Hospice Inpatient Center. Born October 22, 1938 in Berne, Indiana, she was the daughter of Leo and Linda (Burket) Velez. She grew up in Adams County and attended local schools. On February 5, 1981, she married Ken Coverstone. Rita worked at Dekko from the late 70's until the late 80's and retired from Walker Manufacturing. After retirement, she and Ken moved to Arkansas in 1994. Rita...

Janis Ruth Mann, 66, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Saturday, July 17, 2021 at Miller's Merry Manor. Born at Whitley County Memorial Hospital in Columbia City on August 16, 1954, she was the daughter of the late Paul Wolfe and Betty (Jones) Wolfe. Janis was a member of the Columbia City Joint High School Class of 1972. Janis worked full time for 28 years at Whitley County Memorial Hospital in admitting, dispatch and the ER; she volunteered with the EMS until she earned her EMT...

Calvin D. Ritschard, age 73, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 8:40 am on Saturday July 17, 2021, at his residence.  Born on July 11, 1948, in Monroe, WI, he was the son of Delbert and Darlyne (Boeck) Ritschard. Calvin grew up on a farm in rural Argyle, WI, and attended local schools.  He graduated from Argyle High School with the Class of 1966.  Calvin then proudly served his country in the United States Navy. On August 2, 1980, Calvin married Cheryl Babler in Afton,...

Robert A. Sanders, 64, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, July 16, 2021, at his home surrounded by loved ones. Born April 14, 1957, in Evansville, he was the son of Paul Sanders and Delores Brown.  He grew up in Mitchell, Indiana. Like most boys, he loved playing basketball, being outdoors, swimming in the stone quarry, and hunting.  Rob sang in the Baptist Church's choir and sang with the Wray Brothers. He graduated from Mitchell High School with the Class of...

Eugene Coverstone, 93, of Pierceton, passed away Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born December 26, 1927 at home in Wolf Lake, he was the son of Earl C. and Vesta (Fry) Coverstone. He grew up in rural Etna on his family's farm and graduated from South Whitley High School and served in the U.S. Army Reserve. On September 12, 1952, he married Jean Grover. For over 40 years, Gene worked for Dekko and retired as a Group President. He was also on the Board of Directors...

Thomas Dee Cormany, 88, of Columbia City passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 2:16 am at Parkview Whitley Hospital, Columbia City. He became suddenly ill at his home on Saturday afternoon. Tom was born on June 8, 1933, the son of Dee F. and Charlotte Gertrude (Vernette) Cormany. He graduated from Columbia City High School with the Class of 1951 and then married Lois Jean Krider on November 22, 1952 at Troy Presbyterian Church. Tom served with the US Army as a Corporal from...

William "Don" Shull, 73, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Monday, July 12, 2021 at his home. Born August 13, 1947 in Garrett, he was the son of William "Bill" and Vivian (Mynhier) Shull. He graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1965 and graduated International Business College in 1967. Don began his work career with Holmes Lumber when he was 16. He was drafted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War in 1968 and returned to Holmes after...

Easy going and out going were just a few ways to describe Rev. Lannie Maloney. He never met a stranger and could easily strike up a conversation with anyone. Lannie was also always there to lend a hand when needed. With the United States’ Great Depression becoming a faint memory by 1950, many families were moving out to the suburbs. Times were gentler with little violence around the country and the consumer revolution was about to start in a big way. The first independent credit card...

Larry C. Lock, age 84, of Larwill, IN, passed away at 5:40 pm on Monday July 12, 2021, at Visiting Nurse & Hospice Home, Fort Wayne.  Born on May 22, 1937, in Wabash, IN, he was the son of Warren and Dorothy (Myers) Lock. Larry attended Franklin Elementary and Central High School, Fort Wayne.  He graduated with the Class of 1955.  On June 6, 1987, Larry married Georgia Cummins in Fort Wayne.  Larry worked at General Electric for 31 years until his retirement in...

