The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1359118
A-6 Wednesday, April 7, 2021 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 MICHAEL K. ERWIN The family of Michael "Mike" K. Erwin invites you to attend a drop-in Celebration of Life at the Spurgeon Park on Saturday, April 10 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. We will have pictures and music that daddy loved. Please drop in with your pictures and memories to share with us as well. Our hearts are broken and a large part of us is gone, but with your help, we will cele- brate our daddy, who we all know was the life of any party. SHIRLEY ANN FEATHERSTON Shirley Ann Featherston, 75, of Petersburg, passed away April 2, 2021, in Petersburg. She was born August 2, 1945, in Winslow, to Eugene and Velasta (Deen) Morris. She married her husband, JD Featherston, on April 15, 1961, in Hammond. They re- tired to Petersburg in 2003, af- ter serving the Methodist min- istry for 42 years. She was a member of the Glezen Revival Center, where she enjoyed be- ing active in VBS, funeral din- ners and the annual candlelit services. She is survived by her chil- dren, David (Rhonda) Feath- erston, of Calvert City, Ky., and Deborah (Daryl) Stalls, of Paris, Tenn.; grandchil- dren, Carrie Johnson and Josh Featherston; great-grandchil- dren, Alex Johnson and Jen- sen Featherston; sister, Con- nie Anderson, of Petersburg; brother, Terry Morris, of Ow- ensboro, Ky.; and many niec- es and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, JD Feather- ston, on January 27, 2008; par- ents, Velasta and Eugene Mor- ris; and sister, Becky Overbey. Services will take place at 3 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 10, 2021, at O.D. Harris Funer- al Home in Petersburg, with Pastor Joe Henson officiating. Burial will follow at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1 p.m. until service time on Sat- urday at the funeral home. Harris Funeral Home is en- trusted with her care. JANET K AY NORRICK Janet Kay Norrick, 68, of Oakland City, entered rest on Friday, March 26, 2021, at The Waters in Princeton. She was born on Jan. 1, 1953, in Marietta, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her parents, Norman and Florence (Starner) Anderson. She had worked in the bank- ing business in supervisor ca- pacity for several years. She was a member of the Oakland City Church of the Nazarene. She is survived by her hus- band of 43 years, Jeff Norrick; children, Seth (Annette) Nor- rick of Oolitic, Tyler (Rebec- ca) Norrick, of Vincennes, and Angela (Brad) Coats, of Ft. Branch; six grandchil- dren; sister, Karen (Ron) Hol- loway, of Forsythe, Mo.; three nephews; 12 great-nieces and nephews; and one great-great niece. Services were at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 3, 2021, at the Oakland City Church of the Nazarene, with Rev. Darin D. Nossett officiating. Burial will take place at a later date in Montgomery Cemetery. Visitation was from 9:30 a.m. until service time on Sat- urday at the church. Lamb-Basham Memori- al Chapel was honored to as- sist Janet's family. Memorial contributions in Janet's honor can be sent to Oakland City Church of the Nazarene for the Building Fund. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham.com. JOSEPH E. BLAIZE Joseph E. Blaize, 71, of Jas- per, passed away at 5:35 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, at St. Charles Health Campus in Jasper. He was born in Union on June 19, 1949, to George and Katie ( White) Blaize. He mar- ried Ellen Verkamp on Decem- ber 21, 1973. He served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971. He completed his ba- sic training at Fort Knox and finished his duration as a first sergeant in Germany. He be- gan his career at Discount Au- to Sales, where he was the au- to body repair man in Peters- burg. He worked for Keusch Brothers Body Shop until he opened his own body shop in 1992 called Blaize's Body Shop in Portersville. He was a member of Peters- burg VFW Post #3587 for ma- ny years, where he met his wife. He was also a member of the American Legion Post #147 in Jasper. He enjoyed car shows and classic car resto- ration. He especially liked old- er model Mustangs. