The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1291324
A-6 Wednesday, September 23, 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 Every Monday at 5 p.m. DEBBIE J. MEYERHOLTZ Debbie J. Meyerholtz, 60, of Stendal, passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, at her home. She was born October 16, 1959, in Huntingburg, to How- ard Lee and Margaret Jean (Lee) Carter; and married Rick Meyerholtz on Septem- ber 24, 1976, at the Zoar Unit- ed Methodist Church. She worked as a PMR at the post office in Stendal. She at- tended New Liberty Church, enjoyed camping, cooking, sewing and quilting, and es- pecially loved being with her family. Debbie is survived by her husband, Rick Meyerholtz, of Stendal; four children, Jason Meyerholtz, of Stendal, Jared "Jerry" (Kristi) Meyerholtz, of Cannelton, Justin (Tina) Mey- erholtz, of Stendal, and Jenny (Brandon) Meyerholtz, of Pe- tersburg; one brother, Danny Carter, of Petersburg; and one grandson, Ryan. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, September 24, 2020, at St. Paul Cemetery in Stendal, with Pastor Gary Pancake of- ficiating. Nass and Son Funeral Home in Huntingburg has been en- trusted with the arrange- ments. Condolences may be shared online at www.nas- sandson.com. DORIS MAE ERWIN Doris Mae Erwin, 94, of Winslow, passed away at 3:51 a.m. on Friday, September 18, 2020, at Courtyard Health Care in Goshen. She was born December 20, 1925, in Pike County, to Wil- liam A. and Maude (Coleman) Chumbley; and married Law- rence Ray Erwin in Shawnee- town, Ill., in 1945. She was employed at Swifts and Purdue Farms, and en- joyed quilting and embroidery. She is survived by two daughters, Carol (Dawn) Rademacher, of Goshen, and Faye (Gary) Collins, of Hunt- ingburg; two stepchildren, Tom (Betty) Erwin, of Jas- per, and Verturia Quiggins, of Greenwood; six grandchil- dren; seven step-grandchil- dren; 13 great-grandchildren; 11 step-great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchil- dren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lawrence Ray Erwin; one son, Michael R. Erwin; one stepdaughter, Meris Ella Julian; one grand- son; and one step-grandson. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sep- tember 24, 2020, at the Nass & Son Funeral Home in Hunting- burg. Burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Winslow. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until service time on Thursday at the funeral home. Condolences may be shared online at www.nassandson. com. LORET TA M. WHITEHEAD Loretta M. Whitehead, 80, of Otwell, passed away at 9:42 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15, 2020, at home. She was born in Velpen on March 10, 1940, to Joseph and Pearl (Nelson) Brown. She married Jim Whitehead on April 20, 1963, in the Otwell Methodist Church. She was a 1958 graduate of Otwell High School. She then graduated from cosmetolo- gy school and was a licensed beautician. She was a beauti- cian at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville for five years and then in a beauty shop in Pe- tersburg, before becoming a mom and homemaker. She loved mowing her yard, gardening and selling Avon for over 25 years. Surviving are her husband, James Whitehead, of Otwell; one daughter, April (Mike) Bauer, of Middleton, Wisc.; two grandsons, Tyler and Al- ex Bauer; and one brother, Ru- dy (Karen) Brown, of Velpen. Preceding her in death is one sister, Marilyn Jo Mc- Clure. The family would like to ex- tend their sincere thanks to hospice and to her long term caregivers, Nancy, Carmen, Karla, Mikala and Vicki for their outstanding care. There will be no services. Online condolences may be made to www.becherkluesner. com. ROSEMARY BLAIR Rosemary Blair, 91, of Winslow, passed away Sep- tember 15, 2020, in Newburgh. She was born November 22, 1928, in Washington, to Charles and Julia Bowman. She was a member of the Winslow American Legion Auxiliary Post #115 and the Winslow Eagles Post #2646. She is survived by her sons, Chuck (Tarri) Blair, of Winslow, and Kenneth Blair, of Dale; daughters, Julia Waltz, of Crawfordsville, Ind., and Glenda ( Jack) Greene of Rockville, Ind.; and many grandchildren, great grand- children and great-great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Rufus