The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, December 16, 2020 A-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 Every Monday at 5 p.m. SOMETHING NEWS WORTHY? Let us know at 812-354-8500! 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 BET TE COOMER Bette Coomer, 86, passed away at Gateway Hospital on December 9, 2020. She was born October 6, 1934, in Pike County, to the late Oliver and Juanita (Thompson) Hale. She attended the Oatsville one-room school for grades 1-8 and graduated salutatori- an from Mt. Olympus in 1953. She was a multi-talented lady who first worked in the offic- es of Potter and Brumfield be- fore becoming the principals' secretary at Mt. Olympus and Patoka Jr. High. She retired in 2002 after more than 30 years' service at the Gibson Coun- ty Clerk's Office. She and her husband, Joe, undertook various business endeavors throughout their life together and traveled extensively. She loved recalling all the different places they visited, such as: all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Great Britain. She was a member of the Mt. Tabor General Baptist Church, where she played pi- ano and was treasurer for ma- ny years. She is survived by her hus- band of 65 years, Joe Coom- er; two daughters, Rhea Pea of Camby, Ind., and Shay (Dwight) Seals, of Coryd- on; stepbrother, Paul Rich, of Michigan; stepsister, Stacie TenBrink, of New Mexico; two grandchildren, William (Bree) Pea, of Camby, and Colleen (Seth) Abels, of Ha- zelton; and five great-grand- children, Harrison, Hender- son and Agatha Abels, and Naomi and Aliza Pea. She is preceded in death by her parents; son-in-law, Daniel Pea; stepmother, Lucille Rich Hale; and stepbrother, Larry Rich. A graveside service will be at 1 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, at Mt. Olive Cemetery, with Pastor Wesley Haas offi- ciating. Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor's choice in lieu of flowers. The family would like to extend special thanks to those who provided care for Bette in recent years including private caregivers, especially Cindy Weiss, Stacy Ellis, Pat- ty Sweepy and Patty Craig; the staff at the 5th Floor, Riv- erOaks and Gateway Hospital; and Dr. Patel and Dr. Brink. Online condolences may be made at www.colvinfuner- alhome.com. Colvin Funeral Home is honored to serve the Coomer family. BOB J. GR ABLE Bob J. "Buttermilk" Grable, 89, of Petersburg, passed away Saturday, December 12, 2020, at Daviess Community Hospi- tal in Washington. He was born in Petersburg on December 4, 1931, to Victor and Audie (Dawson) Grable. He served in the U.S. Ma- rine Corps during the Korean War, and upon returning to Pe- tersburg, spent his life work- ing as a mechanic. He is survived by his sons, Joe (Cindy) Grable, of Peters- burg, and Mike (Susan) Cock- erham, of Florida; grandchil- dren, Melissa ( Jay) Knepp, Joshua (Megan) Grable and Cody Cockerham; and great-grandchildren, Katie, Lance and Luke Knepp, Alay- na Grable, and one more on the way. He was preceded in death by his wife, Winifred (Cock- erham) Grable, in 2012; his parents; and a brother, Byron. Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, De- cember 16, 2020, at Walnut Hills Cemetery in Petersburg, with Pastor Ron Ficklin offici- ating. Online condolences may be made at www.odharrisfuner- alhome.com. O.D. Harris and Sons Funeral Home is entrust- ed with care. FREDERICK EMERY CAT T, JR. Frederick Emery Catt, Jr., 76, of Petersburg, passed away December 8, 2020, in Peters- burg. He was born July 30, 1944, in Petersburg, to Frederick and Ermyl ( Wade) Catt. He served proudly in the Ar- my during the Vietnam War. He spent his life working for the railroad, where he became an engineer. He is survived by his wife, Doris Catt, of Petersburg; daughter, Elizabeth (Matt) Kixmiller, of Cicero; grand- children, Caleb, Jacob and Emilea Kixmiller; and sister, Linda Novak, of Mountain Top, Pa. He was preceded in death by his son, Phillip Catt; and his parents. Graveside services were at noon EST on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, at Willis Cemetery in Petersburg, with Pastor Clark Gray officiating. Harris Funeral Home was entrusted with his care. STEVEN SCOT T ARNOLD Steven Scott Arnold, 68, lost his hard fought battle against COVID-19 and joined our dear Heavenly Father on December 10, 2020. He was born on January 13, 1952, in Petersburg, to Jack and Edna (Bass) Arnold. On August 17, 1974, he married Elaine (Knapp) Arnold and they enjoyed 46 wonderful years together. He and Elaine loved to trav- el with family and