The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1293358
A-8 Wednesday, September 30, 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 Continued on page 9 OBITUARY DEADLINE Monday at 5 p.m. MARY JOAN EISELE Mary Joan Eisele, 87, of Petersburg, passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, at her residence. Her nieces, Barbara (Duncan) Mathies and Mary Jane (Dun- can) Crouchley, were at her side when she passed away. She was born in Wheel- ing on October 22, 1932, to the late Joseph H. Pauley and Opha ( Jones) Pauley. She graduated from Mount Olympus High School in 1950, and was married to Louis G. Eisele for nearly 44 years, pri- or to his death in 1995. She was a cook at Peters- burg High School and later Pike Central High School in Petersburg for 30 years. She retired as the head cook at Pike Central High School in 1999. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grand- mother, aunt and friend to many. She is survived by her son, Louis D. Eisele, of Petersburg; grandson, Nathan M. Eisele, of Evansville; two great-grand- children; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Louis G. Eisele; her grandson, Douglas Joseph Eisele; father, Joseph H. Pauley; mother, Opha Pau- ley; brothers, Herschel "Bud" Pauley, Henry Pauley, Fred Pauley and Jack Pauley; and sisters, Lafern Seifers, Jane Wiza, Grace Fagerlie and Ruth Hume. Graveside services will be at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oc- tober 3, 2020, at Walnut Hills Cemetery, with Reverend Shane Springer officiating. Visitation will be from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday at Harris Funeral Home in Pe- tersburg. In lieu of flowers, do- nations can be made to the Al- ford United Methodist Church in Alford. JESSE CALVIN DYSON Jesse Calvin Dyson, 86, of Otwell, passed away Sept. 22, 2020, at his residence. He was born February 21, 1934, in Stendal, to Willard and Lucy (Nalley) Dyson. He led a very adventurous life. He served in three dif- ferent branches of the armed forces, the Army, Air Force and the Marines. He was a member of the VFW and the American Legion. Jesse is survived by his niec- es and caregivers, Daisy Gar- rison and Linda Atkins; ma- ny nieces and nephews; and a step-granddaughter. He is preceded in death by his wife, Lois Zimmerman Dyson; his stepdaughter, Bil- lie Sollman; his parents; and eight brothers and sisters. A graveside service with military honors was at 1 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, at Burr-Oak Cemetery (Traylor Union Church) in Ot- well, with Pastor Dennis Pat- ton officiating. Visitation was from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday at Harris Funeral Home in Pe- tersburg. O.D. Harris Funer- al Home was entrusted with his care. MARVIN D. STR AT TON Marvin D. Stratton, 85, of Shreveport, La., formerly of Petersburg, passed away on September 25, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. He was born in Versailles, Ind., on September 4, 1935, to Hazel and Rolla Stratton. He graduated from Purdue University and Indiana Uni- versity law school. He had practiced law in Petersburg for 36 years, including serv- ing as the Pike County Cir- cuit Court Judge from 1982 to 2000. He was appointed Saga- more of the Wabash by Gover- nor Frank O'Bannon in 2000. He was an active member of several civic, charitable and professional organizations, including First United Meth- odist Church in Petersburg. He will be fondly remem- bered as a dedicated hus- band, father and grandpa, al- ways compassionate and fair in his decisions. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Barbara; a son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Kelly Stratton, of Shreveport; three grandchildren, Tucker, Joseph and Ellison; a brother, Frank, of Fort Wayne; and a sister, Rita Lang, of Indianap- olis. He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Charles; and a brother, William, of Ar- izona. The family plans to hold a memorial service in Peters- burg when current travel and gathering restrictions allow. AUSTIN LEE CAPEHART, JR. Austin Lee Capehart, Jr., 81, of Washington, passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, at St. Vincent Hospital in Evansville. He was born on January 21, 1939, in Washington, to Austin L. and Viola (Mangin) Cape- hart, Sr. He attended Washington Catholic High School. He worked for Superior Steel Ball for 24 years and retired from Senior and Family Ser- vices. He was a