A. Blair; and brothers, Paul Bowman, Harlan Bowman, Roy Bow- man and Forrest "Pug" Bow- man. Harris Funeral Home is en- trusted with her care. BRENT R. BLACK Brent R. Black, 42, of Vin- cennes, passed away at 2 p.m. on Monday, September 14, 2020, at Good Samaritan Hospital, with his family at his side. He was born November 27, 1977, in Vincennes. He had worked at Vin- cennes University, UTEC and was a coal miner. A mem- ber of the Bethlehem Baptist Church, he loved cars, trucks and motorcycles, and was an avid Colts fan. Surviving are his mother and father, Marvin and Gaye McCarter, of Vincennes; his children, Kelby Black and DENNIS R AY MERKLEY Dennis Ray Merkley, 58, of Huntingburg, passed away on September 15, 2020. He was born on May 23, 1962, to Hubert and Marga- ret (Schnetzke) Merkley. In years past, he was a ship- ping supervisor at Decora. He is survived by his chil- dren, Josh Merkley, of Albion, Ill., Angelica Merkley, of Sten- dal, and Brandon Merkley, of Jasper; her siblings, Pamela Merkley, of Celestine, Sarah Bailey, of Huntingburg, Joan Oser, of Huntingburg, Dar- rell "Butch" Merkley, of Bird- seye, Nancy Merkley, of Ow- ensboro, Ky., Randy (Kathy) Merkley, of Kyana, and Hubert "Junior" Merkley, Jr., of Texas; and four grandchildren. Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, do- nations may be made to help with funeral expenses. Nass and Son Funeral Home has been entrusted with the funer- al arrangements. Condolenc- es may be shared at www.nas- sandson.com. DOROTHY MARIE TR AYLOR Dorothy Marie Traylor, 94, met the Lord on Tuesday, Sep- tember 15, 2020, at Our Hos- pice of South Central Indiana. She was born on December 8, 1925, in Jasper, to the late Edwin and Rose Stallman. She was the eldest daugh- ter of five siblings. She mar- ried Robert C. Traylor on May 8, 1948, in Jasper and they re- mained married until his death in 2003, just a few days shy of their 55th wedding an- niversary. She was a military wife, and served her family and friends tirelessly with love and devo- tion. She is survived by her sons, Gregory A. Traylor, of Colum- bus, and Richard V. (Tammy) Traylor, of Easton, Pa.; daugh- ters, Connie L. Jackson, of Co- lumbus, and Sherry (Steve) Traylor, of Shelbyville; broth- er, James (Ruth) Stallman, of Jasper; 13 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and neph- ews, who were never far from her thoughts. She was preceded in death by her brother, Robert Stall- man; and her brother and sis- ter, who died in infancy, John and Benigna Stallman. Visitation was from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, September 18, 2020, at Jewell-Rittman Family Funeral Home, and al- so from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sat- urday, September 19, 2020, at Becher-Kluesner Funeral Home North Chapel, in Jas- per, with a prayer service at 1 p.m. Interment followed in Traylor Union Church Ceme- tery in Otwell. You are invited to light a vir- tual candle and send a mes- sage to the family via the fu- neral home website, www.jew- ellrittman.com. Thank You! We would like to thank every- one that took the time to call, send cards, bring food, or just say a prayer for our family during this difficult time. We will feel the loss of Roger for many years to come, but it is heartwarming knowing how many loved him as we did. Thank you again for your kindness. Sincerely, The family of Roger Willis 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 We, the family of Marilyn (Houchin) Beadles, express our sincere appreciation to family, friends and neighbors for their prayers, condolences, acts of kindness, love, and support during the passing of my wife, our mom, grandma, great-grandma, and sister. We are grateful for all the memorial contributions, flowers, keepsakes, cards and food. We appreciate all those who visited the funeral home and attended the funeral. Thank you to Lowell Thomas for the beautiful service and to Nass & Son's Funeral Home for your assistance and kindness, also thank you to Keith Bauer for the awesome flower arrangements. Thank you to Kevin Beadles, Scott and Tona Satterfield, Phil Sharp, Tyler Dillon and Mark Buffenbarger who served as pallbearers and to Joni Dillon for bringing