Columbus
Dorothy Ann Stambaugh, 76, of Columbus, died Tuesday, November 22, 2016, at Community North in Indianapolis.
Arrangements are incomplete at Jewell-Rittman Family Funeral Home.
James Balsley
Westfield
James David Balsley, 65, of Westfield, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 20, 2016, after a three year battle with esophageal cancer. He was born on August 25, 1951, to Richard and Margaret Kathryne (Carson) Balsley in Hartford City, Indiana.
Jim attended North Anderson Elementary, Central Junior High and graduated from Anderson High School with the class of 1969. He has many fond memories of his school years and recently greatly enjoyed reconnecting with many classmates. Jim attended GMI in Flint, Michigan, Tri State in Angola and graduated from Ball State with a BS degree in 1974 and an MS in degree 1977. He married Janet Lee Crum on July 1, 1979, at Hopewell United Methodist Church in rural Frankfort; he was a member of Bethany Christian Church in Anderson and Noblesville First United Methodist Church. Jim taught in the Noblesville school system for 38 years and coached varsity tennis for over 30 years. He also participated in Westfield Youth Sports for several years as a coach and director. Family was very important to Jim and he greatly enjoyed getting together with and talking to his extended family, including many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Jim is survived by his mother, Kathryne; his wife, Janet; two sons, Patrick Richard Balsley of Fishers and Nicholas James Balsley of Noblesville; sister, Celia Ann Grise of Greensburg; sister-in-law, Jo Ann Balsley of Somerset, Pennsylvania; as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family.
He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Lewis Balsley; two brothers, Richard Scott and Rex Lewis; brother-in-law, Kenneth Grise; grandparents, Winfield Scott and Margaret Balsley, and Dorance and Esther Carson; and mother-in-law, Doris Ellen Crum.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, November 25, 2016, at Randall & Roberts Funeral Center, 1685 Westfield Road, in Noblesville. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 26, 2016, at the funeral home with Pastor Kent Stookey officiating. Graveside services will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Hopewell Cemetery, 3460 E. County Road 500N, in Frankfort, Indiana.
Memorial contributions may be made to Burnsville Christian Church, 2891 S. County Road 900E, Columbus, Indiana 47203; or Hopewell Cemetery Association, c/o Lee Paris, 2566 E. County Road 600N, Frankfort, Indiana 46041.
Condolences: www.randallroberts.com.
Martha Millemon
North Vernon
Martha Jeane Millemon, 76, of North Vernon, died at 3:36 a.m. Monday, November 21, 2016, at Seymour Crossing in Seymour.
Survivors include her daughter, Robin Lynn (Charles) Hendrickson of North Vernon; one grandson; and a brother and a sister.
A graveside service for Ms. Millemon will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday, November 25, 2016, in the Vernon Cemetery with the Rev. Edward Wooddell officiating. Arrangements were entrusted to the care of Dove-Sharp & Rudicel Funeral Home and Cremation Services in North Vernon.
Memorials may be made through the Dove-Sharp & Rudicel Funeral Home and Cremation Services to the Leukemia Foundation.
Richard Newton
Columbus
Richard “Dick” Thomas Newton, age 84, a man of faith, family and community was welcomed into his heavenly home on November 21, 2016.
Dick is survived by Wilma, his loving wife of 60 years. Also surviving are sons, Rich (Barb) and Steve (Lisa) Newton of Columbus; daughter, Laura (Mark) O’Shaughnessy of Fort Wayne; brothers, John (Paula) Newton and Phillip (Jane) Newton. Dick is also survived by his nine loving grandchildren.
Dick was born October 3, 1932, in Shelbyville, Indiana, to L.E. and Mildred Newton. He was raised in Moorefield, West Virginia, and returned to Edinburgh, Indiana, during his high school years. A proud graduate of Edinburgh High School, Dick continued his education at Hanover College and graduated with Indiana University School of Dentistry’s Class of 1956.