Helen L. Rex, age 94, of Albion, and formerly of Brimfield, IN, passed away at 5:35 am on Saturday July 10, 2021, at Northridge Village, Albion.  Born on October 25, 1926, in Huntertown, IN, she was the daughter of Furmen and Reatha (Green) Bond. Helen attended Sugar Grove and Churubusco Schools and graduated from Churubusco High School with the Class of 1944.  On May 26, 1951, Helen married James E. Rex in Columbia City. She attended Brimfield United Methodist Church. Helen...

David  K. Fox, 60, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at his home. Born February 14, 1961 at Saint Mary's Hospital in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, he was the son of Darrell and Karen (Johnson) Fox. He grew up in Janesville and graduated from Parker High School with the Class of 1979. Following high school, Dave began working for General Motors. In the early 1980's, Dave transferred to the new Fort Wayne, Indiana GM Plant and currently was...

Scott Rolland Kimmel, 57, of Stockport, Ohio, passed away Saturday, July 3, 2021 at his home with his mom by his side. Born April 1, 1964 in France, he was the son of James R. Kimmel and Sharon (Robinette) Kimmel-Miller. After his father served in the U.S. Army, Scott's family moved back from France to Columbia City, Indiana. In 1971, the family moved to Hilliard, Ohio where Scott attended high school. He had worked at various sawmills and owned his own auto body repair service,...

Lois McWhirter, 91, of Azusa, California, passed away Monday, June 21, 2021. Born October 29, 1929 in Dunfee, Indiana, she was the daughter of Vernon and Hazel Marie  (Wagner) McWhirter. She grew up in Whitley County and was the sister of  Don A. McWhirter. She graduated from Jefferson Center High School in Whitley County and attended Elkhart Business University from 1947-1948. She worked from 1948-1954 as a secretary with General Electric and International Harvester until 1963....

Evelyn Neeley, 82, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at home. Born March 18, 1939 in St. Louis, Missouri, she was the daughter of John W. Sr. and Mary (Kelly) Phillips. After the passing of her father, Evelyn and her family moved to Whitley County when she was 13. Evelyn worked for numerous years at Miller's Merry Manner in Columbia City. She had been a member of the Columbia City Nazarene Church. She enjoyed reading, grocery shopping and was an excellent...

Joel David Pettigrew, age 45, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 11:15 pm on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at his residence. Born July 30, 1975 in Columbia City, he was the son of James A. Pettigrew and Jenny (Zumbrun ) Pettigrew.               . He attended Columbia City High School he graduated with the Class of 1994. Joel worked as a jack of all trades in construction and also helped out on the family farm. He was a...

Daniel Russell, age 71, of Fort Wayne, IN, passed away at 1:03 pm on Friday June 25, 2021, at Majestic Care, New Haven.  Born on October 17, 1949, in Lansing, MI,  he was the son of Walter D. and Carrie Elizabeth (Leiter) Russell. Daniel attended East Noble High School. He worked as a laborer locally at several factories. Survivors include his son Bart Russell of Fort Wayne and daughter Dawn Reinoehl. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Doris Russell. A graveside...

Ella M. Scott, age 67 of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 6:19 am on Wednesday June 23, 2021, at her residence.  Born on January 14, 1954, in Welsh, WV, she was the daughter of Norman and Virginia (Russell) Mills. Ella attended West Noble High School.  She worked as a waitress and in factories before becoming a mobile home park manager, where she strived diligently to main the integrity of each park. Ella enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, in...

Shelby von Holdt, 20, of Columbia City, passed away Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at Lutheran Hospital. Born September 7, 2000 just down the hall from the room where she passed away at in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of  Shana Hartman and Toby von Holdt. She graduated from Troy Center High School with the Class of 2018. Shelby had worked at Bob Evans, Steak 'n Shake and a few various other jobs as she was trying to decided a career path to take. Shelby was the life of any party that...

Dennis L. Marrs, 73, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, May 21, 2021 at his home. Born August 6, 1947 in Wolf Lake at Lucky Hospital, he was the second born child of Raymond and RoseMary (Blair) Marrs.   Growing up on Big Lake, Denny learned at a young age how to fish. As a teenager he started working at Goss Grocery Store. After graduating from Wolf Lake High School with the Class of 1965, Denny began working at Dana Weatherhead in Columbia City. With the Vietnam War...

