The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, August 21, 2019 C-7 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 CARL T. SWIFT Carl T. Swift, 94, of Au- burn, and a long-time res- ident of Hamilton, passed away Tuesday, August 13, 2019, in his residence, with his wife of 72 years by his side. He was born June 4, 1925, in Hamilton, the son of the late Clay Eugene and Erba (Zieters) Swift. He was a 1943 graduate of Hamilton High School. He was called to service in the United States Army on Octo- ber 9, 1943, serving in W WII in the Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe campaigns, attaining the rank of ser- geant and receiving a Purple Heart for wounds received in battle. He also received the EMEA Theater ribbon with four bronze stars and a Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster. He was discharged in 1945 and married Carolyn Joan Diederich on Decem- ber 29, 1946, in Auburn. He attended Ball State Univer- sity, attaining his bachelor's degree in 1948 and his mas- ter's degree in 1953. He then returned to serve his coun- try in the Army once again in the Korean Conflict. He was a superintendent of schools, serving the Del- aware Community Schools, Pike County Schools and Hamilton School Systems. He continued his efforts in education, serving as the Dean of Instruction for Ivy Tech at their Muncie/An- derson/Marion Campus. He then served at Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne, heading up a federally-funded program, "Tech Prep," which he led for 12 years. He was a mem- ber of the Peace Luther- an Church in Fremont, the Hamilton Lions Club, the Hamilton American Legion Post #467 and the Commu- nity Foundation in Angola. He had a passion for any- thing to do with education, which is evident by his life's work, but what he truly trea- sured was spending time with his family, especially his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and attending their academ- ic and athletic events. He was their biggest supporter. Surviving is his wife, Car- olyn Joan "Jo" Swift, of Au- burn; three children, Thom- as E. (Alice) Swift, of Hamil- ton, Michael A. (Tim Leon- ard) Swift, of Indianapolis, and Amy J. (Henry) Shrack, of Greentown; son-in-law, Robert Waddle, of Indianap- olis; eight-grandchildren, Kelly (Chuck Dull) Swift, Brian (Heather) Swift, Amy (Adam) Henderson, Car- rie (Pavel) Sokolov, Kim- berly (Dan Tritch) Shrack, David (Shenna) Shrack, Danny (Sarah) Waddle and Rob (Laura) Waddle; 14 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-granddaugh- ter. He was preceded in death by his parents; one daugh- ter, Patricia A. Swift Waddle; and three brothers, Fred E. Swift, Glen A. Swift and Ken- neth E. Swift. Memorial services will be at noon on Saturday, August 24, 2019, at Peace Luther- an Church, 355 East State Route 120, Fremont, Ind., with Pastor Jeff S. Teeple of- ficiating. Private graveside services will follow in Hamil- ton Cemetery, with Military Graveside Rites accorded by the Hamilton American Le- gion Post #467. A gathering of family and friends will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Satur- day at the church. In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to con- sider memorial contribu- tions be made to Wee Cre- ations Preschool and Day- care, Care of Peace Luther- an Church, 355 East State Route 120, Fremont, IN 46737. Condolences may be sent to the family or the online guest book may be signed at www.oberlinturnbull.com. JERRY PAUL KNIGHT Jerry Paul Knight, 76, passed away on Sunday, Au- gust 18, 2019, surrounded by his family He was born December 18, 1942, in Wheeling, to Paul and Burneace (Myrick) Knight. He raised three children, two sons, Mark and Rich- ard, and one daughter, Glen- da. He voluntarily served in the United States Navy from 1965 to 1968. He spent most of his life working for Norfolk Southern Rail- road, where he took an ear- ly seniority out, and retired from Farbest Foods. He was a proud lifetime member of the American Legion Post 115 and VFW. He loved his kids, the sea and felt most at home sitting on the picnic table at Miller's field drinking his beer. He is survived by his three children, Mark (Becky) Pride, Richard (Pride) Knight and Glenda (Tom) Mills; three grand- sons, Joshua Pride, Trevor Fiscus and Colton White; three great-granddaugh- ters, Trinity, Aubrey and Ad- delynn; seven brothers and sisters, Judy (Mike) Wil- liams, Bill (Dianne) Knight, Linda (Tom) Kirby, Jane (Earl) Meece, Floyd (Car- la) Knight, Jim Knight and Janice Bennett; and 20 niec- es and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Paul Knight; and his mother, Burneace (Myrick) Knight. A Celebration of Life will be at a later date. PAUL ROBERT ATKINS Paul Robert Atkins, 90, of Petersburg, entered rest on Saturday, August 17, 2019, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes. He was born on Feb. 13, 1929, in Ohio, to Roy and Ethel Atkins. He retired from General Motors after 30 years and served his country during the Korean Conflict. He is survived by his sis- ters, Kathleen Willis and Mary Hill, both of Peters- burg; sons, James Marvin and Jeffrey Allen Atkins; several nieces and neph- ews; and great-nieces and great-nephews. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. EDT on Wednes- day August 22, 2019, at the Lamb-Basham Memori- al Chapel, with Rev. James Harrell officiating. Burial will follow in Willis Ceme- tery. Visitation was from 6 -8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday at the chapel. Family and friends may send messages of com- fort to www.lambbasham. com. JACK A. BECHTEL Jack A. Bechtel, 85, tran- sitioned to the next dimen- sion on Monday, August 12, 2019, at Avanti Senior Liv- ing in Shenandoah, Texas, where he had been under the care of Hospice for sev- eral months. He was born Septem- ber 18, 1933, in Washing- ton, Ind., to Beatrice Sum- mers Bechtel. His father, Al- vin Bechtel, passed prior to his birth. When he was five years old, Albert Nordhorn married Jack's mother and became his father for life. He graduated from Winslow High School, Class of 1952, and was on the 1951 Sectional Champion basket- ball team. A fter two years at Purdue University, he enlist- ed in the Air Force and rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant. A fter four years of military service, he graduated with honors with a BS from Indi- ana University. During his military years, he married his high school sweetheart, Lenore Vin- yard, and they developed a love for travel during his Germany tour. They cele- brated 64 years of marriage on June 4, 2019, having trav- eled to all fifty states and six continents, viewing the seventh, Antarctica, from a cruise ship. His career was in Detroit's automotive industry, from which he retired in 1988 as purchasing director for American Motors. Through- out his life, he was an avid golfer and ardent theater go- er, pursuing both in North- ern Michigan, Florida and Alabama, before moving to Conroe, Texas. While in Alabama, Jack and Lenore were in a group of seven that started a still-thriving South Baldwin Christian Church, where he served as elder. He was a member of First Christian Church Conroe, where he served as deacon as long as his physical condition per- mitted. He is survived by his wife, Lenore, of Conroe, Texas; son, Chris Alvin (Annette) Bechtel, of The Woodlands, Texas; daughter, Kelly Dee Bechtel, of Owasso, Ok- la.; grandchildren, Mere- dith Bechtel, of New York, Gregory Bechtel, of Virgin- ia, Mallory Bechtel, of New York, and Christina Bechtel, of Texas; three cousins; and one half-cousin. A memorial service will be at 10 :30 a.m. Thurs- day, August 22, 2019, in the sanctuary at First Christian Church Conroe, followed by lunch in the church's Gath- ering Place. The family re- quests no flowers, but those who desire may make a me- morial donation to the Alz- heimer's Association, 6055 South Loop East, Houston, T X 77087. PAUL G. BAILEY Paul G. Bailey, 91, of Sten- dal, passed away at 1:15 a.m. Thursday, August 15, 2019, at Northwood Good Samari- tan Retirement Community in Jasper. He was born May 6, 1928, in Stendal, to Alvey and Es- tella (Shorde) Bailey; and married Ruth M. Roettger on June 30, 1950, in Stendal. He was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Stendal; and was employed as a woodworking crafts- man in a furniture factory. He served his country as a corporal in the United States Army during the Occupation of Germany following World War II. He is survived by two sons and two daughters-in- law, Ronnie (Patty) Bailey, of Jasper, and Randy (San- dy) Bailey, of Petersburg; five grandchildren, Tonya (Brady) Walton, of Jasper, Tracy Bailey, of Jasper, Er- ic Bailey, of Jasper, Kimber- ly (Cody) Shoultz, of Peters- burg, and Skyla (Luke) Mel- hiser, of Winslow; and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth M. Bailey, who passed away January 4, 2013; seven brothers, Mar- vin, Amel, Charles, Hershel, Luther, Floyd and Jess Bai- ley; and two sisters, Elsie Barrett and Renelda Erwin. Funeral services will be at noon p.m. EDT on Satur- day, August 17, 2019, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Stendal, with Pastor Ed Wicks officiating. Interment will follow at St. Peter's Lu- theran Church Cemetery in Stendal, along with military graveside rites. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Saturday at the church. Nass & Son Funeral Home in Huntingburg has been en- trusted with the arrange- ments. Memorial contribu- tions can be made to St. Pe- ter's Lutheran Church. Con- dolences may be shared online at www.nassandson. com. MARY ELLEN PURCELL Mary Ellen Purcell, 81 passed away at 7:40 a.m. on August 17, 2019, at Colo- nial Assisted living in Vin- cennes. She was born on Sep- tember 25, 1937, in Daviess County, the daughter of Nelson A. and Doris Marie (Bradfield) Veale. She married Robert Keith Purcell on July 19, 1959, and he preceded her in death on November 9, 1984. She was a 1955 graduate of Petersburg High School, a member of Mt. Gilead Unit- ed Methodist Church and Gamma Tau Sorority. She had worked for Midwest Telephone in Petersburg from 1955 -1964 and at Da- viess-Martin R.E.M.C. from 1964 until her retirement in 2000. She is survived by her son, Keith (Stephanie) Purcell, of Washington; two grand- daughters; two grandsons; two great-granddaughters; two great-grandsons; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her daughter, Kathy Robinson; brothers, Billy Gene Veale, Charles Veale, Marvin Veale and Kenneth Veale; and her sister, Marjorie Veale. Funeral service will be at 10 :30 a.m. on Thursday, August 22, 2019, at Good- win-Sievers Funeral Home, with Rev. Clarence Miller of- ficiating. Burial will follow in