He was a U.S. Army Veteran.
In 1957, Dick opened his dental office on Central Avenue in Columbus where he practiced for 45 years before passing it on to his son, Dr. Richard T. Newton II. Dr. Newton always considered his patients as family and marveled many of them with a keen recollection of names and memories throughout the years.
Please join Dick’s family in a celebration of his life service at 1 p.m. Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Columbus with Dr. Felipe Martinez officiating. Family and friends may call from 11 a.m. until time of service Saturday in the Laws Rooms at the First Presbyterian Church.
The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Our Hospice of South Central Indiana or First Presbyterian Church Preschool.
Online condolences and special memories may be shared with the Newton family at barkesweaverglick.com.
Arrangements were made by Barkes, Weaver & Glick Funeral Home.
barkesweaverglick.com
Elmer Caudill
Columbus
Elmer Ray Caudill, 81, of Columbus, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, November 22, 2016, at Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation in Columbus.
He was born May 6, 1935, in Canyon Falls, Kentucky. He was the son of William Columbus and Lottie (Overbee) Caudill. He married Oma Jean (Commer) Caudill on March 8, 1956.
Elmer is survived by his wife; a son, David Ray (Eva) Caudill of Columbus; daughters, Deborah Lynn (Gary) Gaddis of Shelbyville, Indiana, Kathy Jean Caudill of Edinburgh, Indiana, and Linda Sue Caudill of Connersville, Indiana; brothers, Thomas (Gloria) Caudill of Flat Rock, Indiana and Chester (Edna) Caudill of Edinburgh, Indiana; and a sister, Nannie Deavers of Lexington, Kentucky; six grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and eleven step-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Estill, Clarence, Michael and Wayne Caudill; sisters, Georgia Marie Thomas, Elizabeth Ann Deaton and Betty Jean Garriott.
He was a member of the Who-So-Ever-Will Community Church. He retired in 1996 from Amos Plastics after 40 years of service as a finishing technician. He enjoyed playing and singing music, writing songs, woodworking and gardening.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 26, 2016, by the Rev. Lewis Burton at the Who-So-Ever-Will Community Church in Edinburgh. Calling will be from 4 until 8 p.m. Friday and from 1 p.m. until time of service Saturday at the church. Burial will be at Flat Rock Cemetery, Flat Rock.
Arrangements were made by Eskew-Eaton Funeral Home in Edinburgh, Indiana.
Three local households share Family of the Year honors
Three local families say their personal experiences have shaped their outlook on life in different ways after adversity brought them closer together.
The Alan and Holly Cook family, Shana Cureton family and the Nathan and Angela Rogers family were recognized last week during a National Family Week event at Columbus City Hall honoring Families of the Year, coordinated in Columbus for the past 27 years by organizer Judy Lifferth.
Organizers had sought nominations of families that work together, play together and overcome obstacles or adversities with grace and dignity.
The three families shared their stories with The Republic.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryAlan and Holly Cook family
Alan and Holly Cook saw the Columbus community rally around their daughter Alana this past year.
Alana Cook’s ordeal began after she was hit by a dodgeball while on fall break in October 2015. Diagnosed with a concussion, Cook was treated for a week-and-a-half by a pediatrician, but her condition worsened. She was so ill she couldn’t get out of bed, so her parents took her to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.
The girl underwent a five-hour MRI, and a CT scan showed some type of mass. Doctors put a shunt in the back of her head to treat hydrocephalus, which occurs when excess cerebrospinal fluid collects in the brain’s ventricles.
Holly Cook said her daughter was fighting for her life because of the hydrocephalus. Doctors think when the dodgeball hit her in the back of the head, it shifted the tumor and caused the fluid to build in her head, Holly Cook said.
Doctors performed surgery Nov. 4 to remove the tumor. After that, Alana spent most of the winter undergoing radiation therapy at the Chicago Proton Center, then went through five rounds of chemotherapy at Riley in the spring.
