February 2020

Page A38 FEBRUARY 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A STEPHEN J. BECKER of Hamilton, OH died January 7, 2020 at the age of 69. He was a retired sales represen- tative in the funeral indus- try, having worked at Aurora Casket Company and Dea- ton Kennedy Stationary. He was president of the St. Ste- phens and St. Marys Ceme- tery board for 20 years. RAYMOND V. BRUNNER of Lake County, OH died December 25, 2019 at the age of 93. A retired funeral director, he was the former owner of Brunner San- den Deitrick Funeral Home and Cremation Cen- ter in Mentor, which he opened alongside his wife, Helen in 1949. He previously worked at the former Nixon Funeral Home in Painesville and the Prentice Funeral Home in Akron. A graduate of the Cleveland College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Tri-County Funeral Directors Association, Ohio Funeral Directors Association, National Funeral Directors Asso- ciation, and the International Order of the Golden Rule. MYRON D. “MIKE” ERICSON of Fremont, OH died De- cember 12, 2019 at the age of 89. A licensed funeral di- rector and embalmer for 36 years, he served 25 years with Service Corporation Inter- national, retiring in 1992. He graduated from the Cin- cinnati College of Mortuary Science in 1956. DAVID FRANCIS MASON of Akron, OH died Janu- ary 2, 2020 at the age of 78. A funeral director for 36 years, he served his apprenticeship at a funeral home in Marshalltown, IA before he and his wife, Linda pur- chased funeral homes in Independence and Quasque- ton, IA. They later purchased Parker Funeral Home in Jesup, IA, which they owned and operated for 10 years. In 1984, the Adams Funeral Home in Akron, OH was purchased. He continued to operate it along- side his wife and son, Scott. A 1970 graduate of the John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association. GEORGE G. MOELLER of Valparaiso, IN died Decem- ber 19, 2019 at the age of 92. He was a licensed funeral di- rector and owner of Moeller Funeral Home in Valparai- so. He graduated from the St. Louis College of Mortuary Sci- ence in 1949. LARRY PAUL MUIR of Lap- eer, MI died January 3, 2020 at the age of 82. A licensed funeral director for 60 years, he was a third generation owner and operator of Muir Brothers Funeral Home. He graduated in 1959 from Wayne State University with a degree in mortuary science. DEAN W. “DEANO” ROGERS of Trotwood and Brookville, OH died January 9, 2020 at the age of 68. A licensed fu- neral director for 45 years, he joined his father, Emerson “Lee” Rogers in the fami- ly business, Rogers’ Funeral Homes. He retired in 2012. Rogers graduated from the Indiana College of Mortuary Science. JESSIE ALENOR “PATSY” YOUNG of Auburn, KY died December 20, 2019 at the age of 92. She was a licensed funeral director and co-owner of Young Funeral Home, which she established alongside her husband, Joseph Perry Young, Sr. in 1959. WILLIAM F. RUPP JR of Lan- caster, PA died December 26, 2019 at the age of 92. He served his apprenticeship with the George N. Young Funer- al Home in Lancaster. Rupp continued to work for the for- mer Young Funeral Home as a funeral director for 30 years, retiring in 2005. A 1949 graduate of the Eckels College of Mortuary Science, he received his 50 year pin from the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association. SHERYL ANDERSON GREEN RIGGS of Toledo, OH died December 24, 2019 at the age of 73. She was the manag- er of the Dale-Riggs Funer- al Home in Central Toledo, where she had worked since 1992. She previously worked as a funeral director in the late 1980s through the early 1990s at Dale-Riggs’ James H. Cole and Peace Chapel and at Peace Chapel Funeral Home, both in Detroit. Prior to that, she owned and operated the Sheryl. A Riggs Funeral Home in Detroit from 1984 until its closing in 1987. Riggs graduated from the mortuary science program at Wayne State University in 1980. CHARLES J. O’SHEA JR of Point Lookout, NY died De- cember 30, 2019 at the age of 85. A funeral director for more than a half-century, he was the founder of the Charles J. O’Shea Funer- al Homes in East Meadow and Wantagh. He was also part owner in the Albrecht, Bruno, and O’Shea Funeral Home in East Islip. O’Shea served on the New York State Funeral Directing Ad- visory Board from 1974-2014 and was elected chair- man from 1978-1990. He was a member of the FI- AT-IFTA, National Funeral Directors Association, Metropolitan Funeral Directors Association and the Nassau Suffolk Funeral Directors Association. JOHN RYLAND GARRETT of Appomattox, VA died De- cember 8, 2019 at the age of 83. A Certified Funeral Ser- vice Practitioner, he worked at Robinson Funeral Home and later the Whitten Funer- al Home. Garrett had been a sales representative for the Dodge Company for over 30 years. A graduate of the Cin- cinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the British Institute of Embalmers, Academy of Funeral Service Practice, South West Virginia Funeral Association and the Virginia Fu- neral Directors Association. E. HAAS GALLAWAY JR of Boynton Beach, FL died De- cember 11, 2019 at the age of 79. Gallaway began working at Gallaway and Crane Fu- neral Home as a young boy, working alongside his father learning the trade. Gallaway later purchased the funer- al home from his father and Mr. Crane and continued to serve his community until his retirement in 2012. He graduated from the Amer- ican Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Services. HARRY CLARKE “DUKE” CURTIS of Roanoke, VA died Decem- ber 23, 2019 at the age of 63. He was the former president of the Hamlar-Curtis Fu- neral Home and Crematory, which his father, Harry Ce- cil Curtis, founded in 1952 alongside Lawrence Harri- son Hamlar. He worked at the funeral home for more than 35 years and served as its president for 16 years. He retired in 2019. Duke was president of the Virginia Morticians Association. Death Notices Send obituary information to Funeral Home & Cemetery News, PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 • Fax (800) 321-9040 • E-mail info@nomispublications.com a a Featuring News Funeral Home & Cemetery online If you have an obituary you would like to see listed here, please send information to: PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 • E-mail info@nomispublications.com