All Obituaries

Jane Fickling Hale McSpadden, 79, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away on November 23, 2020 at Peabody Healthcare Center, North Manchester. Jane was born on August 5, 1941 in Urbana, Illinois, to the late George Sidney and Laura Jane (Fuller) Fickling. After graduating from North Sacramento High School in 1959, Jane worked for Ida Rolf as a personal attendant and business secretary. In 1977 Jane graduated from Rolf Institute, Boulder, Colorado. From the time she graduated until 2007, Jane...

Jack L Baker, 83, North Manchester, Indiana, formerly of Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away on November 21, 2020 at Timbercrest Healthcare Center, North Manchester. Jack was born just east of North Manchester on November 19, 1937 to the late John L. and Ruby V. (Westafer) Baker. The fifth oldest of eight children, Jack loved the times he and his siblings worked together in the family’s large garden and relaxed by eating homemade ice cream with relatives. Jack...

Eileen Little, 99, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away on November 20, 2020 at Wabash County Hospital. She was born in Kosciusko County on May 15, 1921 to Walter and Ruby (Ulrey) Metzger. She married Norman Little on March 15, 1942 and they were able to spend seventy years together before his death on July 26, 2012. Eileen was a resident at Timbercrest Senior Living Community since 2016. Eileen was a graduate of Chester High School in 1939. She was a homemaker and farm wife. She was...

Garland L. Wilcox, 90, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away on November 17, 2020 at Timbercrest Healthcare Center, North Manchester. Born on September 19, 1930 in Wabash County, Indiana, Garland was the son of the late Ernest and Amelia (Rickert) Wilcox.  He was one of nine children, raised on the family farm near Urbana, Indiana.    Garland served in the United States Army, was a Korean War veteran, and took great pride in his service to the country.  Garland was...

Elaine Marilyn Blocher, 85, North Manchester passed away November 16, 2020 at Majestic Care West Allen, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Elaine was born to Olin and Gladys (Minnich) Royer on January 15, 1935 in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Cleveland Heights High School, Cleveland Heights, Ohio in 1953. During high school, Elaine played trombone in both band and orchestra. After high school, Elaine graduated from Manchester College, North Manchester, in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in...

  Bonnie Louise Kreider, 94, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away on November 14, 2020 at Parkview Hospital in Wabash, Indiana. She was born in Servia, Indiana, on January 23, 1926, to Floyd and Vallie (Partridge) Ulrey. She was a lifelong Wabash County resident. She is preceded in death by her parents, her four brothers, Milo, Wallace, Gerald, and Dewayne Ulrey, her sister, Virginia Lee, and a son-in-law, Joe Simmons. Bonnie graduated from Chester High School and married Robert...

Edna Mae Swisher, 82, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away on November 12, 2020 at Peabody Healthcare Center, North Manchester. The daughter of Clarence H. and Flora (Jones) Bradley, Edna was born in Searcy, Arkansas, on June 19, 1938. Edna attended Kokomo High School. At the age of seventeen, she married the love of her life, Walter “Bud” Swisher on June 25, 1955. The two spent forty-nine wonderful years together before Bud passed away on May 2, 2004. Edna then gained a...

 Gene A. Michel, 82, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away on November 11, 2020 at Parkview Hospital Randallia, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Gene was born on May 18, 1938 in Wabash County, Indiana, to Fremont and Mary E. (Gahl) Michel. Upon graduating from Manchester High School in 1958, Gene volunteered his time in the Indiana National Guard for six years. On September 28, 1963 Gene married Sharon Cox. The two were wed for fifty-seven years and had three children, Greg, Gwen, and Barb...

Kenneth R. Fingerle, 99, Woodbury, Tennessee, formerly of North Manchester, Indiana, passed away peacefully at his daughter’s home on November 11, 2020. Born on November 21, 1920 in Flint, Michigan, Kenneth is the son of the late Daniel A. and Anna Maude (Miller) Fingerle. On January 15, 1944 Kenneth married Anna Mae Blocher. The two were wed for one day shy of their seventieth anniversary before Anna passed away on January 14, 2014. For twenty-one years Kenneth worked at the North...

Jack Nickels, 78, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away on November 9, 2020 at his home. One of twelve children, Jack was born to the late Willie and Polly (Maynard) Nickels on April 25, 1942 in Pilgrim, Kentucky. When Jack was 21, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served on the USS Enterprise. After being honorably discharged from the Navy, Jack began working at Warner Corporation, North Manchester. He later worked at Heckman Bindery, North Manchester, before retiring from Cyclone...