On July 7, she was pronounced cancer-free.
Holly Cook acknowledged that when faced with a difficult situation such as the one her family had to deal with, “you do what you have to do to get through it.”
She said the experience brought her family a lot closer, extending her gratitude toward the community for its support.
“You have to swallow your pride sometimes and accept help from others,” Cook said. “That’s something her father and I have had to do and we’re very thankful and very humbled.”
Alana Cook, now an eighth-grader at Northside Middle School, also said the experience has allowed her to look at life in a different perspective.
“I just want to say thank you. And I can’t say it enough times because without my basketball team, I don’t think I’d be where I am today,” she said.
Shana Cureton family
Shana Cureton said her life has changed for the better after a difficult family circumstance.
The mother of two children, Caleb and Aubrie, moved from Louisville to Columbus in the spring of 2014 because their father was stationed at Camp Atterbury near Edinburgh.
However, the effects of his seven previous military deployments and post-traumatic stress disorder took a toll on the family, Cureton said. The family found help at Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, briefly staying in its emergency shelter.
The Curetons eventually were able to secure transitional housing and now resides in a three-bedroom home in Columbus.
Shana Cureton was hired as a clinical assistant professor at IUPUC and is working toward her doctorate degree.
Caleb, 14, also learned about the Boys and Girls Club in Columbus after being introduced by another boy who was staying at Turning Point. That organization, Cureton said, has has a positive impact on her son.
“Over time, he got comfortable with the place and the people and he just flourished there,” Cureton said.
In fact, Caleb was honored as this year’s Columbus Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year.
Cureton described her son as a leader who supports her family even as she keeps busy working toward her degree.
“I’m in awe of my kid,” she said.
Cureton said she and her family members are looking ahead to the future.
“It’s been an amazing ride — a lot of lows, but also a lot of highs,” she said.
Nathan and Angela Rogers family
Angela Rogers said her family is still grieving over the loss of her husband Nathan, who died unexpectedly April 24, 2015, at age 34 due to sepsis. Angela and Nathan Rogers were married for 16 years, she said.
Rogers was joined by her 18-year-old daughter Alexis and 11-year-old son Talan in receiving the award. Nathan had worked at Columbus Container for nearly 15 years.
Nathan Rogers’ obituary summed up what was important in his life: “He was a lover of life and is remembered by many for his radiant smile and infectious laugh. He enjoyed boating, fishing, golfing, traveling and spending time with his family and friends.”
Angela Rogers said people shouldn’t take a day for granted, not even for a second.
“You see one person one day and the next, they’re gone. You don’t know how long you have with your loved one,” Rogers said.
Alexis said the death of her father has brought her family closer to each another.
“It’s something you’ve got to push through,” she said.
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National Family Week in the United States takes place the week of Thanksgiving, having first been proclaimed by President Reagan in 1987. The Columbus event — which attempts to promote and strengthen families — has been organized for 27 years by Judy Lifferth. The annual recognition program has involved the city’s mayor — from Bob Stewart to Fred Armstrong, Kristen Brown and Jim Lienhoop — as well as state Sen. Greg Walker of Columbus, representatives from local schools and local ministers. National Family Week is supported by the Ohio-based Alliance for Children & Families.
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Pence’s election as vice president shows dreams achievable
Columbus natives have done a good job putting the city in the spotlight. Chuck Taylor made the Converse shoe brand famous. Tony Stewart just retired as one of NASCAR’s most accomplished champions. And following the Nov. 8 general election, the city now is home to the next vice president of the United States.
Mike Pence has had quite a journey over the past 16 years, one that has taken him from his hometown of Columbus to Washington as a congressman, to the Statehouse as governor and now back again to Washington starting in January.
Pence lost two congressional bids (1988 and 1990) before winning the first of six consecutive terms in Congress in 2000. During his 12 years in Congress, Pence steadily climbed the ladder within the Republican Party, rising to its third-highest position as chairman of the House Republican Conference.
