The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, October 20, 2021 B-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 Monday at 5 p.m. 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 BENJAMIN WADE KELLEY Benjamin Wade Kelley, 79, of Winslow, passed peacefully from this life at home on Oc- tober 12, 2021, surrounded by family and friends. He was born on July 26, 1942, to Gilbert and Agnes Kelley in Daviess County, Ky. He retired from Whirlpool after many years of service. In his retirement years, he worked part-time at Jasper Walmart. He was a member of the Winslow Lions Club, was a 4-H volunteer helping kids with their livestock projects, and was a die-hard Kentucky Wildcat Fan. In his younger years, he loved fishing with his father. He loved spending time with his family, and his grandchildren held a very spe- cial place in his heart. He will be greatly missed. He is survived by his three children, Eddie (Tammy) Tisdale, Sue (Kevin) Boyles and Elizabeth (Phillip) Tis- dale-Watts; sisters, Brenda, Helen and Ellen; brothers, Da- vid, Billy, Kenny and Danny; grandchildren/great-grand- children, Brandi ( Justin Crow) Saunders/Kira, Lily, Keyion and Aubree, Aaddy/Everett, Justin ( Vicki) Lee/Haley, Si- erra, Lindsay and John Mi- chael, Kevin ( Wendy James) Boyles, Michael Boyles, Kae- da (Michael Duck) Boyles/ Xander, Tiffani ( Wade) Mar- cinkowska/Cooper, Heather (Trace) Brown/Jayden, Kur- tis Dreesman, Daniel Watts, James (Aiste) Watts, Nikolas Molina, Sierra (Mark) Renz/ Roxanne and Scarlett; and his caretaker and friend, Wendy Helsley. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Lanora Sue Kelley; his parents; sis- ters, Mary, Beulah Faye and Barbara; and brothers, Gilbert and James. Services were at 1 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, at Lamb-Basham Memorial Chapel, with Rev. Henry Nel- son officiating. Burial followed in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery near Winslow. Visitation was from 11 a.m. until service time on Tuesday at the chapel. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Winslow Lions Club or Pike County 4H. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www. lambbasham.com. FELSON BOWMAN Felson Bowman, 82, of Greenwood, passed away peacefully Monday morning October 11, 2021, at The Fran- ciscan Hospice House, sur- rounded by his family. The son of a coal miner, he was born April 13, 1939, in East Bernstadt, Ky., to Ra- leigh Vernon Bowman and Lillian Amanda (Pearce) Bowman. A fter his father's death in 1941, he moved to Cincinna- ti, Ohio, and later, Indianapo- lis. He attended Arsenal Tech- nical High School, where he played football on the 1957 undefeated North Central Conference Championship Team, coached by Wally Pot- ter. He graduated in 1958 and attended Northwestern Uni- versity on a football scholar- ship, playing for Coach Ara Parseghian. He transferred to Butler University a year later and played football for Coach Tony Hinkle. While attending Butler, he met and married the love of his life, Jane (Brock-Jones) Bowman, also a student at both Tech High School (1961) and Butler University (1965). His many jobs during college included being a social ther- apist for patients at Central State Hospital and a night- shift veterinary assistant at Lafayette Road Veterinary Clinic. He started working as a patrolman with the Marion County Sheriff's Department while attending Butler. He graduated from Butler in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science de- gree and continued working as a Deputy Marion County Sheriff. He was a canine of- ficer on the first canine unit for the Marion County Sher- iff's Department. He and his partner, Duke, made many ar- rests, until he was promoted to lieutenant as a detective. As a detective, he worked un- dercover vice/drugs and be- came a special investigator for Sheriff Bob Fields. He was then promoted to captain of the Marion County Jail, be- coming the then-youngest jail commander at age 27. While working full-time as a deputy sheriff, he attended Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis, earning his JD in 1968. A fter gradu- ation, he practiced law with his good friends and men- tors, Ed Lewis and Andy Ja- cobs, Sr. The law firm later became Lewis, Bowman, St. Clair and Wagner, and the men and women he worked