Mt. Gilead Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4- 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home. On line memories may be shared with Mary's family and friends at www.good- winsieversfh.com. Memo- rial contributions may be made to St. Jude's Children Hospital, 262 Danny Thom- as Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Friends for Ani- mals, P.O. Box 402, Wash- ington, IN 47501. Good- win-Sievers Funeral Home is honored to assist the Pur- cell family with arrange- ments. JANET BURKHART WILLIAMS Janet Burkhart Williams, 64, of Darien, Ga., entered peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior on Sat- urday, August 17, 2019, with her family by her side. She was born November 4, 1954, in Merced, Calif., the daughter of the late Harold Lloyd Burkhart and the late Charlotte Ann Burkhart. During her childhood years, she resided in Peters- burg and graduated from Pe- tersburg High School. She then received her bachelor's degree from Indiana Univer- sity. She continued her edu- cation at Georgia Southern University and earned her master's degree. She impact- ed the lives of many children during her teaching career. She was a teacher for over thirty years. Her career be- gan in McIntosh County and she retired with the Glynn County Board of Education. She was an active mem- ber at Darien First Baptist Church. She was also a lov- ing wife, mother and grand- mother. She will always be remembered for her witty sense of humor that could brighten anyone's day. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her. She loved to spend time with her family and friends. She was an avid reader and Atlanta Braves fan. She also was a big college basketball fan. She was very intelligent and enjoyed trivia games that challenged her. She al- so enjoyed watching game shows. She treasured every moment spent with her pre- cious grandchildren. Her family will have many fond memories to cherish for years to come. Left to cherish her memo- ries are her devoted husband of 42 years, Joel Williams, of Darien, Ga.; a daughter, Le- ah (Brett) Daugherty, of Valdosta, Ga.; grandchil- dren, Casey and Joely; step- daughter, Kerry (Scott) Wa- ters, of Glennville, Ga.; step- son, John ( Julie) Williams, of Auburn, Ala.; step-grand- children, Will Waters, Ty- ler Waters and Dixon Wil- liams; one sister, Patti (Bub) Montgomery; two brothers, Don ( Vicky) Burkhart and Joe (Dalene) Burkhart; and several nieces and nephews, whom she loved dearly. Besides her parents, she was also preceded in death by a brother, Mike Burkhart. A memorial service was at 4 p.m. Tuesday, August 20, 2019, at the First Baptist Church in Darien, Ga., with Reverend Jack Peeler offici- ating. Visitation was from 3 p.m. until service time on Tues- day at the church. The fam- ily would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for me- morial contributions made to First Baptist Church/FBC Darien Baptistry Stained Glass Fund, 201 5th St. W., Darien, GA 31305. Arrangements are en- trusted into the care of Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home www.edomillerand- sons.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 The Experts Are More Affordable Than You Might Think. Whether you're looking for a quick replacement or the benefits of an advanced, high-efficiency system, Carrier has the solution to fit your budget and comfort needs. ©Carrier Corporation 12/2016. HIGH EFFICIENCY COMFORT YOUR WAY PH: 812-743-2382 HEATING & AIR-CONDITIONING Perry ' s LLC Serving the area since 1950. Perry ' s Perry ' s 303 Breckinridge Rd, Monroe City Email: perryshvac@gmail.com Craig Perry Vance Perry Chase Perry the work they did to make the world a better. He is survived by his daughters, Carolyn (Eric) Tinsley and Karen ( Joe) Street; 10 grandchildren; two sisters, June Carrol and Pauline (Ted) Wright; and a brother, Mark Caldemeyer. He was preceded in death by both parents; a brother, Paul Caldemeyer; and spouse, Cecile Gladish Caldemeyer. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday Au- gust 24, 2019, at Lamb-Bash- am Memorial Chapel, with Dr. Darrell Hillhouse offi- ciating. Burial will follow in Spurgeon Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 - 8 p.m. on Friday and from 8:30 a.m. until service time on Saturday at the chapel. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be given to Arthur Gener- al Baptist Church, 5670 S. State Road 61, Winslow or St. Joseph's Indian School, PO Box 326, Chamber- lain SD 57326. Family and friends may send messag- es of comfort to www.lamb- basham.com. JOHN EDWARD CALDEMEYER John Edward Caldemey- er, 78, of Clayton, formerly of Winslow, entered rest on Sunday, August 18, 2019, at I.U Health West in Avon. He was born on January 1, 1941, in Pike County, to Rudolph and Marie Wheel- er Caldemeyer. He farmed for over 25 years and was a foreman at Old Ben Coal Mine. He was previously active in the Winslow Masonic Lodge. He loved dogs and had a con- stant companion in Bear, Jake, then Angel. Through- out his life, he liked helping people. He frequently found a way to give someone a farm job, lend some mon- ey, or offer a helping hand to friends and neighbors. He supported several charities and was always interested in Want to share your news with others? The Press-Dispatch can help deliver it to Pike and the surrounding counties. NEWS! 812-354-8500