the food. A special thank you to Dr. Ahmed and his staff at Deaconess Gateway for taking such great care of her the last 10 years during her fight with cancer, and to Larry and Sue Mann for always being there and supporting us, and standing by our sides when times were tough. If we failed to mention anyone, please know it was not intentional and your thoughtfulness was truly appreciated. Sammy Beadles Scott & Tona Satterfield Kevin Beadles (companion, Tammy Cato) Tyler, Shanique and Aiden Dillon M a r i ly n ( Houch i n) B e ad le s January 10, 1940 - July 24, 2020 K ARL G. FLUCKEY Karl G. Fluckey, 48, of Washington, passed away at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sep- tember 19, 2020, at home. He was born in Jasper on June 15, 1972, to Thomas and Judith (Baker) Fluckey. Due to a childhood illness, he was left with severe phys- ical and mental handicaps, but through all of this, he was still able to touch and inspire many people throughout his life. Those who knew him could feel his love for fami- ly and friends, and his great- est contribution will be how he taught those around him to love, live and appreciate life. He loved coloring and his Etch-A-Sketch, and looking at and carrying around stacks of magazines. He is survived by his moth- er, Judy Fluckey, of Jasper; four siblings, Tammy (Bert) Hayworth, of Loogootee, Tim Fluckey, of Jasper, Shelley (Keith) Truelove, of Otwell, and Shari Morrison, of Jasper; three nieces and seven neph- ews; one great-niece and one great-nephew. Preceding him in death was his father, Thomas Fluckey. Funeral services will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sep- tember 24, 2020, at the Bech- er-Kluesner North Chapel in Jasper, with Rev. Darrel Land officiating. Burial will follow at a later date. Visitation will be from 2 p.m. until service time on Thursday at the chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to the wishes of the family. The family would like to give a special thanks to all Karl's caregivers through- out his life for their excel- lent care. Online condolences may be made at www.becher- kluesner.com. RUBY AMBROSE GR AY Ruby Ambrose Gray, 96, for- merly of Cato, was given back to God on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020. She had a peaceful pass- ing at home, with her daugh- ter and granddaughter by her side. She left behind a griev- ing, but tremendously grate- ful family, for having loved and been loved by such an es- pecially wonderful woman. Born on March 21, 1924, in Ohio County, Ky., she was the daughter of George Washing- ton Ambrose and Cora Jack- son Ambrose. The youngest and last sur- viving of three children, she grew up on the family farm and graduated from Daviess County High School in Ow- ensboro, Ky. Having lived through the Great Depression, she joined the workforce as a factory su- pervisor during World War II, helping to train other women working on the line to make communication parts for the war effort. A war bride in 1944, she married James "Jim" Lowell Gray, an electronics mechanic in the army and native of Pike County. When her husband was sta- tioned in Hawaii, she moved from Kentucky to Indiana to be close to his family. She continued her war support by working in Huntingburg. A f- ter the war, Ruby and Lowell worked in Otwell for a short stint, running a gas station owned at the time by Lowell's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lisle and Ruth Gray. Always one up to the challenge of some- thing new, Ruby would often be found doing everything from pumping gas and clean- ing windshields to running the register. Then in 1951, af- ter briefly having moved to Indianapolis where their first daughter, Patty, was born, they returned to Pike Co. to take over Gray's General Store in Cato. A woman of ma- ny talents, an ever positive at- titude, and boundless energy, Ruby helped to run the busy store for many years, becom- ing a familiar and friendly face to those passing through Ca- to. All the while, raising a fam- ily, which soon included her second child, Cyndi, born in 1954. In 1966, Lowell and Ru- by designed and built their dream house, just up the road on Hwy. 56. The front of the house was to serve as a show- room and workshop for