September 2019

Page A38 SEPTEMBER 2019 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A WILLIAM CECIL “BILL” HOLT JR of Canon City, CO died July 15, 2019 at the age of 81. He joined his father, William Cecil as a third generation funeral director at Holt Funeral Home. At age 28, he assumed ownership of the firm after the retirement of his fa- ther and served as deputy coroner for Fremont County for 40 years. He graduated from the Dallas In- stitute of Mortuary Science. THOMAS N. HUNT of Craw- fordsville, IN died July 14, 2019 at the age of 75. A third genera- tion funeral director, he joined his father, Robert F. Hunt at Hunt & Son Funeral Home, where he served until his retire- ment in 2016. A 1967 graduate of the Indiana College of Mor- tuary Science, he served on the Oak Hill Cemetery board. LYDIA PELZER KIRKLAND of Philadelphia, PA died July 28, 2019 at the age of 93. A licensed funeral di- rector since 1947, she established the Lydia Pelzer- Kirkland Funeral Home, Inc in 1949 and continued to own and operate it for the next seven decades. A graduate of Echols Mortuary School, she was a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and the Quaker State Funeral Directors Association. FRED B. SPARKS of Bucyrus, OH died August 4, 2019 at the age of 76. A retired funeral director, he worked for Reeb Funeral Home in Sylvania for sev- eral years before moving to Bucyrus in 1975 to work at the Munz-Pirnstill Funeral Home. He retired in 1999 as president of the funeral home. A graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association. Gustafson Funeral Home for 22 years. He retired from the Anstrom-Gustafson-Velk- er Funeral Home in 1997. A graduate of the Pittsburgh In- stitute of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Mahon- ing, Trumbull and Columbiana Funeral Directors Association, Ohio Funeral Directors Associa- tion and the National Funeral Directors Association. JOHN “JACK” VELKER of Boardman, OH died July 14, 2019 at the age of 87. He was a second generation fu- neral director and embalmer at Davis-Velker Funeral Home, where his father, Paul Velker, and Alfred Da- vis were partners. In 1975, Jack became a partner with Robert Anstrom and Robert Gustafson of Anstrom- Home in Ottawa and Cherry and later became a partner at Prey-Mueller Funeral Home in Oglesby. Mueller retired as president of the Mueller Fu- neral Homes, Inc . in 2008. A graduate of the Worsham Col- lege of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Di- rectors Association. A CHARLES MUELLER JR of LaSalle, IL died August 9, 2019 at the age of 70. A longtime funeral director, he joined his father in 1970 at the Mueller Funeral Home in Peru and Lostant as well as the Mueller-Pagani Fu- neral Home in LaSalle. He also worked alongside his brother and father to establish the Mueller Funeral of Robinson & Fuller, Inc. A 1973 graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, he was a president and mem- ber of both the Arkansas Fu- neral Directors Association and Arkansas State Board of Em- balmers. He also served on the board of directors for Select- ed Independent Funeral Homes and as president of the organi- zation in 2012-2013. ADAM BENJAMIN ROBINSON JR of Pine Bluff, AR died August 8, 2019 at the age of 69. A fourth gen- eration funeral director, he served as president of the Ralph Robinson & Son, Inc, president of Coopera- tive Life Insurance Company and secretary/treasurer Airport Highway until he and his son, Hilary opened the fu- neral home on Alexis in 1986, which he continued to own and operate until his death. A 1948 graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Fu- neral Directors Association, Na- tional Funeral Directors Associ- ation and the Ohio Embalmers Association. VALENTINE (WALENTY) F. “BILL” SUJKOWSKI of Tole- do, OH died July 19, 2019 at the age of 94. He began his career as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in the early 1940s at the Sujkowski Funeral Home on Nebras- ka Avenue under the tutelage of his father, William. He served in the same capacity at the family funeral home on came a partner in the business along with Glenn York. Dahl sold the business to a Canadi- an group in 1989 but bought it back in 2000. A graduate of Cypress Mortuary College, he served as a member and board president of the Washington State Funeral Directors Associ- ation. Dahl was named as the organization’s Funeral Direc- tor of the Year in 2006. KENNETH DAHL of Kelso, WA died July 30, 2019 at the age of 84. He owned and operated seven funerals homes and four cemeteries throughout his 62 year career as a licensed funeral director in the Southwest Washing- ton area. In 1957 he began washing cars at a local fu- neral home before moving to Kelso in 1957 to work for Dahl-McVicker Funeral Home . In 1967 he be- manager of the Colonial Fu- neral Home in Lavallette for 11 years before purchasing it and another location in Sea- side Park, renaming it Timo- thy E. Ryan Home for Fu- nerals. A graduate of the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in New York, he was a member of the National Funeral Direc- tors Association, The British In- TIMOTHY E. RYAN of Siesta Keys, FL and Lavallette, NJ died August 7, 2019 at the age of 68. A licensed fu- neral director, he began working as an intern at Poul- son & Van Hise Funeral Director’s of Trenton and Lawrenceville, NJ. Ryan went on to serve the remain- der of his internship with his uncle Jack at the John J. Ryan Home for Funerals in Keansburg, NJ. He was stitute of Embalmers, The Professional Embalmers Asso- ciation of Ireland, Selected Independent Funeral Homes, Monmouth & Ocean Counties Funeral Directors Associa- tion and the New Jersey State Funeral Director Associa- tion, where he served as past president and trustee. 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