The Press-Dispatch
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C-8 Wednesday, Januar y 3, 2018 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 Katiedid Versus by Katiedid Langrock The Circle of Life Continued from page 4 SWEETS We knew that Pig was dy- ing for about three months before we made that hard choice to put him down. Our 18 -pound rabbit had been the most excellent pet and was loved dearly by his human younger siblings. Be- cause Pig's tumor was visi- ble, it was easy to talk to the kids about the cancer and prepare them for his death. Our eldest knew it was com- ing, understood and handled it with grace. A fter I made the call to the vet's office for Pig's final visit the next week, I took my son to the local aquari- um store. We had previous- ly bought all the supplies for the tank, but our plans for an underwater kingdom got derailed after I forgot to wash the sand and turned all the water pitch-black. Four months and approximately 5 billion water changes lat- er, the water was clear, and we were ready for fish. My son and I spent over an hour painstakingly se- lecting each of the six per- fect fish. A friend asked whether I thought getting "fish of all things" was a good idea. Why wouldn't it be? Giving my son some life to look at might lessen the pain of los- ing a loved one. I respond- ed, "Of course. I got my fish Mikey when I was his age, and he was my best friend for five years." How come no one told me goldfish don't typically live that long?! One day. They lived one day! You know what doesn't help a grieving child? Six painstakingly selected dead- fish. I ran back to the aquarium store with a water sample, hoping it was some weird anomaly. Perhaps the people there had accidentally sold me spontaneously combust- ing fish and next time they would sell me live-for-a-de- cade fish. When they tested the pH levels of my sample, the nitrates or the ammonia or the Crystal Pepsi or what- ever was in my water was off the charts. I would have to wait another two weeks if I didn't want another massa- cre. I didn't. While we waited, Pig was put to sleep. He was buried in the fairy garden in our front yard. The timing had not worked in our favor. When the two weeks had passed, I took my son back to the aquarium store with another water sample. The water was tested and looked good. I made the workers swear up and down that my fish would live, and they promised they would. The workers also showed my kid a few other cool pets he could have in the aquarium - - frogs, shrimp, turtles. We set- tled on a minia- ture blue lob- ster that was in the same tank as the bulk of the fish he se- lected. Home in their new tank, the fish and lobster energetically got fa- miliar with the new digs. But the next day, there was one fewer fish. Not again. I tried to look on the pos- itive side. Seeing as we now had a scavenger in the mini lobster, there was no fish body for me to scoop out. The following day, there were three fewer fish. I was cursing at the aquar- ium place. Why did they tell me my water was fine? It's another gill genocide. A fish finale. It wasn't until the tank on- ly had a single fish left that I finally saw it. The blue lob- ster attacked. My scavenger was in fact a murderer. On the way home from the aquarium, the lobster had pinched the plastic bag he was being transported in, and all the water had flood- ed out, soaking my seat. I should have known he was trouble then. Horrified that my son had just lost his furry best friend and now his perfect- ly picked-out school of fish for the second time, I asked him how he was coping with the rather trau- matizing past three weeks. Do you have any questions on life and death? "Yeah," he said. "Can we name the lobster Rabbit? " "Uh, sure. Why? " I asked. "A fter Pig," he said. "And when the lobster dies, we should get a lizard and name it Lobster. And when the liz- ard dies, we should get a dog and name it Lizard. And when the dog dies, we can get a pig and name it Dog. And when the pig dies, we can get a rabbit again and name him Pig 2." I think he's getting this whole life and death thing just fine. Which is lucky, because I'm not getting any more fish. Katiedid Langrock is au- thor of the book "Stop Fart- ing in the Pyramids," avail- able at http://www.creators. com/books/stop-farting-in- the-pyramids. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/ katiedidhumor. VALORIS BOYD WOOLSEY Valoris Boyd Woolsey, age 82, of Stendal, passed away at 4:51 a.m., on Thursday, December 28, 2017, at RiverOaks Health Campus in Princeton. He was born November 15, 1935, in Evansville, to Valoris Taylor and Gladys Irene (Corn) Woolsey. He married Opal F. Wal- ters on February 28, 1964, at Bethel General Baptist Church near Stendal. He was a farmer and coal min- er; and also worked for the Whirlpool Corporation and the Pike County Highway Garage. He was a member of Bethel General Baptist Church, Winslow Mason- ic Lodge #260 F&AM and the U.M.W.A. He is survived by his brother, Maurice (Doris) Woolsey, of Winslow; his friend and caregiver, Dale (Martha) Nalley, of Oak- land City; and one niece, Lisa M. Benton, of Evans- ville. He was preceded in death by his wife, who passed away August 27, 2015; and one niece, Cathy Williams. Funeral services for will be at 10 a.m., EST., on Wednesday, January 3, 2018, at the Nass & Son Funeral Home in Hunting- burg, will Pastor Bob Deel officiating. Burial will fol- low at Augusta Cemetery in Augusta. Visitation was from 4-8 p.m. EST on Tuesday at the funeral home and will also be one hour prior to the fu- neral on Wednesday. A vig- il service was hosted by the Winslow Masonic Lodge #260 F&AM at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions can be made to Bethel General Baptist Church or Pike Animal Welfare Shel- ter (P.A.W.S.) in Peters- burg. Condolences may be shared online at: www.nas- sandson.com. DONALD M. WOOLSEY Donald M. Woolsey 83, of Mackey, entered rest on Wednesday Dec. 27, 2017, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Evansville. He was born on Oct. 11, 1934, in Pike County, to Marion and Hazel(Dogan) Woolsey. He operated a gas/service station from 1955 -1962, and was also a school bus driver for 39 years for East Gibson School Corporation. He was a carpenter in the area for several years, was a found- ing member of Barton Town- ship Little League and an av- id sports fan. He served in the United States Army. He is survived by step- sons, Tim (Sue) Bottoms, of Somerville, Clint Bot- toms, of Lynnville, and Jeff (Debora) Bottoms, of St. Phillips, Ind.; two grand- children, five great-grand- children; two nephews; one niece; several great-nieces; and great-nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Vio- let Broshears, Virginia Er- ickson and Dorothy Hayden; brother, Lorel Woolsey; nephew, Mark Broshears; great-niece, Emily Bro- shears; and wife, Bonnie Woolsey, on April 7, 2016. Services were at 10 a.m. Saturday Dec. 30, 2017, at the Lamb-Basham Memo- rial Chapel, with burial in Somerville Cemetery. Rev. Bill L. Reed officiated. Visita- tion was from 4-7 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. until services on Saturday at the Chapel. Family and friends may send messages of comfort to www. lambbasham.com. PEACE of MIND Let our 125 years of experience aid you in your selection of a meaningful memorial. SCHUM MONUMENTS, INC. Dale, Indiana www.SchumMonuments.com 937-4921 Local Representative RONALD WOODS 789-2009 offers were still open if we needed to do so. As we were out, we stopped in Otwell to get a tire fixed at Chamness Au- to Parts, a quaint little sta- tion where many stars stop to get gas and other repairs. Thanks a whole bunch. While we were shopping for presents, we saw a lot of our stars who read the Col- umn and besides the hugs, one star said, don't give up the Column as long as I can. I will try to ramble on and on about Winslow and all the great stars who make the Sweets Column great. We passed Greg and Li- sa when we saw the flash- ing lights at the curve, so we stopped. Steve Nelson said Lisa was in the woods trying to catch the new cow they got. This cow didn't want to go home, even when five of them tried to herd her in. A fter a long while, she finally got to the house and in the pen. All five were so worn out, and it was a cold day also. Steve and I stayed to direct the traffic, and I didn't know that there were so many stars who drove the sec- tion out of Winslow. Sever- al stars stopped to see what had happened and also help if needed. Greg and Lisa are grateful for the help from officers and friends. Christmas with family at Daniel's was great. We had finger food, dessert, and played bingo for small gifts, plus the opening of gifts for all of us. Family there were Mom, Mildred, George, Deby, Teresa Ann, Daniel, Laura, Kyana, Kel- ley, Jacari, Ethan, Francis, Norm and I, Ted had a fever and Josh was coming back from California. With the snow and low low temps, we all had a really grand time together with family. The coldness kept Diane and Louie at home also. Oh yes, I got a picture with Santa Claus at Jasper Wal-Mart where the Ho Ho Ho was heard in the store with his two elves. We hope your New Year of 2018 will be great and you all stay healthy and safe and as the lights begin to dim on this weeks ram- blings, keep an eye on fam- ily and friends, slow down and