Margie's service may also be watched on Facebook through DeMoney-Grimes Live starting at 12:55 p.m. Monday. Margie L. Kolkman, 82, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Sunday, June 20, 2021 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born November 10, 1938 in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of Donald and Bernice (Counsellor) Chivington. She graduated from North Side HIgh School with the Class of 1957 and had attended Ivy Tech College. For over 30 years , she worked for Life Care Center in Fort...

Lawrence E. “Corky” Reed, age 85, of Columbia City, IN, passed away at 8:36 am on Sunday, June 20, 2021, at Parkview Regional Medical Center, Fort Wayne.  Born July 20, 1935, in Roanoke, IN, he was the son of Noel Sr. and Lilly (Mendenhall) Reed. Corky attended Roanoke High School and graduated with the Class of 1953. On June 30, 1956, he married Bonnie L. Johnson in Huntington, IN.   He was General Manager at Panel Mart Inc. for 27 years in Fort Wayne and also...

David A. Smith, age 79, of Columbia City, IN passed away at 6:49 pm on Saturday June 19, 2021, at Parkview Regional Medical Center, Fort Wayne. Born on October 27, 1941 in Chicago, IL, he was the son of Walter Z. and Dorothy E. (Kropp) Smith. He was a Noble County resident since 1968, moving from Illinois.  He graduated from Downers Grove High School, in Illinois, with the Class of 1960. He then proudly served in the United States Army from 1960-1963. On September 10, 1960, he married...

Ardilla Dunfee, 90, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Saturday morning, June 19, 2021 at her home with her sons by her side. Born at home on March 19, 1931 in rural Merriam, she was the youngest child of Harold G. and Northa (Winebrenner) Kesling. She played basketball while attending Wolf Lake High School and graduated with the Class of 1949. On January 7, 1951, Ardilla married Calvin C. Dunfee at the parsonage of Merriam Christian Chapel. Aside from helping Cal on the farm, Ardilla...

Treasa Marie (Gadomski) Bridegan, loved beyond measure, departed on June 17, 2021 for one last adventure, beyond the 48 states she has visited in the past five years, beyond the Middle East where she spent three adventurous months with two of her youngest grandchildren (and daughter), beyond the magnificent beauty of the beaches in Texas where she and her husband spent many winters, and beyond forests, mountains, and small river streams in Riggins, ID, her favorite hidden spot of heaven on...

Paula R. McClain, 50, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at Parkview Hospital. Born January 2, 1971 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of Tom and Dixie "Sis" (Clingerman) Nei.   At nine years old, Paula moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida where she graduated high school. By 19, she moved back to Columbia City and went on to received her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from Indiana Purdue of Fort Wayne. Paula began her nursing career at The Oaks...

Faye C. Webb, age 73, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away at 2:10 am on Tuesday June 8, 2021 at Hospice Home, Fort Wayne. Born on October 25, 1947 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Ellis P. and Anna M. (Glauner) Cunningham. She graduated from West Chester High School with the Class of 1965 and attended Indiana University. In 1990, she and her wife moved to Columbia City, Indiana. Faye worked in Information Technology for Lincoln Financial Group in Fort Wayne for 22...

Kermit R. Hathaway, 96, formerly of Philadelphia, passed away Sunday, June 6, 2021 at IU West in Avon, Indiana. He was born May 18, 1925 in Louisville, Ohio, the son of Charles F. and Imo Irene (Clapsaddle) Hathaway. Kermit graduated from Kokomo High School with the Class of 1944 and the Indiana School of Pharmacy (Butler University) in 1947. Kermit was a pharmacist for 40 years, retiring in 1987 from Pathmark in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He enjoyed collecting antiques and was an avid...

