The Indiana Publisher

February 2022 Page 6 Staff reports Indianapolis Star Andrew C. Krull, 54, of Kokomo, Indiana, died Jan. 29 after a hard battle with esophageal cancer. He was born May 21, 1967, in Marion, Ohio, to Edwin L. Krull of Kokomo and Janice W. (Weir) Krull of Glenmont, New York, both of whom survive him. Krull was an award- winning journalist and lawyer. He served as both a reporter and editor for The Sullivan Daily Times, The Princeton Clarion and The Frankfort Times. In between his stints as a journal- ist, he worked as a lawyer with a focus on poverty law and in group homes helping those with developmental challenges and disabilities. What connected his career choices was a fierce commitment to making sure that everyone was treated with dignity and received a fair shake. He had a passion for the underdog and a deep sympathy for those who were vulnerable. That same spirit also revealed itself in his love of animals. Through his life, he had a series of pets, cats and dogs that he cherished with all his being. No needy or hungry animal ever failed to receive help from him. Krull was a graduate of Franklin Community High School, Indiana University, where he majored in journalism and politics, and IU's McKinney School of Law. Krull is survived by his parents, by his brother, John (Jenny) Krull of Indianapolis, his sister Leslie (Dwight) Cheu of Glenmont, New York. No date and site have been selected for a memorial service yet. The family, though, asks that any memo- rial contributions in Andy Krull's name be made to Heaven After Hell Rescue, an Indianapolis nonprofit animal-rescue center. http://heavenafterhellrescue.org/. Krull Staff reports Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly KENDALLVILLE — George Osburn Witwer, publisher emeritus and principal owner of KPC Media Group Inc., died unexpectedly but peacefully the afternoon of Jan. 20, at his home in Key West, Florida. He was 92. A graduate of Yale University, Witwer had a brief stint with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) where he met his future brother-in-law and close friend, Ambassador James R. Lilley. He worked for several years on the East Coast as a journalist before becoming editor and general manager of The News Sun, Kendallville, in 1962. He pur- chased Kendallville Publishing Co. (the forerunner of KPC Media) in 1969, and led the dramatic growth of the company over the years. He retired as publisher in 1996 but remained active on the company's board of directors. A longtime community leader in Northeast Indiana, Witwer served on numerous civic and community boards and was named Kendallville Citizen of the Year by the Kendallville Area Chamber of Commerce in 1998. In 2007, he received the Hoosier State Press Association's Charlie Biggs Commitment to Community Lifetime Achievement Award.. Born Sept. 27, 1929, in Owosso, Michigan, he was the son of George Mohler Studebaker Witwer and Jane Osburn Witwer. On Oct. 12, 1951, at Fort Myer Memorial Chapel, Fort Myer, Virginia, he married Dorothy Lee Booth, daughter of Col. Waller Beall Booth Jr. and Dorothy Armstrong Taylor Booth. She preceded him in death on Sept. 21, 2015. In an interview near the time of his retirement, Witwer said he first applied for the position of edi- tor and general manager in Kendallville in 1958, after longtime editor Ralston V. "Busty" Fischer died. At the time, Witwer was leaving his New Haven, Connecticut, newspaper jobs to start up two shopper publications and a small print shop in Connecticut. He was passed over for the position in Kendallville, but learned of the same job opening four years later, while working in New York City. Wyman Finley, the attorney for Alice Merica, owner of Kendallville Publishing Co., phoned Witwer's father in South Bend, and an interview was soon set up. "By amazing coincidence, I was about to fly to my parents' house in South Bend for the weekend. I agreed to drive over to Kendallville on a Saturday and talk with Mrs. Merica and Wyman," Witwer said. "They struck me as delightful people… Wyman, with his gracious manners. Mrs. Merica was still bright, beautiful and smiling at age 97. She resembled the late actress Helen Hayes." At the time, Mrs. Merica was the oldest newspaper publisher in the United States. "Mrs. Merica explained to me that before her husband, Charles O. Merica, died in 1918, she had promised him she would never sell The News Sun during her lifetime; but I could buy it from her estate. Frankly, no one lived past 97 back then. I doubted I would have long to wait," he said. Mrs. Merica died Jan. 25, 1969, at the age of 103. A journalist at heart, Witwer covered the dev- astating Palm Sunday tornado on April 11, 1965, the deadliest outbreak in Indiana history. He and his reporter Jim Phillips were the first report- ers at the scene at Rainbow Lake, Shipshewana. Nineteen people died in the storm in LaGrange County. A total of 271 people died in six Midwest states, including 137 in Indiana. Witwer said the biggest story he person- ally covered for The News Sun was the bitter school consolidation issue in Noble County that dominated the news in the early 1960s. He remembered one West Noble school board member forced off the road on his way to a school board meeting by someone who wanted to prevent him from casting a vote. Under Witwer's leadership, KPC Media grew and became the media company with the larg- est reach in northeast Indiana. KPC Media has three daily newspapers (Kendallville, Auburn and Angola) five paid weekly newspapers, four free weekly newspapers, a regional business journal, four news and information websites, a commercial printing, and direct mail operations. In 1989, Witwer and his wife made Key West, Florida, their second home. They were active in Reef Relief, an organization focused on sav- ing coral reefs through research, education and political action. In addition, they were active in Samuel's House, a nonprofit organization for homeless and/or battered women and children. Surviving are four children and their spouses, Grace and Terry Housholder of Kendallville; Sally and Richard Stolz of Rockville, Maryland; Violette and Phillip Wysong of Wawaka; and George Booth and Dianne Witwer of Bluffton; and 14 grandchil- dren. His 22nd great-grandchild is due in February. Also surviving are a sister and brothr-in- law, Violette and Richard Sutton of Greenville, Delaware; and a sister-in-law, Sally Booth Lilley of Washington, D.C. .Memorial services will be held at later dates in Key West and Kendallville. George Witwer, KPC Media Group publisher emeritus, dies at 92 Andrew Krull, former editor of Sullivan, Princeton, Frankfort papers, dies at 54 Witwer

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