The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, Januar y 29, 2020 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 MICHAEL WILLIAM BROWN Michael William Brown, 66, of Pocatello, Idaho, for- merly of Petersburg, passed away on January 13, 2020 in Pocatello. He was born October 30, 1953, to Robert Lee Brown and Wanda Lee (Scales) Brown in Washington. He graduated from Pe- tersburg High School in 1972. He then went to work for the Boilermakers, Union #374. A fter retiring, he went to Vincennes University for a business degree and grad- uated in 1994. He was in- volved in the Petersburg Lit- tle League when his daugh- ters were young. He very much enjoyed goose and duck hunting, and traveling. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Cynthia (Ful- cher) Brown; two daugh- ters, LeAnn (Blake) Myers, of Petersburg, and Cynthia LuAnn (Patrick) Gordon, of Kokomo; a sister, Gail (Dan- ny) Pearce, of North Caro- lina; six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Wanda Brown; a sister, Sher- ry (Brown) Weisinger; and one grandson, Broderick (Brody) Beard. There will be a celebra- tion of life scheduled at a later date. FORREST E. "MAC" McDONALD Forrest E. "Mac" McDon- ald, 91, of Francisco, passed away Monday, January 20, 2020, at The Waters in Princ- eton. He was born on January 1, 1929, in Pike County, to Ol- ney and Genevieve (Haber- le) McDonald. He had lived in Fran- cisco for six years, mov- ing from Oakland City. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was a retired coal miner, working 50 years at Amax Coal Company. He was a member of the UMWA Union Local. He was a col- lector of antiques, liked old cars and enjoyed eating out. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Betty (Loveless) McDonald; daughter, Marcy ( Joe) Mohler, of Boonville; and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Norman and Harold McDon- ald; and three sisters, Nor- ma McDonald, Wanda Whitt and Rita Hall. Graveside services were at 11:30 am on Thursday, Jan- uary 23, 2020, at Williams Cemetery, east of Oakland City, with Rev. Darin Nossett officiating. Burial followed. Military graveside services were performed by Retired Military Veterans. There was no visitation. You may leave a message of sympathy or light a memori- al candle in memory of For- rest at www.colvinfuneral- home.com. Colvin Funeral Home is honored to serve the McDonald family. JACK A. PICKET T Jack A. Pickett, 71, of Francisco, passed away on Thursday, January 23, 2020, at his home in Francisco. He was born October 31, 1948, in Oakland City. He was the owner and operator of Jack Pickett's Towing and Recovery for 40 years. He also operated Jack Pickett's Garage and Parts for 20 years, where he sold parts, worked on cars and sold used cars. He was a special deputy for 16 years for the Gibson County Sher- iff's Dept., and ran for Sher- iff in 2010 and again in 2014. He is survived by his chil- dren, Crystal Pickett, of Oakland City, Clifford Pick- ett Eskew, of Francisco, James Conner, of Virginia, Lisa Cropper, of Arkansas, Tammy Eskew, of Pennsylva- nia, and William Jack Pickett McAvoy and Samantha Law- rence-McAvoy, both of Fran- cisco; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Kar- en S. Pickett; his daughter, Jacqueline Michelle Pickett McAvoy; and great-grand- son, Joseph Gabriel Pickett McAvoy. A funeral service was at 1 p.m. Saturday, January 25, 2020, at Colvin Funer- al Home in Princeton, with Pastor Tuffy Jerry Blackwell officiating. Burial followed at Columbia White Church Cemetery in Princeton. Visitation was from 4-8 p.m. Friday, and from 11 a.m. until service time on Satur- day at the funeral home. You may leave a message of sympathy or light a candle in memory of Jack at www. colvinfuneralhome.com. Colvin Funeral Home was honored to serve the Pick- ett family. LARRY ROBERT WILLIS Larry Robert Willis, 81, of Petersburg, entered rest on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, at Amber Manor Care Center in Petersburg. He was born on Oct. 24, 1938, in Pike County, to Low- ell R. and Bess (Miley) Wil- lis. He graduated from Oak- land City College with a BS Degree and from Indi- ana University with a Mas- ters of Education. He taught for 30 years at Petersburg High School and Pike Cen- tral High School. He was al- so was a retired farmer and avid collector of farm trac- tors, and was a member of the Union Tractor Club and Gibson County Antique Tractor Club. Larry is survived by his sons, Roger (Dawn) Willis, of Velpen, and Stanley Rob- ert (Michelle) Willis, of Pe- tersburg; his sister, Marga- ret Dean, of Oakland City; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; and wife, Georgiana Willis, in 2014. Services were at 10 :30 a.