November 2020

Page A38 NOVEMBER 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A RICHARD J. HARMON of Wales, ME died September 26, 2020 at the age of 53. A li- censed funeral director, he was the owner and operator of the Amesbury, White and Har- mon Funeral Home. He earned his degree in mortuary science from Mt. Ida College. MARILYN K. ST. HILAIRE of Mantua, OH died Septem- ber 25, 2020 at the age of 55. In 2003 she became associated with the Green Family Funer- al Home & Crematory Service in Mantua, and later served as manager and vice president. JAMES BELFORD “MOE” JOHNSON JR of Shelbyville, TN died October 12, 2020 at the age of 77. A licensed fu- neral director, he completed his apprentice at the Doak- Howell Funeral Home, where he continued to work long af- ter his health declined. MICHAEL ERNESTMAYFIELD of Swartz Creek, MI died Oc- tober 3, 2020 at the age of 58. He worked in advanced funeral planning with funeral homes for many years. Beginning his career with Sharp Funeral Homes and most recently as vice president and sales director for Heritage Funeral Homes and Cemeter- ies in Tennessee. DANIEL C. RIPEPI of Cleve- land, OH died September 24, 2020 at the age of 62. A licensed funeral director and pre-need counselor, he was vice president of A. Ripepi&Sons Funeral Home. A 1981 graduate of the University of Akron, he was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association, Cuyahoga County Funeral Directors Association and the Embalmers As- sociation of Cleveland. RONALD M. SIMS of Talla- dega, AL died September 23, 2020 at the age of 71. He was the co-owner of Sims Funeral Service. MARY F. WASINGER of El- lis, KS died September 23, 2020 at the age of 76. A re- tired funeral director, she and her husband, Dale W. Was- inger, purchased the Johnson Funeral Home in 1975. It lat- er became known as the Was- inger Funeral Chapel, which she owned for 30 years. LAMAR KERMIT “MOTT” WATKINS of Forest, MS died September 20, 2020 at the age of 90. He was a funeral direc- tor for over 50 years and re- tired from Ott and Lee Fu- neral Home in Forest. Watkins was recognized by the Mississip- pi Funeral Directors Association with his 50-year plaque. ARTHUR EUGENE “GENE” GRIER JR of Charlotte, NC died September 22, 2020 at the age of 77. A third generation funeral director, he established the A. E. Grier & Sons Funer- al and Cremation, LLC along- side sons, Arthur E. Grier, II and Allen E. Grier. He contin- ued to own and operate it until his retirement. A 1969 graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mor- tuary Science, he was vice president of the Funeral Direc- tors and Morticians Association of North Carolina and was past president of the Western District of Funeral Directors Association as well as past district president. GARY VANN FLOWERS of Terrell, TX died October 6, 2020 at the age of 68. A licensed fu- neral director and embalmer for 40 years, he began his career with Anderson Clayton-Bros Funer- al Home in Terrell before work- ing with several other funeral homes. In 2001, Flowers opened his own business where he served funeral homes throughout Texas and the surrounding states with their transportation and gravesite needs. He retired in 2014, but after a couple of years he decided he wanted to get back into the funeral industry part-time. Flowers re- turned to his roots at Anderson Clayton Bros for several months until his health started to decline. He graduated from the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. BERNARD RODOLPH FIELDING SR of Charles- ton, SC died October 10, 2020 at the age of 88. A licensed fu- neral director, he worked along- side his wife, Conchita Law- son Fielding, as president of the Fielding Home for Funer- als, which was established by his mother, Sadie Emma Gaillard Fielding and his grandmother Felicia Fielding Goodwin in 1914. A member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc and the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, he was awarded with the 2012 Living Legends of Funeral Service Award and was inducted into the African American Funeral Service History Museum. Fielding was president of the South Carolina Colored Funeral Directors and Embalmers Asso- ciation, a member of the South Carolina Morticians As- sociation, and the National Funeral Directors and Mor- ticians Association, where he served as general counsel. LEWIS R. TAYLOR of Aman- da, OH died October 10, 2020 at the age of 84. A retired funer- al director, he served his appren- ticeship with Cook & Son Fu- neral Home in Columbus. He and his wife, Eleanor purchased the VanCleve Funeral Home in Amanda in 1959 and renamed it Taylor Funeral Home. For many years, Taylor along with the help of his friends, ran an emergency service from the funeral home until 1974 when he was instrumental in forming the Amanda Twp. EMS and served as coordinator for 10 years. A gradu- ate of the Cincinnati School of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association. JOHN EVERETT THOMASSON of Louisa, VA died July 22, 2020 at the age of 98. He founded Thomasson Funeral Home in 1951 and later expanded in Fork Union, VA in 1996. Thomasson operated both locations for 53 years. A 1948 graduate of Eck- els College of Mortuary Science, he was a member of the Rich- mond Funeral Directors Associa- tion and the Virginia Morticians’ Association , where he was honored as the Mortician of the Year in 1995. WARREN L. WACHHOLZ of Princeton, WI died September 29, 2020 at the age of 82. A third generation funeral director, he be- gan working alongside his father, Herbert Sr and brother, Her- bert Wachholz Jr at the Wach- holz and Sons Funeral Home in Princeton in 1959. Warren and his brother purchased the Krause Funeral Home in Markesan in 1974 and were involved in the former Hardell-Wachholz Funeral Home in Montello for many years. They estab- lished the Wachholz Ambulance Service in 1966. War- ren retired in 1996. He graduated from mortuary school in 1959 and was a recipient of the 50-year award from the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association . EARL L. “BUCK” WENDT III of Moline, IL died October 10, 2020 at the age of 83. A graduate of the Worsham College of Mor- tuary Science, he was employed as a funeral director for his fa- ther, Earl Wendt Sr and uncle, Richard Wendt at the Wendt Brothers Funeral Home. Af- ter the death of his father, he be- came part owner with his uncle and brothers until his uncle’s retirement in 1985 at which time he acquired ownership, operating it until his death. 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 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 info@nomispublications.com