Pence followed his run in Congress by being elected Indiana’s 50th governor with a narrow victory in 2012. The conservative Republican gave up a chance for a second four-year term in July to join Donald Trump’s presidential ticket.
The stunning victory in the general election by President-elect Donald Trump has also put his running mate in the historic position of being the first Columbus native reach the White House, where Pence will serve as the nation’s second-in-command.
National political analysts see Pence playing a major role in leadership of the country, citing his Washington connections and relationships as difference-makers. He was picked by Trump for the key role of heading up his administration’s transition team.
Pence’s accomplishment is something younger generations can take note of when they dream of what they want to accomplish in their own careers. Big dreams can be realized.
Letter: Trump election win not really a mystery
From: Sherry Grimes
Columbus
For those still in shock over Donald Trump’s win, there is no mystery. We are fed up with the intolerance of liberal Americans who flaunt their disregard for the law and contempt for the Constitution. Since the election we have seen marches, flag-burning, vandalism, violent clashes with police, fires and blocking of highways. Universities, the institutions that are supposed to be preparing young adults to be responsible and successful citizens, are reinforcing the bratty, toddler behavior of their students. They have made mid-term exams optional, allowed student walkouts and provided dogs and counseling to comfort those who were disappointed by the election results. How did conservatives survive the election of Obama without all the TLC?
Here are just some of the outrageous claims I have heard from the anti-Trump faction since Nov. 8:
- Women will lose their reproductive rights.
- All illegal immigrants will be sent back to their native countries.
- The environment will be in trouble.
- Blacks will be sent to Africa.
- People will die when Obamacare is repealed.
Wow! If these were all true, it could scare anyone. But it isn’t, and as always, left-wing politicians and their supporters exaggerate to frighten less-informed voters and make liberal do-gooders feel guilty. Either way, it garners votes. Democrats have forgotten how to talk to all Americans. They are the divisive, not the inclusive, party.
The silent majority quietly spoke out with their ballots. They have been on the sidelines because they do not riot when the police are forced to shoot a criminal suspect. They do not insist that a month be set aside to call attention to their sexual orientation. They do not go into other countries illegally and expect, even demand, to be furnished with free health care, housing and education. The silent majority has the courage to call Islamic terrorism by its real name, not the politically correct “extremism.” They do not want to replace capitalism with socialism. They understand that a reasonable approach to our energy and environmental policy does not necessitate skyrocketing electric bills and an all-out attack on the coal industry.
The silent majority knows that it is unconstitutional to force Americans to buy any product, even Obamacare, against their will. They believe that we are a sovereign nation and recognize that open borders are unacceptable if we are to remain a nation. They revere the Constitution for its protection of all citizens. No group should have special protection or be elevated above the rest of Americans.
The silent majority is sick and tired of being called racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, sexist and anti-immigrant. Abiding by the law, disagreeing with but not threatening alternative lifestyles and identifying our enemy do not warrant unfair labeling by liberals. They are accepting of everything, except a conservative’s different opinion. We want our First Amendment rights back. We want to freely say “Merry Christmas” without fear of backlash. Conservatives should not be afraid to say, “I don’t agree with you.” Freedom feels good. Looking forward to 2017.
It’s a matter of gratitude: Take time to tell others ‘thanks’
As Thanksgiving approaches, I have been thinking about the many things for which I am thankful. My list is pretty typical, and I don’t usually do more than just reflect on my blessings. But could we do more than just reflect? What if we tried showing our gratitude for our blessings?
Several years ago I read an article about gratitude in the Parade magazine that comes in the newspaper. John Kralik shared some experiences from his endeavor to write a thank you note to a different person every day for a year. His project transformed his life. He was able to see how people had blessed his life and as he expressed his gratitude, his blessings seemed to multiply. Kralik also found that others began expressing their thanks to him.