with were life-long friends. He was a prominent criminal and civil litigator admitted to practice before the Indiana and U.S. Supreme Courts. In the 1970s, he went be- fore the Federal Power Com- mission to plead for and se- cure transmission rights of the REMC for Southwest In- diana, known as Hoosier En- ergy REMC. When Hoosier Energy had problems pur- chasing coal, he thought he could manage to produce coal cheaper and with a prof- it; therefore, he started Solar Sources, Inc., which he grew to become the largest private- ly-owned coal company in the Midwest, and founded Solar Sources Underground, LLC in 1994. He was involved in local, state and national politics, supporting both Republicans and Democrats who he be- lieved served Indiana well and who supported the ideals and values Hoosiers hold dear. He served as the Indiana State Police Superintendent under Governor Evan Bayh and was an Honorary Johnson Coun- ty Sheriff. He was honored as both Kentucky Colonel by the State of Kentucky and a Sag- amore of the Wabash by the State of Indiana. He served on President Bush's Energy Forum, was a founding mem- ber of the Indiana Coal Coun- cil (served as president of the board of directors), was a member of the National Bank of Greenwood Board of Direc- tors, a member of the Colum- JOSEPH B. LONG Joseph Brian Long, 62, of Petersburg, passed away on Monday, October 11, 2021, at Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Newburgh. He was born to Lawrence L. and Nancy Lee ( Wood) Long on December 16, 1958. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Hall; his children, Bryant, Robert, Brandon, Tay- lor, Matthew and Joey Long; grandchildren, Justin, David, Bentleigh, Saige and Jacob; and siblings, Patrick and Sar- ah Byrne, of Jasper, Kevin and Debra Spencer, of Petersburg, Cathie Whitney, of Evansville, and Kevin and Joanne Long, of Vernal, Utah. He is preceded in death by his siblings, Lawrence D. Long and Elizabeth Long. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. PAUL KISSLING Paul Kissling, 90, of Jas- per, formerly of Petersburg, passed away at 3:56 p.m. on Saturday, October 16, 2021, at home, with his wife by his side. He was born in Fislisbach, Switzerland, on August 25, 1931, to Walter and Frieda (Steffen) Kissling. He married Rebecca Heller on September 6, 1984. He was a member of the Swiss Army until 1967. He worked for Brown Boveri for 20 years, installing turbine generators in Europe and the United States. In 1993, he re- tired from Hoosier Energy in Petersburg, where he was a plant maintenance engineer for 26 years. He enjoyed traveling, golf- ing, gardening and listening to music, especially Swiss mu- sic. He was an avid fisherman, fishing almost every day, and he loved spending 28 winters in Florida with his wife. Surviving are his wife, Becky Kissling, of Jasper; two daughters, Linda (Nino) Cristallo, of Switzerland, Anita (Edwin) Bain, of Switzerland; two granddaughters, Alessia and Chiara Cristallo; and two nephews, René Kissling and André Kissling, both of Swit- zerland. Preceding him in death are two brothers, Willy and Eugen Kissling. A celebration of life service will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 22, 2021, at the Bech- er-Kluesner North Chapel in Jasper, with Dr. Gregory Gor- don officiating. Burial will fol- low in Walnut Hill Cemetery in Petersburg. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time on Fri- day at the chapel. Memorial contributions may be made to Heart-to- Heart Hospice. Online condolences may be made at www.becherkluesner. com. bia Club and Safari Club In- ternational, where he had earned his Master Measure- ment credentials, longtime member of Dye's Walk Coun- try Club in Greenwood and Copperleaf at the Brooks in Bonita Springs, Fla., and at- tended Mt. Pleasant Christian Church in Greenwood. In 2017, the Bowman fam- ily sold the surface mining coal operations and formed Bowman Family Holdings, Inc. (BFH). Felson worked with his son, Fred Bowman, and daughter, Jackie Bow- man Ponder, to build compa- nies involved in commercial livestock, including turkeys, cows, hogs and specialty egg operations in three states, a trucking company, car wash- es and an underground coal mine. He was proud that all four of his grandsons were in- volved in some aspect of the family business. He enjoyed