friends, along with exploring new plac- es. He graduated from Peters- burg High School in 1970. Al- though he held several posi- tions during his lifetime, three of his favorite jobs were selling insurance with Farm Bureau, working at Golden Living Cen- ter in Petersburg, and Good Sa- maritan Hospital in Vincennes, with the latter two being in the maintenance department. He loved working with his hands and could fix just about any- thing. For many years, he was an active member in the Peters- burg Jaycees and several com- munity organizations. He was a fan of 60's rock and roll mu- sic and could often be heard singing his favorite song lyr- ics. He loved all sports, espe- cially watching the L A Dodg- ers and IU basketball, but his real passion was golf. He never missed an opportunity to play, whether it was with his buddies at Prides Creek Golf Course or traveling to other courses with family and friends. One of his greatest joys was working with young golfers who came to him for help. He was always excit- ed to watch them improve. In his younger days, he was very active in coaching his sons in any sport they were participat- ing in, including Little League baseball, basketball and golf. He spent many years coaching high school golf at Pike Central and was always proud when his grown golfers referred to him as "Coach." He especially en- joyed golfing with his sons any chance he got. He always felt his great- est blessings in life were his family; his wife, his children, and his grandchildren, and he loved spending time with them. They were his pride and joy, and he was their biggest fan. He tried to never miss any activity they were participating in, whether it be sports, school plays, chorus performances or other school activities. He tried to make the most of every moment he could spend with them. He was so very proud of all of them and they loved him dearly. His favorite role was that of Dad/Grandpa/Papaw and is what he treasured most. He had a wonderful sense of humor and infectious smile. He never met a stranger and loved to carry on a conversation with everyone. He enjoyed life to the fullest. He had a quick wit and if he could make you laugh, he was happy. He was always will- ing to lend a helping hand to others. He is survived by his wife, Elaine; two sons, Scott David, his wife, Kristin, and their chil- dren, Makinna and Layton, and Gary Steven, his wife, Ash- leigh, and their children, Jax- on, Cutter and Shooter Jack; a sister, Donna Rademacher; along with many nieces and nephews, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Jackie; a nephew, Dougie Rademach- er; and great-nephew, Dereck Rademacher. Due to the pandemic, a pri- vate funeral service will be held for immediate family, with burial at Anderson Chap- el. A celebration of life will be at a later date for all of his ma- ny friends and family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital (st- jude.org) and Shriners Hospi- tal for Children (shrinershos- pitalsforchildren.org) in his name. These organizations had a special place in his heart as he was always so very grate- ful for his five healthy and hap- py grandchildren, and wanted to help other children. Harris Funeral Home is en- trusted with his care. MICHAEL L. MASON Michael L. Mason, 78, passed away on December 11, 2020, at Deaconess Gateway in Newburgh. He was born January 19, 1942, in Spurgeon, the son of Howard Owen Mason and Eli- nor (Toole) Mason-France. He attended Spurgeon Grade School and High School until 1959. He graduated from Winslow High School in 1960 as co-valedictorian. He was a graduate of Oakland City Col- lege in August 1963, with Cum Laude honors. He served in the U.S. Army from November 1963-Novem- ber 1965, primarily at Fort Me- ade, Md. He married Dorothy "Dotty" Fella in May 1964. She passed away in April 2005. He then married Mary (Bunch) Lantaff-Mason in June 2006. He was an accountant and worked at Geo Koch Sons, Al- coa, and Monticello Manor, Small and Schelosky Floor- ing Distributors, and Craw- ford Door–Wayne Dalton un- til his retirement in 2005. A f- ter retirement, he volunteered at the Bread of Life Ministry and Warrick County Habitat of Humanity. He went on mis- sion trips to Red Bird Mission and to Henryville, Ind. He was of the United Methodist faith, serving on the Board of Trust- ees and was church treasur- er at Faith United Methodist Church in Boonville. He is survived by his son, Kelvin (Kathy) Mason; one granddaughter; and his wife, Mary (Bunch) Lantaff-Mason. Graveside services were at noon CST on Tuesday, De- cember 15, 2020, at Spurgeon