member of St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church and Indiana National Guard. He liked to go fishing and camping with his grand- sons, and sell his wares at the Antique Tractor Show in Elno- ra. His true passion in life was spending time with his loving family. He is survived by his wife, Shirley (Norris) Capehart, whom he married on Septem- ber 19, 1959; son, Austin Lee ( Jill) Capehart, of Anderson; four daughters, Sandra Rich- ardville and Demita Capehart, both of Washington, and Pa- mela (Randy) Hayes and Bar- bara (Tim) Barnett, both of Petersburg; brother, Lar- ry Capehart, of Washington; two sisters, Darlene O'Haver, of Odon, and Shirley Ross, of Washington; 13 grandchil- dren; and 11 great-grandchil- dren. He is preceded in death by his parents; and son, Stephen J. Capehart. A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 28, 2020, at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Petersburg, with Father Frank Renner offici- ating. Burial will follow at St. John Cemetery. Visitation was from 4-8 p.m. on Sunday at Ed Lee Mortu- ary North Chapel, and from 9 a.m.-9:45 a.m. on Monday at the church. Memorial donations can be sent to St. Peter & Paul Cath- olic Church, 711 E. Walnut St. Petersburg, IN 47567. Condo- lences can be sent to the fam- ily online at www.edleemor- tuary.com. All arrangements were entrusted to Ed Lee Mor- tuary. FERN BONIFER Fern Bonifer, 93, of Ireland, passed away the morning of Monday, September 21, 2020, at the home of her daughter, Anne Bonifer Mehringer. She was born in her fami- ly's home in Stendal, on Au- gust 19, 1927, the daughter of Marvin and Milda Henke. She was a 1946 graduate of Huntingburg High School. She was the court reporter for the Dubois County Cir- cuit Court and a staff position with circuit court Judge Eldo Wood. In 1952, she married Rob- ert Lee Bonifer. They raised six children. She was co-own- er for Bonifer Enterprises. She was a lector and Eu- charistic minister at St. Mary Church in Ireland, where she was a longtime parishioner. She served as a teacher's aide at 10th Street School in Jasper and was a member of Women of the Moose. She served as president of the VFW Wom- en's Auxiliary Post 673. She is survived by a sister, Jeanne ( Joe) Rust, of Holland; five children, Michael, of Los Angeles, Mark, of Indianapo- lis, Anne (Bucket) Mehring- er, of Ireland, Alan (Marilyn), of Tampa, and Beth (Carl) Underwood, of Ireland; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her grandson, Luke Meh- ringer, in 2008; her husband, Bob, in 2005; and her son, Bri- an, in 1980. A Mass of Catholic Burial was at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sep- tember 25, 2020, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Ireland. Burial followed in the church cemetery. Visitation was from 2-8 p.m. on Thursday at the Bech- er-Kluesner Downtown Chap- el in Jasper, and from 9 a.m. until service time on Friday at the church. Online condo- lences can be made at www. becherkluesner.com. GEORGE O. BOOST, SR. George O. Boost, Sr., 85, of Oakland City, entered rest on Saturday, March 21, 2020, at Linda E. White Hospice House in Evansville. He was born on Oct. 1, 1934, in Oakland City, to Otto and Rella (Butts) Boost. He was a retired coal min- er from Amax Coal Company, Keensburg Mine, a member of U.M.W.A. and a 50 -year mem- ber of the Oakland City Ma- sonic Lodge # 467. He attend- ed Trinity United Methodist Church. He is survived by daughters Kim (Greg) Brace, of Evans- ville, and Susan (Kevin) Voe- gel, of Oakland City; brother Charles ( Judy) Boost, of Rock Hill, S.C.; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Sha- ron Boost in 2003; and son, George Boost Jr., in 1996. A celebration of life will be at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, at Lamb-Basham Me- morial Chapel, with Rev. Clint Woolsey officiating. Memorial contributions in George's honor maybe given to either PAWS, of Petersburg, or East Gibson Food Pantry. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www. lambbasham.com. Due to COVID-19 mandates from Gov. Holcomb and CDC, social distancing is still being observed, with a limitation on the number of people attend- ing all visitations and services. Face masks are required by state mandate upon entering the chapel. JUDITH K. ATWOOD Judith K. "Jude" Atwood, 58, of Jasper, passed away at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday, September 20, 2020, at home. She was born in Jasper on September 22, 1961, to Mau- rice and Lorraine (Striegel) Buechlein. She married Rob- ert Atwood on September 29, 1984, in Precious Blood Cath- olic Church in Jasper. She was a 1979 graduate of Jasper High School and was a member of Precious Blood Catholic Church in Jasper. She loved children and work- ing with them, especially spe- cial needs children. She was a para-educator for the Olathe, Kan., School System, a Girl Scout Leader and a religious JAMES N. HOUTSCH James "Jim" N. Houtsch, 92, of Otwell, passed away at 5:44 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at Northwood Good Samaritan Retirement Com- munity in Jasper. He was born in Portersville on March 17, 1928, to Rueben and Myrtle (Mulkey) Houtsch. A fter Rueben passed, Myrtle later remarried Forrest Hud- son. Jim married Genevieve "Jennie" Neukam on Septem- ber 26, 1953, in Granite City, Ill. He was a military police- man, who served in the Kore- an Conflict, and was a mem- ber of the Jasper VFW Post # 673, American Legion Post #147 and the Disabled Ameri- can Veterans. (DAV ). He worked at Jasper Wood Products, where he met his wife, Jennie. In his earlier years, he was employed at the Otwell Milling Compa - ny, where he was hired on as the foreman. He worked for Olinger Construction, where he helped build bridges on In- terstate 64. He later retired af- ter 33 years as a self-employed carpenter. He could build or fix any- thing. He built his own home and spent many hours in his workshop. He enjoyed fishing on the family pontoon in Pato- ka Lake. He learned to water ski at age 55. He was a member of St. Pe- ters United Church of Christ in Dubois, and was a charter member of the Otwell Water Corporation and a member of the Otwell Ruritan. Surviving are his wife, Gen- evieve "Jennie" Houtsch, of Otwell; two daughters, Donna (Kevin) Brandt, of Jasper, and Doreatha (Steven) Lintzenich, of Mount Vernon; one son, Mi- chael ( Judy) Houtsch, of Ot- well; eight grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren. Preceding him in death was one son, Rueben John Houtsch, who died in infancy; one stepbrother, Larry Hud- son; and three sisters, Mari- Lou Craig, Eileen Russell and Dorothy White. Funeral services were at 10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 28, 2020, at St. Peter's United Church of Christ, in Dubois, with Pastor John Sterrett offi- ciating. Burial followed in St. Peter's Cemetery. The VFW Post # 673 conducted military graveside rites. Visitation was from 2-6 p.m. on Sunday at the Bech- er-Kluesner North Chapel in Jasper, and one hour before the service time at the church. In lieu of flowers and gifts, the family asks memorial contri- butions may be made to St. Pe- ter's United Church of Christ or to a favorite charity. Online condolences may be made at www.becherkluesner. com. ROY WILLIAMS Roy "Little Mac" Williams, 74, of Washington, formerly of Oakland City, entered rest on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, at Prai- rie Village in Washington. He was born on June 6, 1946, in Oakland City, to Vernie and Avanell Bean Williams. While he lived in Oakland City, he worked for Roy's Weld- ing Shop. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and going out to eat. He is survived by cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents; and sisters, Elizabeth Ranel Eskew, Fern Bates and Susanne "Susie" Williams. Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, at Forsythe Ceme- tery, near Oakland City, with Rev. Tim Baxter officiating. Lamb-Basham Memori- al Chapel is honored to as- sist Little Mac's family. Fam- ily and friends may send mes- sages of comfort to www.lamb- basham.com. DANNIE J. RISLEY Dannie J Risley, 82, of Bran- don, Fla., formerly of Harwich, Mass., and Santa Claus, peace- fully passed away on Sunday, September 20, 2020. Born on November 10, 1937, in Velpen, he was the eldest son of parents William and Mary (DeMotte) Risley. He graduated from Otwell High School in 1955 and at- tended Purdue University, where he graduated with a B.S. in Agriculture Education. He commissioned as an Army 2LT, Transportation Corp. via Purdue's ROTC program. He honorably served as a transportation officer, with his military assignments tak- ing him to many places all over the world, including France, Germany, Japan, many U.S. states and two tours of Viet- nam. He retired as an LTC af- ter 26 years of service in 1986. He then worked as a manager, budgetary counseling for Na- vy Federal Credit Union, and retired in 2003. He cherished gardening, home projects, traveling all over the U.S. and Europe, and valued spending time with friends and family, and his adorable little Shih Tzu, Patches. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and be- loved wife of over 62 years, Linda (Miles); daughters, Da- na Risley, of Arlington, Mass., and her two children, Sam and Kate Miano, and Melissa Ma- tos (Michael), of Lithia, Fla., and her two children, An- drew and Mia Matos; his sis- ters, Ruth ( Jerry) Pride, Mar- tha Risley, and Mary Kather- ine "Kate" (Gary) Williams; brother, John (Suzanne) Ris- ley; brother and sister-in-law Darrel and Betty Jenkins; and many nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by his parents. Funeral and burial services will be at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., at a later date, to be determined by military protocol. In lieu of flowers, dona- tions may be made to Nation- al Park Foundation, Attn: Gift Processing, P.O. Box 17394, Baltimore, MD 21298 -9450, https://give.nationalparks. org or Freedom Service Dogs of America, 7193 S. Dillon Ct., Englewood, CO 80112, freedomservicedogs.org. MARY LEE RUSS Mary Lee Russ, 94, of Co- lumbia, Tenn., formerly of Winslow, passed away at The Garden at Poplar Estates in Columbia, Tenn., on Thurs- day, September, 24, 2020. She was born March 20, 1926, to John H. and Marga- ret Pearl (Sheffler) Carpenter, in Linton. She and her family moved to Winslow when she was a ba- by. She attended Winslow Ele- mentary School and graduat- ed from Winslow High School in 1944. At 14, she contracted polio and spent one year in iso- lation at Riley Children's Hos- pital in Indianapolis. She grad- uated from Indiana State Uni- versity in 1948 and later re- ceived her master's degree in elementary education. She taught 42 years at Winslow El- ementary School and retired from the Pike County school system in 1992. She was a member of Eastern Star in Winslow for over 70 years, holding all offices in that or- ganization at least once. She was an artist and enjoyed oil painting. In 1997, she moved to Columbia, Tenn., to be near family members. From 1997 to 2004, she spent winters in Tennessee and summers in Indiana. She was a mem- ber of Winslow General Bap- tist Church, as were her par- ents, her husband and his fam- ily. A fter moving to Columbia, she moved her membership to Pleasant Heights Baptist Church. She is survived by three daughters, Marilyn ( James) Johnston, of Columbia, Tenn., Becky (Steve) Downing, of Bremen, Ind., and Carol Sue Owen, of Columbia, Tenn.; four grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a sister-in-law, Marilee Russ Hume. She was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert Dale Russ; father, John H. Carpen- ter; mother, Margaret Pearl Sheffler Carpenter; sister, Betty Carpenter Pierce; and infant brother, Robert Car- penter. Funeral services were at 1:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Sep- tember 27, 2020, at Winslow General Baptist Church, with Rev. Mick Finch officiating. Interment followed at Sunset Cemetery. Visitation was from 5 -7 p.m. on Saturday at Lamb-Basham Memorial Chapel in Oakland City, and from 12:30 p.m. un- til service time on Sunday at the church. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham.com. JOHN W. TRUIT T John W. Truitt, 96, of Oak- land City, entered rest on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020, at Good Samaritan Nursing Home. He was born on Sept. 4, 1924, in Pike County, to Ottis A. and Estel O. (Kays) Truitt. He was retired from Pea- body Coal Lynnville mine and was a member of U.M.W.A. During his lifetime, he and his late wife, Joyce, were very active in the Gibson County Democrat Party. He is survived by his two sons, Michael (Dana) Truitt and Kent (M' Lea) Truitt, both of Winslow; six grandchil- dren; 12 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grand- children. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, El- lis, Paul and Ora Truitt; a sis- ter, Lucille LeMasters; his two daughters, Deanna Briggs and Joanna Mason; and his wife, Joyce Truitt, in 2019. Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, at Montgomery Ceme- tery, with Rev. Darin D. Nos- sett officiating. Lamb-Basham Memori- al Chapel is honored to as- sist John's family. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham. 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