time with his family (especially grand- children), golfing, photog- raphy and reading. His pas- sion was hunting. He and his son, Fred, made many trips to A frica, Canada, Alaska, Newfoundland and many lo- cations throughout the Unit- ed States. He took his grand- children hunting and spent hours with them throwing clay pigeons so they could practice skeet. He attended every sporting event (and many practices), theater and choir events for his children and grandchildren from lit- tle league through college. He never retired and came into the office every day un- til his health prevented him from doing so. He is survived by his lov- ing wife, Jane, of 58 years; sister Sherry (Henry) Nich- olas; sister-in-law, Mary Har- lan; daughter, Jackie ( John Cangany) Bowman Ponder; son, Fred (Robin) Bowman; grandchildren, Jeffery Mark Bowman, Drew (Lehua) Pon- der, Elena Ponder, Lillian Ponder, Grace Bowman, Wy- att Bowman, Peyton Canga- ny and Jasmine Cangany, all of Greenwood; and nephews, Brian Harlan, of Greenwood, and Chad Harlan, of Austin, Texas. He was preceded in death by his mother, Lillian Amanda (Pearce) Bowman; father, Ra- leigh Vernon Bowman; step- father, Harry Taphorn; broth- er-in-law Ben Harlan; and great-granddaughter, Belle Louise Bowman. Funeral services were at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Octo- ber 18, 2021, at Swartz Fami- ly Community Mortuary and Memorial Center, 300 South U.S. 31 (Morton Street) in Franklin, with Pastor Chris Philbeck officiating. Burial followed in Greenwood Cem- etery. Visitation was from 2-8 p.m. on Sunday and from 11 a.m. until service time on Monday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, contri- butions can be made to the American Cancer Society, 5635 West 96th, Street Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46278 or at www.cancer.org and Bea- con of Hope Crisis Center of Indianapolis, 6920 South East Street Indianapolis, IN 46227 or at www.beaconofhopeindy. org. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www. swartzmortuary.com. ANNA GAIL ASH Anna Gail Ash, 79, of Fran- cisco, entered rest on Satur- day, Oct. 9, 2021, at her home. She was born on March 15, 1942, in Mt. Carmel, Ill., to Herschel and Anna (Hayden) Davis. She was a member of Oak Grove Church in Oakland City and was custodian there for several years. She is survived by her daughter, Sandy Gendren, of Francisco; stepsons, Jer- ry ( Jonalyn) Ash, of Boon- ville, Kerry (Shannon) Ash, of Heilman, Barry Ash, of Hat- field; 21 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; a niece and nephew; and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Lu- ther Doug Ash; a brother, Charles Hayden; and son, John Gulley. Services were at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 18, 2021, at Lamb-Basham Memori- al Chapel, with Rev. Darin D. Nossett officiating. Burial fol- lowed in Williams Cemetery. Visitation was from 11 a.m. until service time on Monday at the chapel. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham.com. BEVERLY ANN ABEL Beverly Ann Abel, 81, of Jas- per, passed away at 4:32 p.m. on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, in Deaconess Gateway Hospi- tal in Newburgh. She was born in Otwell on August 29, 1940, to Hilbert and Wilma ( Weisheit) Buchta. She was a graduate of Ot- well High School and went on to Lockyear Business College in Evansville. She worked as an office manager for Alco Dime Store based in Shoals. She was a member of Tray- lor-Union Church in the Burr Oak community and the Rusk Homemakers Club in Shoals. She enjoyed gardening and spending time with her family. She is survived by her son, Ernest Abel, of Burns City, Ind.; three sisters, Janice (Delmas) Hamm, of Peters- burg, Fay (Kenneth) Smith, of Otwell, and Bonnie Buchta, of Jasper; one brother, Larry (Dorothy) Buchta, of Colum- bus; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and great-great-nieces and nephews. Preceding her in death was one sister, Kay Lamb. A funeral service was at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 16, 2021, at the Becher-Kluesner North Chapel in Jasper, with Mark Hamaker officiat- ing. Burial followed in Tray- lor-Union Cemetery in Otwell. Visitation was from 5 -8 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the wishes of the family or to a