John C. Duffy, 91, of Columbia City, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday morning, June 4, 2021 at Majestic Care West. Born December 20, 1929 in Lafayette, he was the son of Peter and Dorothy (McGann) Duffy.  He graduated from Jefferson High School with the Class of 1949. He served in the U.S. Army in the infantry and military police during the Korean War from 1951-1953. He went on to graduated Purdue University in West Lafayette in 1956. On August 20, 1955, he married Lois J....

  Betsy R. Thompson, 80, formerly of Albion, IN, passed away Thursday, June 3, 2021 at her home in Columbia City. Born October 20, 1940 in Paulding, OH she was the daughter of Francis and Ruth (Birkhold) Ross.   She graduated from Columbia City High School with the Class of 1959. On April 12, 1963, she married Jack Thompson. She retired after 22 years from Lyall Electric. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, the Eagles, VFW #4717 of Wolf Lake and Whitley County FOP. As her...

Betty J. Verhest, 76, of Columbia City, passed away Thursday, June 3, 2021 at her home. Born February 10, 1945 in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of Alanzo and Florence (Koehling) Wickliffe. She attended Southside High School and moved to Whitley County in 1988. She worked at Magnovox for 14 years and started working at Coupled Plastics in 1993, retiring in 2015. On November 19, 2005, she married DeWayne Verhest. She was a member of New Hope Wesleyan Church, Columbia City and enjoyed...

Rick Alan Trumbull, 56, of Fort Wayne, passed away unexpectedly Monday, May 31, 2021 at his home. Born October 3, 1964 in Columbia City, he was the son of Howard Wesley and Ruth Ann (Lehman) Trumbull. Growing up in rural Whitley County, Rick enjoyed being outdoors, swimming and playing in the woods. He graduated from Columbia City Joint High School with the Class of 1983. Rick spent most of his work career at Magnavox in Columbia City until they closed. He loved his granddaughter, was a...

Robert "Bob" John Sikkenga, 85, of Middlebury, Indiana, passed away Sunday, May 30, 2021 at his home. He was born November 9, 1935 in Muskegon, Michigan to John and Effie (Newmyer) Sikkenga.  He married his soul mate, Mary Ann (Bowman) Sikkenga on July 22, 1985. Bob is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Sikkenga; daughter, Kyle Kathryn (Tom) Proksch; son, Paul Cameron Sikkenga; and grandchildren, Collin Proksch, Caleb Proksch and Krista Proksch. His parents and two sisters,...

Fun-loving, young at heart, and dedicated to God are just a few ways to describe Sharon Rucker.  A  few events that occurred in history in 1935 include:  the Amelia Earhart solo flight across the Pacific, Parker Brothers released the game Monopoly, nylon was first introduced, and on November 30, 1935, Jesse and Laura (Pheister) Braddock welcomed the birth of Sharon Lavon Braddock, in Union Township of Whitley County.  She was the sixth of eight daughters, better known as...

Ambitious, social, and someone with a positive outlook on life are just a few ways to describe Maxine Hauth.  A few events that occurred in history in 1920 include the first commercially-licensed radio station broadcast, establishment of The League of Nations, women gained the right to vote, and on January 10, 1920 Ora DeWitte and Mabelle Mae (Bracey) Noyer welcomed the birth of Maxine Virginia Noyer in Aboite Township of Allen County. As a child, Maxine rode a horse and buggy and used...

Terry Lee Friend, 58, of Columbia City, passed away Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at Parkview Hospital. Born May 17, 1963 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Robert D. and Mary L. (Beckman) Friend. He attended Columbia City Joint High School where he played basketball and received the Sportsmanship Award. Terry had been a mechanic at Churubusco Auto Electric and worked at Aladdin Carpet Cleaning. Terry will be remembered for his big heart. He was very caring, would help anyone who asked, had a great...

Megan S. Spillers, 36, of Columbia City, passed away Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born June 7, 1984 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of Timothy and Sally (Geiger) Spillers. With a love for dancing and music, Megan was involved with the choir and voted Prom Queen at Whitko High School and graduated with the Class of 2002. Megan had worked for Pizza King since 2004. She was a member of Dunfee Missionary Church and enjoyed art classes and music with Passages. Megan...

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...