Cemetery. There was no public visita- tion. Memorial contributions may be made to the Bread of Life Ministry or Warrick County Habitat of Humani- ty. Condolences to the family can be sent to www.bradley- scc.com. RUSSELL W. HALE Russell W. "Rusty" Hale, 62, entered into rest Decem- ber 12, 2020, at his home in Winslow. His primary resi- dence was Falls of Rough, Ky. He was born February 7, 1958, to Donald (Squire) Hale and Patricia (Brock) McAtee. He lived in Falls of Rough, Ky., for 25 years with his com- panion of 33 years, Brenda Bolin, whom recently passed in August 2020. He enjoyed and loved his Kentucky home with Brenda, his dogs, Am- ber and Ruby, and his pet pig, Phoebe. He enjoyed any and all time with his children and grandchildren. He was an av- id hunter and fisherman, hold- ing many state fishing records in Kentucky as Master Angler. He leaves behind two chil- dren, Amy (Chris) Sisk, and Joshua Hale; and adopted by the heart, Jeff ( Jennifer) Gay- hart; three grandchildren, Kayla (Derrick) Anderson, and Kaleb and Adam Bolin; the pride of his eye, his two great-grandchildren, Brantlee Haire and Addison Anderson; one brother, Kelly; and three sisters, Carmen, Ceandra and Taffy. He was preceded into death by his parents; companion, Brenda Bolin; and grandson, Timothy Bolin. Respecting his wishes, there will be no services. Simple Cremation in Evans- ville has been entrusted with his care. Spring of 2021, his family will return him to his favor- ite place, Falls of Rough, Ky., and have a private ceremony at Rough River Dam tail waters. The family of Eleanor A. Gladish wishes to express their gratitude for all the prayers and expressions of sympathy offered in their loss. We are humbled and honored by the outpouring of cards and Face- book notifications sent and the gen- erous donations to her charities. It is apparent she will be missed by many and left a legacy of friend- ships. Special thank you to Alford and Al- gier's Methodist Churches, Harris Funeral Home, Reverends Mike Atkins and Steve Seitz, and their aunt Sharon Gladish. The family of Eleanor A. Gladish Atkins and Steve Seitz, and their aunt Sharon Gladish. PHYLLIS CHARLESTINE PARKER Phyllis Charlestine Parker, 83, of Ft. Branch, passed away December 12, 2020, at North River Health Campus, Evans- ville. She was born June 19, 1937, near Sand Hill in Gibson County, to Norman and Can- dis (Pugh) Annis. She graduated from Mack- ey High School in 1954. She married Glenn Parker at Sa- lem EUB Church on March 6, 1956. She retired after 15 years as a records input secretary at the Evansville Indiana State Police post, a job she very much enjoyed. She loved an- imals, especially Boston ter- rier and miniature Schnau- zer dogs, and she enjoyed the company of many beloved pets through the years. She enjoyed cross-stitching quilt tops, which she then had quilt- ed by the Amish in Daviess County. Many beautiful quilts were created in this way, and are treasured by her relatives and friends. Her faith journey began at Providence Primitive Baptist Church near Mack- ey. At the time of her death, she was a member of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Oakland City. She is survived by her hus- band, Glenn Parker; three children, Jan Parker, of Lititz, Penn., Kent (Laurie) Parker, of New Harmony, and Thomas Glenn Parker, of Fort Branch; two grandchildren, Heather Parker, of Texas, and Benja- min (Lauren) Parker, of Nash- ville, Tenn.; one great-grand- child, Vinaya; a sister, Sharon (Charlie) Sisson, of Florida; a nephew; and four nieces. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Nor- man Lloyd and Harold Floyd; a sister, Jean Schaefer; and by an infant son, Thomas Scott Parker. Private graveside services will be at Albright Cemetery near Mackey, Dr. Douglas Low and Rev. Neal Scifres officiat- ing. Lamb-Basham Memorial Chapel is honored to assist Phyllis' family. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbash- am.com. Pregnant... or think you are? Call:1-877-257-1084 or Locally Call: 1-812-354-2814 • Free pregnancy testing • Free counseling and info. on pregnancy options. • Confi dential counseling for women & men who are suff ering from post-abortion syndrome. • Residential Care • Health and assistance referrals. • Training and education. • Assistance in getting baby and maternity clothes washpcc@sbcglobal.net www.washingtonpregnancycenter.com Life Milestones made free CALL: 812-354-8500 Put a free photo with write up on Weddings, Anniversaries & Engagements. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! 812-354-8500 We're not afraid