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Ellen Blaize, of Jasper; one daughter, Becky Welp (Ed) Schmitt, of Dubois; one son, Frederick J. Welp, of Schnellville; mother, Katie Blaize, of Oakland City; one grandchild; one great- grand- daughter; one sister, Karen Payton; and two brothers, Ter- ry and Tim Blaize. Preceding him in death was his father, George Blaize; and one brother, Thomas Blaize. A funeral service was at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at the Becher Kluesner Downtown Chapel in Jasper, with Pastor Gerald Frye offi- ciating. Burial followed in Por- tersville Cemetery. The VFW Post # 673 performed military graveside rites. A visitation was from 3-7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to a favorite charity. Condolences may be made at www.becherkluesner. com. LINDA LOU DENTON Linda Lou Denton, 79, of Terre Haute, formerly of Sten- dal, passed away at 3:41 p.m. on Monday, March 29, 2021, at the Terre Haute Regional Hos- pital in Terre Haute. She was born February 1, 1942, in Stendal, to Edwin "Pete" and Irene (Tevault) Rel- ler; and married James Den- ton on October 10, 1964, in Jasper. She worked in the field of information technology; and enjoyed embroidery, garden- ing, decorating and interior design. She is survived by her hus- band, James "Jim" Denton,and her son, Derrick Denton, both of Terre Haute. She was preceded in death by her parents; and two broth- ers, Gerald Reller and Eddie Reller. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. EDT on Monday, April 5, 2021, at the Nass & Son Fu- neral Home in Huntingburg, with Pastor Ed Wicks officiat- ing. Burial will take place at St. Peter's Lutheran Church Cem- etery in Stendal at a later date. Visitation was from noon-2 p.m. on Monday at the funer- al home. Condolences may be shared online at www.nas- sandson.com. DAVID JOHN BRIGGS David John Briggs, 60, of Oakland City, earned his an- gel wings on Monday, March 29, 2021, at Linda E. White Hospice House in Evansville. He was born on April 17, 1960, in Charleston, W.V., to George and Elpha (Drew) Briggs. He was a veteran, who served proudly in the United States Air Force as a mechan- ic for the A10 Warthog of the Flying Tiger 23rd TFW, 76 AMU. He had worked at Mas- ter Brand Cabinets in Hunt- ingburg for 30 years. He enjoyed fishing, gold panning, music and joking around. He was also a former performer who touched a lot of lives in the clown ministry. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Loretta (Ead- en) Briggs; daughters, Beth (Kurtis) Tooke, of Ander- son, and Sierra Snow, of Illi- nois; four granddaughters; one great-granddaughter on the way; a bonus grand- son; sisters, Billie Pavey and Elizabeth (Tom) Ruble, both of Evansville, Marna Mill- er and Georgia Curtis, both of Oakland City, and Vick- ie (Charles) McGowan, of Francisco; brothers, Michael (Brenda) Briggs and Patrick (Bee) Briggs, both of Prince- ton, and Bobby Briggs, of In- dianapolis; and sister-in-law: Flora (Blair) Briggs, of Hol- land. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Mitzi Hartley and Shirley French; and brother, Jay C. Briggs. A Celebration of Life will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. EDT on Saturday April 17, 2021, at the V.F.W. Post #3587 in Petersburg, with Rev. Gene Burkhart officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Linda E White Hospice Center. Lamb-Basham Memorial Chapel is honored to assist David's family. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbash- am.com. 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 Safe care starts here, because your health is our priority. It starts with a smile and compassion from behind a mask. It starts with ensuring clean facilities and safety guidelines for our patients and visitors. It starts with in-office visits and even virtual care. And especially here in our ER, which remains the safest place for all of your emergency care needs. At Good Samaritan you are safe in our care. GSHVIN.ORG SHARON ROX ANNA AUSTIN Sharon Roxanna Austin, 80, of Velpen, passed away at 4:23 p.m. Monday, April 5, 2021, at her home. She was born May 23, 1940, in Pike County, to Amil and Mary (Krammer) Lee; and was married to Jerry Roger Austin, Sr. for 52 years before his passing on March 19, 2010. She was an avid outdoors- woman, loved mushroom and deer hunting, and enjoyed cro- cheting and doing family ge- nealogy. She loved being with and taking care of her family. She is survived by two daughters, Brenda Roxanna (Kevin) Gerber, of Birdseye, and Mary Katherine (Doug) Crooks, of Spurgeon; two sis- ters, Roberta (Dick) Bruce, of Indianapolis, and Janice Bur- ton, of Haubstadt; one brother, Robert "Bob" Lee, of Augusta; her sister-in-law, Margie Lee; seven grandchildren; and sev- en great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jer- ry Roger Austin, Sr.; two sons, Jerry Roger Austin, Jr. and Jo- seph Glenn Austin; one broth- er, Dewayne Lee; and by one grandson, J.R. Austin. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 9, 2021, at the Nass & Son Funer- al Home in Huntingburg, with Pastor Terry Russell officiat- ing. Burial will follow at Cup Creek Cemetery near Velpen. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Fri- day at the funeral home. Con- dolences may be shared online at: www.nassandson.com. WILLIAM HOWARD ELKINS William Howard Elkins, 71, of Washington, passed away April 2, 2021, at his residence. He was born September 17, 1949, in Lafayette, to Howard and Dorothy (Pelfree) Elkins. He served as a Staff Sargent in the United States Air Force from 1972-1975. Following his military service, he began his lifetime career in the railroad at Penn Central and retired as an engineer from Amtrak at age 60. He was a "Mr. Fix It" that loved tinkering with tools, collecting train memora- bilia and spoiling his wife with her Christmas treasures from their countless auction trips. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Sharon (Lamb) El- kins; children, Mike (Tricia) Elkins, of Indianapolis, Tina (Danny) Stone, of Winslow, and Julie ( Jeff ) Morrow, of Marion; seven grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and sister, Dianna (Bill) Law, of Phoenix, Ariz. He was preceded in death by his parents. Services were at 1 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at Harris Funeral Home in Pe- tersburg. Burial followed at Walnut Hills Cemetery in Pe- tersburg. Visitation was from 10 a.m. until service time on Tuesday at the funeral home. Harris Funeral Home was entrusted with his care. ZOE ELLEN MEINHART Zoe Ellen ( Vinson) Mein- hart, 61, of Petersburg, passed away April 5, 2021, at her home, surrounded by friends and family. She was born May 25, 1959, in Princeton, to Thomas W. and Sue (Taggart) Vinson. She was a 1977 graduate of Pike Central High School. She was also a graduate of Vincennes University, with an associate degree in nurs- ing. She had worked at Lyons Nursing Home and Golden Living Health Care. She was a member of the Women of the Moose. She is survived by her daughter, Amanda Roy; son, Daniel Meinhart; mother, Sue Vinson; sisters-in-law, Karen and Doris Vinson; grandchil- dren, Damien and Macken- zie Meinhart, Alex Wagler, Kayla and Jonathon Roy, and Corey and Kyle Hovis; and great-grandchildren, Dawson Meinhart and Carson Hovis. She was preceded in death by her father; and brothers, Tom R. and David W. Vinson. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 9, 2021, at O.D. Harris Funeral Home in Petersburg. Burial will fol- low at Walnut Hills Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Fri- day at the funeral home. O.D. Harris Funeral Home is entrusted with her care. On- line condolences may be made at odharrisfuneralhome.com. MARY VIRGINIA McCARTY Mary Virginia "Ginny" (Pease) McCarty, 89, of Oak- land City, entered rest on Sunday, April 4, 2021, at Dea- coness Midtown Hospital in Evansville. She was born on July 24, 1931, in Sturgis, Ky., to Wil- liam Lloyd and Agnes (Le- fler) Pease. She is survived by her hus- band of 64 years, Estel W. "Mac" McCarty, whom she married on August 31, 1956, in Evansville; daughters, Jenni- fer Smith, of Las Vegas, Nev., Sandra (Marion) Reynolds, of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Connie Oneill, of Oakland City; brother, Frances Pease, of Evansville; daughter-in-law, Gail McCarty, of Las Vegas, Nev.; stepchildren, Michael (Rachel) McCarty, of Duran, Mich., and Connie (Howie) Louden, of Indianapolis; 10 grandchildren; and several great- and great-great-grand- children. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Wil- liam Leroy Pease and John Tomas Pease; son, William E. McCarty, Sr.; and grandson, William E. McCarty, Jr. Private burial will take place at later date in Montgom- ery Cemetery. Lamb-Basham Memorial MARY LOUISE HARTKE Mary Louise (Roettger) Hartke, 94, of Stendal, passed away at 8:57 a.m. Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at her home. She was born May 18, 1926, in Stendal, the daughter of Walter and Clara (Siebe) Ro- ettger. She graduated from Sten- dal High School in 1944 and was a homemaker. She mar- ried Oliver Hartke on April 12, 1946. Their marriage was blessed with two sons, Dordon Nel and Dayne Kay. Her main love was her church, family and grandchildren. She was a member of St. Peter's Luther- an Church in Stendal, where she taught Sunday school for about 10 years and taught Bi- ble school during the years her sons were growing up. She is survived by one son, Dayne Kay (Bertha) Hartke, of Stendal; her caregivers, Joe and Karen Thomas, of Hol- land; six grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Oliver Hartke, who passed away June 23, 1974; one son, Dordon "Duke" Hartke; and one sister, Ruth Margaret Bailey. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 9, 2021, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Stendal with Pastor Ed Wicks officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Fri- day at the church. Nass & Son Funeral Home has been entrusted with han- dling the arrangements. Me- morial contributions may be made to St. Peter's Lutheran Church. Condolences may be shared online at: www.nas- sandson.com. Chapel is honored to assist Ginny's family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to East Gibson Food Pantry or Gibson Coun- ty Animal Shelter. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham.com. We're not afraid to shed some light on the truth. 812-354-8500 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Obituary Deadline Every Monday at 5 p.m.