Gray's Electric, where they were one of the first places in the area to sell and service televisions. As a follower of Jesus, she and Lowell were deeply com- mitted members of Mount Ol- ive General Baptist Church, where he was a deacon, and she played piano and organ, and helped run Vacation Bible School for decades. Ruby was an upstanding member of the local commu- nity, always willing to lend a hand, share a laugh, or bake a casserole to take to a fam- ily during hard times. As a member of her local Home Economics Club, she enjoyed learning about new garden- ing and homemaking tech- niques. Ever a jokester, she particularly loved to dress up for Halloween, to keep neigh- bors guessing as to who that "funny 'ole hobo" was! A solid support for her family, having lost her mother unexpectedly in 1951, she was able to care for her father at her home un- til his passing in 1970. A fter her children left home, she was able to devote more time to artistic hobbies and pursuits, winning many ribbons for her ceramics en- tries into the county and state fairs. And for a while, she joined her husband in taking up bowling in a league, until after winning a trophy or two, at the risk of bruising his ego, she decided to leave being the sports winner to her husband, "Jim". Once her grandchil- dren, who adored her, came along, she enjoyed spoiling them during long summer vis- its, making them "club hous- es" out of old refrigerator box- es, and hosting lemonade and cookie "tea parties" under the clothesline tents she fash- ioned from old quilts. In later years, Ruby, and Lowell, who retired from the USPS, enjoyed taking orga- nized trips with friends, visit- ing family all over the states, and wintering in warmer cli- mates. In 1999, Ruby suffered two tragedies in quick succession. Her second-born daughter, Cynthia Sue Pully, formerly of Virginia Beach, Va., and her dearly beloved husband, Low- ell, of 55 years, were tragically lost to her, resulting from sep- arate car accidents barely one month apart. While crushed by these devastating blows of preceding deaths, it is a testa- ment to her strength of char- acter and will that she was able to find solace and love again in the many years that followed. In 2002, she met and then later married Vanice Smith, formerly of Velpen. They had 12 comfortable and hap- py years together before his death in 2014. A fter this time, Ruby moved to live with her eldest daughter, Patricia La- Follette, and granddaughter, Kristina Gray, of Louisville, Ky. In these last golden years of life, Ruby's family was deter- mined to provide her with as much joy, happiness and love as possible. She enjoyed going to see plays, a cruise to the Ba- hamas for her 93rd birthday, going to see the second full eclipse of the sun in her life, and lots of parties and laugh- ter. She is survived by her daughter, Patricia LaFollette, of Louisville, Ky.; her grand- children, Kristina Gray, of Louisville, Ky., Alison Sing- er Walker, of Odenton, Md., William Pully, Jr., of Virginia Beach, Va., and Bonnie Wil- liams Huebner, of Evansville; great-grandchildren, Aria and Liam Walker, of Oden- ton, Md.; and nieces and neph- ews, Michael Howard, of Jas- per, Brenda Howard Benner, of Cato, Joe Dragoo, of Evans- ville, Alice Dragoo Adams, of Dawson Springs, Ky., Jerry Ambrose, of Mt. Vernon, Co- ra Ambrose Tanner and Gary Ambrose, both of Owens- boro, Ky., and Nick Ambrose, of Cape Coral Fla. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Septem- ber 25, 2020, at Harris Fu- neral Home in Petersburg. Burial will follow at Vincent Christian Church Cemetery on Hwy 56, just east of Cato. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Fri- day at the funeral home. On- line condolences may be made at www.odharrisfuneralhome. com. Meredith Black, of Vincennes; a sister, Brandy (Mark) Eller- man, of Petersburg; a grand- child; a nephew; and two niec- es. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Howard Groves, and Donald and Georgia Hedge; his pa- ternal grandparents, Dink and Shirley McCarter; and a neph- ew, Nathaniel Jacob McCarter Myers. Private family services will be held, with Bryce Ander- son officiating. Goodwin-Siev- ers Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Brent Black.