favorite charity. Online condolences may be made to www.becherkluesner. com. HOPE K ATRINA SKIDMORE Infant Hope Katrina Skid- more, of Oakland City, 5 -month-old daughter of Me- gan Skidmore, of Oakland City, and Chance Wing, of Princeton, received her angel wings on Sunday Oct. 10, 2021 at Gibson General Hospital in Princeton. She was preceded in death by little brother, Lucas Ota. She is survived by her par- ents; a sister and brother, Makenzie Ota and Alexander Ota, of Oakland City; grand- parents, Sally and Fred Smith, of Whiteland, and Chris and Rachel Skidmore, of Francis- co; great-grandparents, Bar- bara Wells, of Oakland City, Gordon Wells, of Somerville, and Dennis and Marilyn Skid- more, of Oakland City. Services were at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, at Forsythe United Methodist Church, with Rev. Jeffrey Bry- ant officiating. Burial followed in Forsythe Cemetery. Lamb-Basham Memorial Chapel was honored to assist Hope's family. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www.lambbasham.com. MICHAEL TR AYLER Michael Trayler, 67, of Washington, passed away Oc- tober 2, 2021. He was born on June 9, 1954, in Washington, to Ken- neth and Edith (Hedrick) Trayler. He was a 1972 graduate of Washington High School and was retired from Jasper Desk in Jasper. Always a generous man, he loved helping others. He is survived by his broth- er, Brent Trayler, of Wash- ington; three sisters, Cathy Bezy, of Otwell, Judy Wolven, of Washington, and Denise (Pat) Strange, of Loogootee; and several nieces and neph- ews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Edith Trayler; three brothers, Darrell Hedrick, Dale Trayler and Deroy Lynn Trayler; a sis- ter, Georgia Catt; and an in- fant niece. A graveside service was at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 15, 2021, at the Oak Grove Ceme- tery in Reeve Township, with Father Scott Hedrick officiat- ing. Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.edl- eemortuary.com. The staff of the Ed Lee Mor- tuary is honored to have been entrusted with Michael Tray- ler's arrangements. DONALD CR AIG WHITEHEAD Donald Craig Whitehead, 87, passed away peacefully at 7:36 p.m. on October 18, 2021. He was born on October 7, 1934, in Otwell, to Clarence Emmons and Ethel Bernice (Craig) Whitehead. He was a 1952 graduate of Otwell High School and proud- ly served his country in the United States Army, and was stationed in Stuttgart, Germa- ny. He was a lifelong member of the Otwell United Method- ist Church. He married Grace Joann Barnett on March 23, 1957, at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Cato. He was a lifelong farmer, having farmed with his fa- ther, Clarence, and brothers, Jim and Horace, since he was a young boy. He was an avid quail hunter and dog train- er and operated Cane Creek Hunting Preserve with his brother, Jim, for many years. He also enjoyed the Indy 500, genealogy, Gospel music, and reminiscing with family and friends. He lived accord- ing to his faith in Jesus and he longed for Heaven, especially to be reunited with the love of his life, Joann. He is survived by his sib- lings, Carol and Jim; children, Terri Whitehead, Mitch (Sal- ly) Whitehead and Dave (Ali- cia) Whitehead; grandchil- dren, Jordan (Bobby), Alex (Laura), Hayley (Zach), Ben (Rachel) and Zach (Rileigh); and great-grandchildren, Jo- elle Grace Whitehead, Sloane Caroline Whitehead, Mitch- ell Enrique Whitehead, Soren Nash Whitehead and Grayson Alvie Migliavacca. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joann; his par- ents, Clarence and Ethel; and siblings, Anita Jean, Horace, Bob and Bill. A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Octo- ber 23, 2021, at Otwell Unit- ed Methodist Church in Ot- well. Burial will follow in the Otwell Cemetery. The Ameri- can Legion Post #147 will con- duct military graveside rights. Visitation will be from 4- 8 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. until service time on Sat- urday at the church. Online condolences may be made to www.becherkluesner. com. PressDispatch.net/ Subscribe net edition • Exclusive Video • All color photos • Search current and back issues with Add NETedtion to your paper subscription for just $5 Life Milestones made free CALL: 812-354-8500 Put a free photo with write up on your Family and Class Reunions.