I liked this article so much that I read the book Kralik wrote about his experience, “A Simple Act of Gratitude,” and I began incorporating the article into my writing classes. We will read through the article and then I have my students write thank-you notes following the suggestions Kralik provides.
His first suggestion is to “grab a pen and paper” since “handwritten notes feel special, almost like the person is there with you.” Next, Kralik counsels “be specific.” Mention what you are thankful for and give a reason explaining why. After thanking close friends and family, Kralik suggests you “dig into the past” to find people who may have helped you “at critical moments.” For example, Kralik wrote to a doctor that told him he needed to stop drinking. Kralik’s final suggestion is to “keep it short.” Your thank-you note doesn’t need to be long. Kralik feels that by writing just a few lines “you keep the focus on your thank you and the other person’s kindness.”
Occasionally, a student will write one of their thank you notes to me. This makes my day and helps me realize that what I do is appreciated. Take time to thank those people that help you directly but don’t forget those whose help may be less obvious. For example, my boys were all involved in Boy Scouts, and their Scout leaders were obvious people to thank. I also realized I should thank these leaders’ families for being supportive of the leaders spending time with my boys.
Another way we can show our gratitude is to share some of our blessings with others. We can do this by donating to food drives, charities or other worthy causes. I prefer to give away extra clothes or things instead of trying to sell them at a garage sale, as I have been the recipient of someone else’s desire to share. Just recently I saw a friend post pictures on Facebook of some bikes she was giving away since her kids had outgrown them. One was a bike another family had given to my children that I had subsequently given to my friend when my children outgrew it. I was happy to see that this bicycle was being shared again.
Random acts of kindness such as buying coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks, leaving a $5 bill on someone’s windshield, holding the door for someone or just smiling are additional ways to demonstrate gratitude. You could also spend time with the people who are on your list of blessings to show them that you are thankful they are a part of your life. If distance makes this difficult, try calling these people. I know I enjoy the chance to catch up with friends and family who live far away.
So this Thanksgiving, do more than just make a list of the things you are thankful for. Show your gratitude by writing a few thank you notes and by sharing your blessings with others.
Susan Cox is one of The Republic’s community columnists, and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. She is a mother, an adjunct instructor of English at Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus and a substitute teacher for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. She can be reached at editorial@therepublic.com.
Witnesses break window to help overdosing driver
Passers-by who saw an unconscious man in a vehicle knocked out a back window in efforts to help him.
The incident — which police later said appeared to be a drug overdose — happened at about 5:48 a.m. Monday in the parking lot of a Ricker’s gas station at 11940 U.S. 31 North, Bartholomew County sheriff’s deputies said.
Witnesses saw Garrett Mack, 25, of Greenwood, passed out in the driver’s seat of a Trailblazer in the driving lane of the parking lot, slumped over the wheel, deputies said. The vehicle’s transmission was in drive mode, they said.
Several passers-by tried repeatedly to wake up the driver, but were unsuccessful, deputies said. They then decided to break the SUV’s back window in order to gain access to the driver, deputies said.
After the rescuers broke out the window, Mack regained consciousness and one of the witnesses saw that Mack had a syringe in his left hand, deputies said.
When deputies Leah Burton and Brent Worman arrived, witnesses said Mack attempted to move the syringe, although deputies later found it on the ground by Mack’s foot.
After Mack was checked by Columbus Regional Hospital medical personnel, he was arrested on a preliminary charge of possession or use of a legend drug-injection device, deputies said.
Mack taken to the Bartholomew County Jail, but later released through the county’s new pre-trial diversion program for offenders, deputies said.
Bartholomew County officials have reported a significant increase in drug overdose or poisoning ambulance runs this year — from 115 for all of 2015 to 156 so far in 2016.
The county’s Emergency Operations Center dispatched ambulances to 29 overdose/poison calls in October and nine so far in November, said Ed Reuter, emergency operations director.