see all your surround- ing areas, but most of all, smile, wave,and say Hi to everyone you see this week of the New Year of 2018. JOYCE SHOULTZ Joyce Shoultz, 86, of Peters- burg, passed away at 5:45 a.m. on January 1, 2018, at home. She was born February 21, 1930, in Petersburg, the daughter of Howard and Mar- tha (Fair) Boger. She was a homemaker and was a lifelong member of the Abundant Life Pentecostal Church in Petersburg. Her husband, Fred Shoultz, pre- ceded her in death. Survivors include her daughter, Beverly ( Jim) Brust, of Newburgh; two sons, Keith (Becky) Shoul- tz and Steve ( Vicki) Shoultz, both of Petersburg; six grand- children, Stephanie and An- drea Brust, Lisa Shanks, and Jathan, Josh and Jeremy Kin- man; and eight great-grand- children. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, January 5, 2018, at Harris and Son Fu- neral Home in Petersburg. Burial will follow in Walnut Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until services at the fu- neral home. DR. WILLIAM "BILL" BERLIN Dr. William "Bill" Berlin, 91, died December 28, 2017, after a brief illness. He was born in Winslow on November 16, 1926, to Es- kel and Irene (Agee) Berlin. A fter serving in the Na- vy during W Wll he and his wife, Gloria, both of Winslow and high school alumni, wed and raised their family in Pike County. He taught at Lodge Elementa- ry in Evansville for 13 years, then earned his Ph.D in ed- ucation from Indiana State University. He went on to lead educational programs for teachers at IP Purdue in Ft. Wayne and Southwest- ern Oklahoma State Univer- sity in Weatherford, Okla. His passion for education and language preservation changed his career path. A f- ter his tenure as college pro- fessor, he worked for sever- NEWS! Want to share your news with others? The Press-Dispatch can help deliver it to Pike and the surrounding counties. 812-354-8500 Benefit Jamie Sharp for Saturday, January 6 Winslow Fire House 100 Walnut Street, Winslow The Winslow Fire Dept. is having a benefit to help with funeral and headstone expenses for Jamie Sharp Breakfast 7am-Noon Lunch Noon-? Serving pulled pork, potato salad and backed beans All proceeds will go toward the funeral and headstone expenses for Jamie. CARRY-OUTS AVAILABLE CALL 812-789-8397 al years creating educational programs for the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes of cen- tral Oklahoma, then moved to New Mexico to work as superintendent for the Al- amo Navajo School Board near Magdalena, N.M., un- til retiring in the mid-1990s. A fter Gloria's death in 1999, he returned for a short time to Indiana, but ultimate- ly settled back in New Mex- ico. He and his companion, Ms. Breech, lived for ma- ny years in Elephant Butte, N.M., enjoying warm tem- peratures, the lovely lake, and the company of family and friends. His health may have declined, but he main- tained his tenacity and hu- mor for all his days. He is survived by two daughters, Pamela (Ben- nie) Johnson, of Newburgh, Bridget (Louis Cuellar) Ber- lin, of Los Lunas, N.M.; two sons, William "Tad" (Becky) JO ANN R ADCLIFF Jo Ann Radcliff, 76, passed away December 27, 2017. She was born July 26, 1941, in New Albany, Ind., to Alfred and Viola (Oxby) Brewster. She is survived by daugh- ters, Keila (Steven) Shep- herd and Kendrea (Mitch) Parker; grandchildren, Ethan Shepherd, Cain Park- er, Stephanie Campbell and Tabitha Freeland; and niec- es and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Charles Brewster; and two sisters, Betty Snow and Em- ma Sharp. Services were at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, at Harris Funeral Home in Pe- tersburg. Visitation was Fri- day evening from 4-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial followed at Spurgeon Ceme- tery. Harris Funeral Home is entrusted with care. Berlin, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Mathew (Chris- tina) Berlin, of Pasadena, Calif.; six grandchildren, Ed (Kim) Corn, of Evans- ville, Don Corn, of Nash- ville, Tenn., Vicki Pancake, of Oakland City, Brooke Ber- lin, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Kyran and Matthew Berlin, of Pasadena, Calif.; two great-grandchildren, Petra Corn, of Evansville, and Max Corn, of Nashville, Tenn.; and companion Ms. Darlene Breech, of Elephant Butte, N.M. He was preceded in death by his parents; and wife, Glo- ria (Hill) Berlin. In lieu of services, he and his family requested dona- tions be made to the Pres- byterian Hospice program of Albuquerque, N.M., or to The Alzheimer's Associ- ation. Need something interesting to read? subscribe to 812-354-8500 subscribe@pressdispatch.net CALL or email For a print or NetEdition subscription,