The Press-Dispatch
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B-4 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 The Press-Dispatch OBITUARIES Submit obituaries: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: obits@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Deadline: 5 p.m. on Monday OBITUARY DEADLINE 5 p.m. Every Monday Social Security Matters By Rusty Gloor 'Registering' with Social Security Seeking Donations for Walnut Hills Cemetery Late December 2019, a change occurred at Walnut Hills Cemetery in Petersburg. e Odd Fellows Lodge has operated and maintained the cemetery since the 1800s. e membership of that organization has not grown in recent years, like so many other groups, and the average age of the membership has certainly reached the stage of senior citizenship. I was approached by some of the officers and active members about their concern for the future of the facility. ey were worried that if the local lodge was to cease to exist, the state organization would own the cemetery and all of the assets of the corporation. ey questioned what the future of the cemetery would be if that would happen and feared that absentee ownership would not be good for our community cem- etery and the families that have loved ones buried there. ey referred to other communities that had lost their lodge and control of the local cemetery and that the condition had become terrible. Absolutely no one wants that to happen to Walnut Hills in Petersburg. erefore, the City Council voted to accept the assets of that corpo- ration and became the owner of the property effective December 16, 2019. at transfer of ownership was not something the City Council or myself was pursuing and did so only out of concern for the com- munity. e cemetery has operated on a very low budget over the years and existed only because of lodge member volunteers, donations from the community, plot sales and grave openings. I do not see that changing very much going forward, particularly during this time of loss of reve- nue for municipalities. e City will not be increasing taxes in order to maintain the cemetery, but using revenue from other City funds if nec- essary to sustain itself. at could most likely result in lack of services somewhere else in the City budget and would not be a good situation. As Mayor, I feel an obligation to care for this facility and I know most people feel the same way. We all have family members there and will most likely be there someday ourselves. ere is no doubt this will be a huge challenge for the City budget, but I also believe this has to be an entire community project, not just the City. Together we can make sure this facility will be maintained in the same manner as it has been for many years. A cemetery that the community is very proud of and a tribute to the members of the Odd Fellows Lodge that have worked so hard over the years to maintain. During this time of Memorial Day celebration, please consider a dona - tion for the maintenance of Walnut Hills Cemetery. If you have ques- tions about how you or your family can help with this project, please call me personally at City Hall in Petersburg, 812-354-3396. ank you! R.C. Klipsch, Mayor CITY OF PETERSBURG I N D I A N A City Hall, 704 E. Main Street, Petersburg, IN 47567-1231 Phone 812-354-3396 Fax 812-354-6720 cemetery We are in need of donations. It costs a lot to keep the cemetery up. We appreciate anything you can give. Log Creek Cemetery c/o Robin Nuhring 455 Old Petersburg Rd. Lynnville, IN 47619 Donations can be dropped off at Old National Bank (all locations) or sent to: For information or purchasing a plot, call 812-922-5632 Cemetery Our cemetery is in need of donations for the upcoming mowing season. to keep our cemetery looking nice. Thank you to all who have donated in the past. PLEASE SEND YOUR DONATION TO: John Palmer, P.O. Box 295, Petersburg, IN 47567 Thank you, McClure Cemetery Association NEW LIBERTY CEMETERY COE Donations needed for the upkeep and mowing of the cemetery. Donations may be sent to: Dave Nalley 2594 E. County Road 800 S. Oakland City, IN 47660 Make checks payable to: New Liberty Cemetery For more info, call 812-215-9592. PEACE of MIND Let our 130 years of experience aid you in your selection of a meaningful memorial. SCHUM MONUMENTS, INC. Dale, Indiana www.SchumMonuments.com 812-937-4921 Local Representative RONALD WOODS 812-789-2009 Spurgeon Cemetery We need your donations to keep your loved ones' place of rest in good condition. e Trustees will be at the cemetery on Friday, May 22 through Memorial Day, May 25. (If coronavirus restrictions are lied) You can also mail your donations to: Spurgeon Cemetery P.O. Box 622, Spurgeon, IN 47584 Trustees David Yager, David Williams, Chad Roy, Ryan Yager and Jody Yager ank you for your continued support! V. WAYNE MYERS V. Wayne "Gravy" Myers, 86, of Otwell, passed away May 13, 2020, in Hunting- burg. He was born in Algiers on July 28, 1933, to Kenneth and Clara (Garrison) Myers. Wayne is survived by his son, Kenny Wayne (Kathy) Myers, of Otwell; daughters, Janice (Rex) Green, of El- lenton, Fla., Wanda (Roger) Craig, of Jacksonville, Fla., and Donna (Dean) Harris, of Otwell; 12 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and brother, Myron (Claire) My- ers. He is preceded in death by his wife, Jeraldine "Jer- ry" Myers; son, David Scot- ty Myers; and sister, Gwen- dolyn Myers. Due to the State Mandate on COVID-19, private grave- side services were at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 18, 2020, at McClure Cemetery. Harris Funeral Home was entrust- ed with his care. R ANDY J. CLEMENTS Randy J. Clements, 62, passed away Thurs- day, May 14, 2020, at Eastgate Manor Nurs- ing and Rehabilitation. He was born Septem- ber 3, 1957, in Wash- ington, to Jack F. Cle- ments and Peggy (Cox) Smith. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1975. He was a disabled U.S. Navy Veteran. He is survived by his mother, Peggy Smith; two brothers, Jason ( John) Allen Clem- ents, of Washington, and Tony James (Deb- orah) Clements, of Vin- cennes; two stepbroth- ers Bradley Smith, of Tampa, Fla., and Doug- las (Sherry) Smith, of Lafayette, La.; and four foster brothers, Rob- ert (Stacie) Nodine, of Lousiville, Ky., Ronnie Adeaes, of Vincennes, Zack (Allisha) Willis, of Petersburg, and Dan- iel Ragon, of Colorado. He was preceded in death by his father; and stepfather, Lester Smith. There will be a pri- vate funeral service held. All condolences can be sent to the fam- ily at www.edleemortu- ary.com. All arrange- ments were entrusted to Ed Lee Mortuary. In loving memory of Mother and Daddy, Orville and Fetna Schell and Sister Randy I know you all are happy in heaven with our Lord, a mansion he has built for you and streets paved with pure gold, until we're there, we won't know, "How beautiful heaven must be," our new body He has promised, "Sheltered in the arms of God." It leaves me missing and loving you so much. I stand on my porch and gaze at the heavens and the beautiful stars, I talk to you, it makes me feel close. "Precious memories how they linger," "Beyond the Sunset," "Some golden daybreak Jesus will come," "When the Savior calls, I will answer," I have my reservation. Until then, Love, Judy Dear Rusty: Does tax filing status matter when calculating how much you can earn without a reduc- tion in your monthly SS payout? My wife and I have filed a joint income tax re- turn for years. My wife is working and I'm 62 and wondering–if I start draw- ing SS, does the earnings limit only relate to what I earn, or does it include what my wife earns as well? Is the earnings limit tied to our IRS filing status? I need to know if I should file my taxes as a single to be sure my wife's earnings are not combined with mine to af- fect my Social Security pay- ment. Also, I've read that it's recommended to regis- ter online with SS if you're 62. As I understand it, this should be done even if one's not intending to start bene- fits yet. Is this true? What are the benefits for doing this? Does it make for a quicker start of payments once the election to start benefits is made? Would it help my wife should I die prior to starting my bene- fits? Signed—Wondering. Dear Wondering: In- come tax filing status doesn't matter when it comes to determining if your earnings from work exceed Social Security "earnings limit." If you col- lect SS before you reach your full retirement age (FR A), your wife's earn- ings from working will not be counted toward your personal SS earnings lim- it. The earnings test looks only at your personal earn- ings and, if you exceed the limit, SS will take back some of your benefits. But only your personal earn- ings – as reported on your W-2 or Self-Employment tax return – count. If you're not working, then your So- cial Security benefits will not be affected by the earn- ings test, even if you file a joint return which has an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) which is more than the annual earnings limit because your wife works. As for your second ques- tion: it is not necessary, nor would it gain you any ad- vantage, to "register" with Social Security before you are ready to claim your ben- efits. Indeed, Social Secu- rity does not even provide you with a way to do that. What they do provide is a way for you to create your own personal "My Social Security" online account, which gives you access to all of the online features provided by the Social Se- curity Administration, in- cluding allowing you to ap- ply for your benefits online (the fastest way to claim) whenever you're ready to do that. Having an online SS ac- count doesn't provide you with any benefit advan- tage, but it allows you to monitor your lifetime earn- ings record, get a replace- ment SS card if needed, and get estimates of your cur- rent and future Social Se- curity benefits to help you decide when to claim. You can create your personal "My Social Security" ac- count by going to www. ssa.gov/myaccount. They use a "two-factor" securi- ty process, which means you'll not only need to set up a password but also a second way to confirm your identity (usually via a code sent to a text-enabled cell phone or your email account). But, even if you have this online account pre-established, your wife will still need to contact Social Security directly to claim her survivor benefit if you predeceased her. Sur- vivor benefits must be ap- plied for by the surviving spouse directly contacting Social Security. net edition PressDispatch.net/Subscribe It's the paper. Just digital.