The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1191166
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, December 11, 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 Thank You The family of Russell Braun would like to express our sincere thank you to all of our family, especially Aunt Mary, friends and neighbors. For all the love, support, prayers, cards, flowers, gifts and food during the loss of our loved one. Special thanks to Rev. Craig Line for the beautiful service. The Freemasons for the Masonic Service. Dr. Keepes and staff for the many years of care and Kindred Hos- pice for your wonderful care. Also, the wonderful staff at Harris Funeral Home. In addition, a very special thank you to the women of the Calvary Holiness Church and First United Methodist Women for the de- licious meal they provided. Your many acts of kindness were greatly appreciated. Sherry, Terry (Laurie) Braun & Family Angie (Brian) Davis & Family Charles E. Burch Until the day we meet again, we know one thing for sure, you will be there greeting us as we cross through Heaven's door. On Dec. 8, it was the 1 year anniversary of you going to Heaven. Loved and missed so much, Wife, Irma June, Children, Brian, Kristi, Carmen and Amy & e family of Marian "Sug" omas McLain would like to thank Heart to Heart Hospice caregivers, Chaplin Julie Pinlot, Speaker Josh Luker, flowers, cards, visitors and Mt. Pisgah General Baptist Church for use of the church and a wonderful meal. ThankYou DOROTHY MERLE NEWTON Dorothy Merle Newton, 91, of Winslow, passed to the Lord on Dec. 7, 2019, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Pike County to Belva and Bob- by Brittain on Oct. 24, 1928. She is survived by her daughters, Sherry (Morris) Green and Debbie (Ken) Richardson; niece, Dixie Singer; grandchildren, Tif- fany Eckstein, Michael Rich- ardson, Jordan Richardson, Ryan Elder, Chris Elder and Abby Sroka; great-grand- children, Cruz Abel, Lin- coln Sroka, Reed Richard- son, Quinn Richardson, Cameron Eckstein, Mack- enzie Eckstein, Ethan El- der, Max Elder, Nora Elder and Braxton Elder; and her treasured friend, Bob Price. Services will be at 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Decem- ber 11, 2019, at Harris Fu- neral Home in Petersburg. Burial will follow at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. EST until service time on Wednesday at the funer- al home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Amber Manor Care Cen- ter, 801 E. Illinois St., Pe- tersburg, IN 47567. Harris Funeral Home is entrusted with her care. LENNIS RUSSELL Lennis Russell, 61, of Winslow, entered rest on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, at Amber Manor Care Center in Petersburg. He was born on March 16, 1958, in Huntingburg, to An- nis and Ethel (Tisdale) Rus- sell. He was a coal miner and member of U.M.W.A. and retired from Wabash Mine in Keensburg, Ill. He was a member of Patoka Valley Long Rifle Association and attended Muren Church of God. He is survived by his daughter, Alissa (Gerald) Brindle, of Evansville; sis- ter, Becky (Mark) Pride, of Spurgeon; and his niec- es and nephews, Keith Rus- sell, Dennis Russell, Wayne Wedding, Elizabeth Wed- ding, Jadea Russell, Jake Russell, Lincoln Wedding, Joshua Pride, Harvick Rus- sell, Trinity Pride and Au- brey Pride. He was preceded in death by his parents; and a broth- er, Dennis Russell. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. EST on Saturday Dec. 7, 2019, at Muren Church of God, with Rev. Clint Wool- sey officiating. Visitation was from 10 a.m. until service time on Saturday at the church. His family has entrust- ed Lamb-Basham Memori- al Chapel for their person- al assistance. Family and friends may send messag- es of comfort to www.lamb- basham.com. MICHAEL L. CHAMNESS Michael L. Chamness, 55, of Jasper, passed away peacefully on December 5, 2019, at his residence, sur- rounded by loved ones. He was born in Sindelfin- gen, Germany, on May 16, 1964, to James David Cham- ness and Brigitte Augusta (Dobler) Chamness. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Jasper, was a Nascar fan, enjoyed listening to Jazz music, in- cluding Joe Bonamassa, and was a big Xbox gamer. He is survived by his for- mer wife and genuine com- panion in life, Valerie Ever- soll; daughter, Bailie Nicole Eversoll; mother, Brigitte (Terry Culver); stepmom, Charlene Petty; four young- er siblings, Marisa (David) Anderson, George Antho- ny (Melanie) Chamness, Dustin (Kasey) Chamness and Logan Chamness; niec- es and nephews, Benjamin, Rachel and William Ander- son, and Zacary, Syndie and Michael Chamness; and ma- ny other family members that loved him. He is preceded in death by his father, James D. Cham- ness. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 4, 2020, at First Bap- tist Church, 3556 N Porters- ville Rd, Jasper, followed by a fellowship gathering until 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, consid- er a donation at GoFundMe. com to the: Mike Chamness Memorial Fund. Simple Cre- mation Evansville is entrust- ed with his care. NORMA LEE (CR AIG) KRUSE Norma Lee (Craig) Kruse, 89, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on December 7, 2019, at Wellbrooke of West- field Nursing Home in West- field, Ind. She was born March 24, 1930, in Petersburg, to the late William T. and Cleda A. (Sutton) Craig. She graduated from Pe- tersburg High School in 1947 and went on to attend Indi- ana University. On Septem- ber 22, 1949, she married the love of her life, the late Ver- nice W.H. Kruse. They made their family home in Peters- burg. She was a member of White River Chapel United Methodist Church in Bow- man. She wore many hats as a devoted daughter, wife, mother, skilled typist and partner in the family farm with her husband. Through- out her career, she worked for various local attorneys, including Hugh Dillon, Carl Gray, Jerry McGahee, Rus- sell Mahoney and Val Fleig. She also opened her own ab- stracting firm, operating for many years prior to her re- tirement. She was well-loved by all who knew her. She was a friend to many and was al- ways available for a warm smile and good conversa- tion. She enjoyed the many friends who would drop by to visit. Some of her favor- ite times were those spent with a house full of family, gathered around the dinner table for one of her legend- ary suppers. She and her husband also loved travel- ing the world, with some of their favorite destinations being Italy, Hong Kong and El Salvador. They doted on their grandchildren and Norma was much-loved by her great-grandsons, who enjoyed visiting her often. She is survived by her sons, Stephen K. (Lori A. Fetters) Kruse, M.D. and Paul W. (Donna) Kruse, M.D.; grandchildren, Jenni- fer A. (Bill) Taylor, Stephen P. and Jonathan A. Kruse (children of Stephen K. and Teresa N. Kruse), and Stephanie Kruse (daughter of Paul and Donna Kruse); great-grandchildren, Wil- liam S., Drew H. and Ben- jamin H. Taylor; her dear sister, Vivian Jane (Craig) Etter; niece, Catherine J. (Terry) (Etter) Farmer; great-nieces and nephews, Jason (Michelle) Farm- er, Nathan (Kaci) Farm- er, Lindsay (Erin) Farm- er, Joseph Clark, Collin (Lindsay) Clark, Kate ( Jor- dan) Stringfield, and Cree- gan and Elaine Etter; and step-grandchildren, Devon and Morgan Fetters. Preceding her in death are her parents, William WANDA L. RUSSELL Wanda L. Russell, 86, of Kokomo, went to her rest, surrounded by her family, on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019, at 4:07 p.m. She was born to the late Prentiss and Alta (Peach) Evans on Oct. 14, 1933, in Pike County, Ind. She was married to Pas- tor Leon Russell, found- er of Gospel Light Mission Church, and he preceded her in death. She was a housewife. She was very good with her hands, and enjoyed playing the piano, crocheting and decorating her home. She also taught her children how to play their first cords on the guitar and the piano. She taught others how to play the piano, as well. She is survived by three children, Pastor Ter- ry ( Vickie) Russell, Don- na ( Webb) Vincent and Rev. Tim (Chris) Rus- sell; five grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and five great great-grand- children; and companion and special friend, Martin Young. She was preceded in death by her husband, Pastor Le- on; her parents; daugh- ter, Karon; 10 siblings; and three grandchildren, Wes- ley Russell, Brian Vincent and April Sparks. Funeral services were at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019, at Gospel Light Mis- sion Church, 1407 Belmont, Kokomo, with Pastor Terry Russell and Rev. Tim Russell officiating. Burial will be at a later date at Velpen Ceme- tery in Velpen. Visitation was from 11 a.m. until service time on Saturday at the church. You may make a memorial con- tribution in memory of Wan- da to Gospel Light Mission Church. Online condolenc- es may be left at www.eller- smortuarywebster.com. LAWRENCE GLEN DILLON Lawrence Glen Dillon, 78, of Velpen, entered rest on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019, at Amber Manor Care Cen- ter in Petersburg. He was born on August 25, 1941, in Velpen, to Lloyd and Ruth Dillon. He worked road construc- tion in his earlier years on part of I-69 and retired from Alcoa after 30 years of em- ployment. He was member of Aluminum, Brick and Glass Workers Internation- al Union #104 and Ireland Historic Society. He is survived by his wife of 27 years, Catherine "Tin- gle "Dillon; children, Mat- thew G. Dillon, Pepper Mul- herin, of Newburgh, Tony Dillon, of Evansville, and Travis Veit and Tami Veit, both of Velpen; a sister, Bon- nie Erwin, of Atlanta, Ga.; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Neil Dillon; and a sister, La- vonne Pride. A Celebration of Life will take place at later date. The family has entrust- ed Lamb-Basham Memori- al Chapel for personal assis- tance. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham.com. RODNEY L. LANKFORD Rodney L. Lankford, 60, of Terre Haute, passed away November 27, 2019. He was born June 29, 1959, in Wabash, to Jackie Ray and Joretta Lankford. He graduated from Pike Central High School in 1979 and earned an associ- ate degree from Ivy Tech. He began a relationship with his wife, Malou Lank- ford, in 1998 and they have been married since Septem- ber 22, 2011. He worked on the railroad and also was a school bus driver. He at- tended Crossroads Church in Sullivan. He enjoyed hunt- ing, fishing, woodworking and refurbishing furniture. He also lived in Alaska for 20 years. He is survived by his wife, Malou Lankford; three step- children, Jun, Jay Ann and Joan; and a brother, Jack Lankford. He was preceded in death by his parents; and a broth- er, Ricky Lankford. A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019, at Crossroads Church in Sullivan, with Curt How- ard and Jim Bert Baker of- ficiating. JOHN ROBERT SPARKS John Robert Sparks, 43, of Albuquerque, N.M., for- merly of Petersburg, entered rest on Nov. 8, 2019, at his home. He was born on March 31, 1976, in Indianapolis. He is survived by his mother, Jackie (Lowry) Coo- per, of Petersburg; brothers Thomas (Missy) Sparks, of Petersburg, Evan (Erica) Daily, of Columbus, Ohio, Adam (Cheska) Sparks, of Canton, Mich., and Delbert (Shelley) Cooper, of Vin- cennes. He was preceded in death by his father, Warren Robert Sparks. A Celebration of Life will take place from 2-4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, at Lamb-Basham Me- morial Chapel. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham.com. LAUR A JERRELL Laura Jerrell, 89, of Cous- hatta, La., passed away Sat- urday, Dec. 7, 2019, at her home. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. CST on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, at Bethany Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Coushatta, La. A full obituary will follow next week. GER ALD FOX ARTHUR Gerald Fox Arthur, 79, of Petersburg, passed away December 8, 2019, at St. Vincent Hospital in Evans- ville, surrounded by his family. He was born May 11, 1940, in Terre Haute, to Jo- seph and Eathel (Fox) Ar- thur. He married his wife, Ora Jayne (Ennis) Nagel Arthur, on December 21, 1985. He was a teamster for many years, employed at Rural King in Jasper and retired from Walmart in Jasper. He was a long-term breast can- cer patient and the family would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation and thank you to all the doc- tors, MedExpress, Gold- en Living Center and the Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center for all of their support and help throughout his battle. He is survived by his wife, Jayne Arthur, of Pe- tersburg; sons, Scott (Pam) Arthur and Todd Arthur, of Rosedale; daughter, Jodie Blake; grandchildren, Scott Arthur, Jr., Amber ( Jared) Oyler, Jacob Brown and Lacey Brown; great-grand- children, Jase Shepard and Emma Oyler; nieces, Nancy (Gordon) Tucker and Terrie Artman; and brother-in-law, Steve (Sherry Cockerham) Ennis. He was preceded in death by his parents; broth- er, Harold Arthur; and sis- ter, Marjorie Arthur Roach; and brother-in-law, Lester Roach. Services will be at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, at Harris Funeral Home in Petersburg. Burial will follow at Pleasant Ridge Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11 a.m. EST until service time on Thursday at the funer- al home. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Lange-Fuhs Cancer Center in memory of Gerald. They can be mailed to 800 W. 9th St., Jasper, IN 47564. Harris Funeral Home is entrusted with his care. T. and Cleda A. (Sutton) Craig; husband, Vernice W.H Kruse; daughter-in- law, Teresa N. (Farmer) Kruse; and nephew, Craig A. Etter. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, De- cember 14, 2019, at Harris Funeral Home, with a small graveside service and buri- al to follow at Walnut Hills Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. on Friday at the funer- al home. In lieu of flowers, the fam- ily requests donations to White River Chapel United Methodist Church in Bow- man. We're not afraid to shed some light on the truth. 812-354-8500 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Continued on page 9