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 at Lamb-Basham Me- morial Chapel, with Rev. Darin D. Nossett officiat- ing. Burial will take place in Loveless Cemetery. Visitation took place from 4-8 p.m. (EST) on Thurs- day at the chapel. Family and friends may send mes- sages of comfort to www. lambbasham.com. ROY WHITE Roy White, 84, of Oates- ville, passed away on Thurs- day, January 23, 2020, at Gibson General Hospital in Princeton. He was born on September 26, 1935, in Gibson County, to A zel and Helen (Leech) White. He lived in Wheel- ing and Oatesville most of his life. He had worked in the oil field and retired from Gibson County Highway De- partment in 1999. He loved animals. He also loved hunt- ing deer, rabbit and squirrel, as well as mushrooms and arrowheads. He is survived by his wife, Martha (Krieg) White, of Francisco; children, Mi- chelle (Bob) Cates, of Jas- per, Patricia "Patty" Sharp, of Francisco, Cindy ( John) Brashear, of Lawrencev- ille, Ill., and Nancy Mont- gomery, of Owensville; sev- en grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchil- dren. He is preceded in death by his parents; son and daugh- ter-in-law, Danny and Dyla Krieg; grandson, Benjamin Cory Sharp; great-grand- son, Joshua Anthony Man- ning; son-in-law, Steve Montgomery; and siblings, Earl White, Joe White, Jean Jones, Ruby Fortner, Paul "Sonny" White, Ida Rose Hale, Clyde White, and Sue Whitehouse. Graveside services were at 1 p.m. Monday, January 27, 2020 at Mount Olive Cemetery in Mount Olym- pus. Burial followed. There was no public visi- tation. You may leave a mes- sage of sympathy or light a candle in memory of Roy at www.colvinfuneralhome. com. Colvin Funeral Home is honored to serve the White family. 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 Down on the Farm By Hans Schmitz What rural broadband looks like Katiedid vs... by Katiedid Langrock Winter leis Michelle Obama, in her book "Becom- ing," says her mother admitted that ev- ery winter, she contemplat- ed leaving Obama's father. Obama goes on to explain to readers that we must un- derstand that in Chicago, the winters are long and gray and heavy. They seem never-ending and intermi- nable. And perhaps a little fantasy is needed to get you through. Perhaps the re- commitment in the spring to your marriage makes the whole winter worthwhile because you emerge new and with clear eyes. Today, in my home on the cusp of the wild, we are having yet another gray, mis- erable winter day. Frigid winds, sleeting rain. I am not thinking about leaving my husband. Not today, anyway. I am thinking about leaving my interior decorator. (Full disclosure: That's me. I'm the decorator.) Why is it that in the wintertime, we dec- orate the insides of our homes with spruce garland, snow-frosted maple leaves and bare, lifeless twigs? Craft stores make millions of dollars persuading us to make the insides of our homes look like the out- sides of our homes. But the outsides of our homes stink! That's why we are inside! Who decided on this seasonally matched decorating trend, and why am I following suit? Disgustingly gray and frigidly miserable outside? We've got what you need! Spray this fake snow into the corners of your win- dows so you can feel even more trapped in- side your home. It's claustrophobia in a can! Enjoy some dead twigs to put inside the mantel vase that once carried lively tulips. It's lifeless outside, and now, thanks to this dead twig bundle, for the low price of $19.99, it can be lifeless inside your home, as well! Why do we do this to ourselves? This ri- diculousness is not limited to the winter, either. In the dead heat of summer, do you know what my kids bring home every year? Sand art. Hey, Ma, you know how the mo- ment you step outside it feels as if the sun is going to rip your skin off? Now you can remember that grating sensation every time you look at this dry, dry, dry art project. Craft stores swap out their dead twigs and dried (read: dead) flowers of winter to embrace the misery of summer. Fabric flowers with droplets of fake water on the petals now fill the vase — so you can remem- ber the suffocating and wet hu- midity outside while you sit com- fortably inside. Bouncing plas- tic yellow jackets on the ends of wire sticks are sold as delightful adornments to any summer inte- rior design to remind observers of the stress and panic one feels all summer long over possibly be- ing stung by a nasty wasp, even when the threat is not present. Why are we bringing the out- side in? Or, perhaps a better question, why are we bringing the current outside in? I'm a nature lover. Being outside is my favorite place to be. So if I am inside, it is safe to say that the outdoors has become oppressive in some way. I don't need to be reminded of what is outside. I just escaped from what is outside! For those of us with long summers and long winters, might I suggest a flip-flop on the seasonal interior decor? Namely, in win- ter, start decorating with flip-flops — and tropical umbrellas and sweaty fake flowers. In winter, clear away the mug display and pull out the fake coconuts and margarita glasses. In winter, cover the whole home with bouncing plastic yellow jackets so that you may look at them longingly, excitedly awaiting the day when you may once again be stung by one of those little jerks. And then, come summer, fill the vases with bare, dead winter twigs so at least one nature item will not be covered in pollen and causing your allergies to flare up. Spray the fake snow on the windows so you may take a break in the air-conditioned home and remember that coolness is just a few months away. This isn't about not appreciating what you have; it's about allowing a mental break when what you have becomes a bit too much. Our local dollar store sells luau decora- tions all year long. I'm headed there later today to stock up on pineapple lights and leis. The way I see it, you can either spend a long winter fantasizing about leaving your husband or lounge with your husband in matching grass skirts. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at facebook.com/katiedidhumor. e Pike County Clerk's Office will be holding a VOTING CENTER TRANSITION PUBLIC MEETING on ursday, January 30, 2020 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of the Pike County Courthouse. All Pike County residents are welcome and encouraged to attend to discuss Pike County transitioning to a vote center county. is will be an informative meeting that will explain the process of changing to a vote center county versus the traditional pre- cinct model that is currently being used. ere will be surveys to complete at the meeting and all public comments, ideas, questions and thoughts are welcome. Surveys may also be picked up in the Pike County Clerk's Office. The counties in Southwestern Indiana are starting to act to get rural acres off of satellite or cell-based inter- net access and onto fiber. Homesteads with children may soon no longer have to head towards WiFi hot- spots in town to get home- work done. The rumors that internet streaming services like Netflix exist may soon be realized. Alexa will be- gin creepily misinterpret- ing requests in hundreds of new homes. The Internet of Things will have cameras on doorbells showing fields of corn in the background, just waiting for a glimpse of He Who Walks Behind the Rows to come steal Amazon packages. Meanwhile, farmers will see tre- mendous new opportunities when some- thing greater than 25 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds are realized. The most obvious and selfish benefit lies in the realm of education. Access to high speed internet means access to streaming videos. The face-to-face PowerPoint on corn research results becomes on-demand at the first sign of rain. The Purdue Winter Short Courses of old have the potential to be com- pleted from home with an online cohort of farmers around the nation. Fixing the trac- tor can now be just a YouTube video and computer science degree away. Big data in agriculture has been collect- ed and discussed for some years now. When big data began to realize itself, it was cre- ated flash drive by flash drive and upload- ed to the cloud mainly by consultants that could retire to homes in suburbs or store lo- cations in towns. Currently, iPods and tab- lets have the capability to do a lot more in- field, provided cell reception exists. With high speed internet on the farm, data can be interpreted and realized much more quickly by the major ag plat- forms while the farmer surfs mar- kets. Of course, with access to more and more farm data, decid- ing who owns what data and how to interpret that data becomes that much more of an issue. The indus- try looks forward to having that great of a problem. Indiana Farm Bureau's num- ber one initiative for 2020 is health care, according to their most re- cent newsletter. With high speed internet, the concept of telemedicine and telehealth becomes possible, with the ability to visit a doctor from home and having remedies shipped or picked up without encounter- ing whatever other maladies may reside in the folks at urgent care. The affordability of health care in general may not be affect- ed so much by high speed internet, but in- dividual visits might end up a little less cost- ly, and farmers might actually communicate more often with medical professionals if the truck does not have to go to town to do so. Having access to high speed internet used to be important. Today that access is imperative. Although some may choose to forego use of the technology, neighbors that do connect will be lifelines in an emergen- cy. Having the kind of technology to allow three Smart T Vs, a laptop, a gaming system, four tablets and four cell phones to simulta- neously access content without contributing to a limited "unlimited" data plan is expect- ed in today's family. With high speed com- ing to the farm, the family can come back with it. For more information, contact Hans at 812-838 -1331 or hschmitz@purdue.edu. OR A ALICE (WILLIS) JINES Ora Alice ( Willis) Jines, 92, passed away on January 26, 2020, in Fort Wayne, while in Hospice. She was born in Peters- burg on Sept. 6, 1927, to Claude Matthew and Ora Minnie (McGillem) Willis. She was married to the late William George Jines on July 5, 1952. She was retired from Hamilton Glass Factory in Vincennes. Her main pas- sion in life was spoiling her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was known and loved for her beautiful afghans, her beau- tiful rosebushes and her de- licious pies. She is survived by her four children, Emil Roger (Christina) Jines, William Rodney (Carol) Jines, Willis Stephen (MaryAnne) Jines and Nyoka Alice ( John) Huddlestone; 12 grandchil- dren, Candice Fehrenbach- er, Melissa Short, Rodney Jines II, Matthew Jines, Mi- randa Morris, Nathan Jines, JR Jines, Karri Brock, Kelli Gordon, Twila Alice Brown, Jon Huddlestone and Shan- non Benkenstein; 26 great-grandchildren; and a beloved niece, Anetta Cole- man. Services will be at 2 p.m. CST on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, at Lamb Basham Me- morial Chapel in Oakland City, with her son-in-law, Rev. John Huddlestone, of- ficiating. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Saturday at the chapel.