Feb 17, 2024

Dr. Philip A. Orpurt, 102, North Manchester, Indiana, passed away February 17, 2024, at Timbercrest in North Manchester. The son of William Clarence and Elizabeth Glee (Nicodemus) Orpurt, Philip was born August 9, 1921, in Peru, Indiana.

During his time at Peru High School, Phil was very involved in band. He was captain of the band and...

Feb 16, 2024

Susanna Eakright, 88, Wabash, formerly of North Manchester, passed away February 16, 2024, at The Waters of Wabash West. The daughter of James D. and Ruth L. (Stafford) Cordill, Susanna was born June 29, 1935, in South Whitley, Indiana.

Susanna was seventeen when she wed Max D. Eakright on December 25, 1952. The two were married for...

Feb 12, 2024

Linda Sue Blanton, 77, Claypool, passed away February 12, 2024, at The Waters of Wabash West in Wabash. The daughter of Jack and Edith (Dixon) Miller, Linda was born January 5, 1947, in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.

Linda married Bob G. Blanton on August 24, 1963. They were blessed with two daughters, LaDonna and Wanda. Linda stayed home while...

Feb 11, 2024

Lori Anne Bell, 61, North Manchester, passed away peacefully at her home on February 11, 2024. The second of Weldon F. and Glorea A. (Grossnickle) Bell’s four daughters, she was born November 22, 1962, in Wabash.

Lori grew up in Miami County and graduated from North Miami High School in 1981. She began working at her parent’s...

Feb 9, 2024

Kenneth E. Miller passed away in North Manchester, Indiana on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, while receiving hospice care. He was 97.

A lifelong musician, Kenneth was conducting in his sleep up until his final days.

Kenneth was a steadfast provider and loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Quiet and to the point, he was a...

Feb 9, 2024

Marian “Ruthie” DeTurk, 69, North Manchester, passed away February 9, 2024, surrounded by her family at Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne. The daughter of Marion “Bud” and Esther (Shewman) Ireland Jr., Ruthie was born March 19, 1954, in Wabash.

Ruthie was incredibly determined and went back to school later in life to earn her GED....

Feb 4, 2024

Marjorie Ann Wirsing, 79, Liberty Mills, entered the Kingdom of Heaven on February 4, 2024. She was born in Warsaw on March 19, 1944, to Betty Barton.  As Marjorie grew older, her mother married Johnny Poe, and he helped raise her as well.

On September 7, 1967, Marjorie married her best friend and the love of her...

Feb 2, 2024

Helga Gertrud Schmidt, 81, North Manchester, passed away on February 2, 2024, at Heritage Park Nursing Home in Fort Wayne. She was born on February 1, 1943, to Richard and Gertrud (Moock) Dubig in Varel, Germany, in West Germany. Helga’s father went missing in Russia during WWII and was declared dead. Her mother then married Heinz Meinardus, who raised...

Feb 1, 2024

Rosetta I. Fry, 88, North Manchester, was reunited with her husband in Heaven on February 1, 2024. The daughter of the late Lucian and Mary (Flora) Eller, Rosetta was born at her home in Clinton County, Indiana, on September 12, 1935.

Rosetta graduated from Logansport High School. While in school she was a carhop at Shank’s Drive-In,...

Jan 31, 2024

N. Jean Wolf, 98, North Manchester, formerly of Fort Wayne, was born August 17, 1925 to Dennis and Lena (Brooks) Highsmith in Akron, Ohio. She passed away January 31, 2024 at Timbercrest Healthcare Center in North Manchester.

Jean attended Manchester College where she met her husband, Walter Otho Wolf, who preceded her in death in 1991. When...

Jan 28, 2024

Walter Melvin Hoover, Jr. 83, North Manchester, Indiana passed away on January 28, 2024.  The son of the late Walter, Sr. and Alice (Castator) Hoover was born at home in Laketon, Indiana on December 4, 1940.

Walter graduated from Laketon High School in 1959 and was a lifelong resident of Laketon, IN.  He attended Weaver Airline School...

Jan 28, 2024

Mark Edward “Eddie” Warner, 63, Laketon, passed away surrounded by his loving daughters on January 28, 2024, at his home. The youngest son of Max E. and Lois June (Ulsh) Warner, Eddie was born on October 10, 1960, in Fort Wayne.

When Eddie was younger, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he served his country...

Jan 25, 2024

Doris M. Kelsey, 91, North Manchester, embraced her Lord and Savior on January 25, 2024. The daughter of Daniel A. and Anna Maud (Miller) Fingerle, Doris was born on November 13, 1932, in Flint, Michigan.

Doris had a deep love for people and always did what she could to help others. No matter what was going on...

Jan 21, 2024

Robert "Bob" Tharp Sr., 81, North Manchester, passed away January 21, 2024, at Lutheran Hospital of Indiana in Fort Wayne. The son of Stanton Miller and Vivian Rose (Shurburn) Tharp, Bob was born on July 14, 1942, in Niles, Michigan.

After graduating from Brandywine High School in Niles, Bob began working as a drywall finisher and continued...

Jan 19, 2024

Martha Ann Colburn, 92, North Manchester, passed away at Peabody Healthcare Center in North Manchester on January 19, 2024. Born just outside of Peru in her family’s farm house on March 26, 1931, Martha was the daughter of Floyd and Elizabeth (Donaldson) Mullinix.

One of sixteen in her graduating class, Martha was a graduate of Lagro High...

Jan 19, 2024

Betty J. Bonewitz, 95, North Manchester, passed away January 19, 2024 at Parkview Wabash Hospital. The daughter of Elmer W. and Elsie L. (Martin) Steele, Betty was born June 2, 1928 in Roann, Indiana.

An extremely generous and caring person, Betty never finished high school, instead she stayed home to care for her father who became sick...

Jan 18, 2024

Kim Alan Wood, 68, Wabash, formerly of North Manchester, passed away January 18, 2024, at Majestic Care of Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne. The son of Harold Rupert and Carol Eileen (Collins) Wood, Kim was born November 28, 1955, in Wabash.

Kim graduated from Manchester High School in 1974 and attended college for two years before entering...

Jan 18, 2024

Ruth (Cook) Bowers, 90, Silver Lake, Indiana, passed away January 18, 2024, at her home. The daughter of Emery E. and Mary E. (Fingerle) Cook, Ruth was born at home in North Manchester on September 5, 1933.

In the summer of 1951, Ruth gave her life to Jesus and was baptized into the Eel River Old German...

Jan 18, 2024

Jill R. Jackson, 42, Roann, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Thursday, January 18, 2024, at Stillwater Hospice Home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, following a heroic two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. She was born August 7, 1981, to Steve and Jane Mele in Allegan, Michigan. She married Kyle Jackson on July 22, 2006, in Wabash, Indiana. Kyle and...

Jan 17, 2024

Jimmy Paul Gillum, 73, North Manchester, passed away January 17, 2024, at Wabash Parkview Hospital. The son of John F. and Zanna M. (Bragg) Gillum, Jimmy was born February 21, 1950, in Logan, West Virginia.

Jimmy enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and became a Golden Gloves boxer. He spent just over a year in Vietnam,...