Sheets and Childs Funeral Home

Donald M. Pranger, 78, a resident of rural Churubusco, died unexpectedly at 8:20 a. m. on Monday, January 28, 2008, at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne. He had entered the hospital on Sunday after becoming ill.

Mr. Pranger was born in Allen County near Huntertown on May 11, 1929, a son of Frank H. and Elizabeth (Pepe) Pranger. He spent his formative years in the Huntertown-area and graduated from Huntertown High School.

As a young man he served with the U. S. Army during the Korean Conflict, and was married in Churubusco on August 23, 1952 to Barbara E. McGuire. The couple lived all of their adult lives in the Churubusco community, and had lived at their present home in Smith Township since 1972.

He had been employed at Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company in Fort Wayne for 30 years, retiring from the stock room there in 1992.

A member of the Churubusco United Methodist Church, he enjoyed RV camping, flying ultra-lite planes, and enjoyed wintering in Okeechobee and Sebring, Florida for many years.

Mrs. Pranger preceded him in death on July 21, 2004.

The surviving relatives include his son Donald B. Pranger of Churubusco; a sister Deloris Bock of Fort Wayne; a sister-in-law Lavon Pranger of Fort Wayne; three grandchildren David (Katie) Pranger of Fort Wayne, Andy (Amber) Pranger of Mansfield, Ohio, and Elizabeth Pranger of Churubusco; and two great-grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers Harold Pranger and Walter Pranger.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a. m. Friday, February 1, at the Churubusco United Methodist Church with Pastor Christine Newman- Jacobs, officiating.

The family will receive friends at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco on Thursday from 2 to 8 p. m., or at the church one hour prior to the service.

Interment with military graveside rites will be in the Christian Chapel Cemetery, Merriam.

For those who wish, memorials may be directed to Churubusco United Methodist Church or First Assembly of God, Fort Wayne.

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Chad J. McGuire, 37, a resident of rural Columbia City near Collins, died at 3:24 a. m. on Sunday, January 27, 2008 from injuries sustained in at ATV accident at his residence in Smith Township.

Mr. McGuire was born on February 8, 1970 in Columbia City, a son of Jerry and Sue (Dirr) McGuire. He spent his formative years in Kaleva, Michigan, and graduated from Brethren High School in 1988.

He returned to this area in 2000, and was married in Columbia City on August 7, 2004 to Jennifer “Jennie” Dull.

He had been employed as a supervisor at Symmetry Ultrexx in Avilla since 2001, and was also engaged in farming in Smith Township. In his leisure time he enjoyed hunting, fishing, farming, and all sports–particularly hockey.

The surviving relatives include his wife Jennie; two step-daughters Courtney Cooper of Indianapolis and Amanda Cooper of Chicago; his father and step-mother Jerry and Judy McGuire of Churubusco; his mother and step-father Sue and William Sandell of Grand Rapids, Mich; his in-laws Rick and Jo Dull of Albion; a brother Shayne (Christin) Sandell of Lansing, Mich; two step-brothers Stacy (Krista) Holzinger of Churubusco and Walter (Trish) Gratz of Huntertown; two step-sisters Pam (Chuck) Voors of Fort Wayne and Linda Mobley of Churubusco; his grandparents Carl and Pauline McGuire of Churubusco, and Oneta and George Bergholtz of Kalkaska, Mich; several aunts and uncles; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a. m. on Thursday, January 31, at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco with Rev. Greg Smith, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, officiating.

The family will receive friends at the mortuary on Wednesday from 2 to 8 p. m., or one hour prior to the service Thursday morning.

Interment will be in the Blue River Cemetery, Whitley County.

The family requests that memorials be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association, 9135 N. Meridian Street, B-4, Indianapolis, IN 46260, or to the American Diabetes Association, 7363 East 21st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219

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Edward D. Tipton, 77, a resident of Churubusco, died at 6:30 a. m. on Wednesday, January 23, 2008, at the family residence. He had been in declining health since November.

Mr. Tipton was born in Albion on May 29, 1930, a son of Edward C. and Ogden (Morr) Tipton, and spent his formative years there. He graduated from Albion High School, and served with the U. S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict.

On June 12, 1954 he was married in New York City to Kathleen Miller. The couple lived in Albion and Columbia City for a period following their marriage, and had lived at their present home in Churubusco since 1959.

He was employed as a crane operator at Slater Steel in Fort Wayne for 26 years, retiring from there in 1992. Always known as a very kind person, Ed was a fan of Chicago Cubs baseball and Indiana University basketball. He also loved following his grandchildren’s sports activities.

He was a member of St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Churubusco and American Legion Post 82 in Fort Wayne.

The surviving relatives include his wife Kathy; two children Nancy (Daniel) Poyser of Churubusco and William D. Tipton of Albion; a brother John (Gwen) Tipton of Kendallville; a sister Lois Jean Kelly of Kendallville; four grandchildren Brent Poyser, Lane Poyser, Ryne Poyser, and Justin Tipton; a great-granddaughter McKenna Poyser; and several nieces and nephews.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a. m. Saturday, January 26, 2008, in St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Churubusco with Father Daniel Leeuw, the celebrant.

The family will receive friends at Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco on Friday from 2 to 8 p. m., and from 10 to 10:45 a. m. Saturday morning. The Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p. m. Friday at the mortuary.

Interment will be in the Ege Catholic Cemeter in Noble County, with military graveside rites by Whitley County Korean War Veterans.

The family requests that memorial contributions be made for masses or to Parkview Home Health & Hospice, 353 N. Oak St., Columbia City, IN 46725

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Alden Ray “Sonny” McClure, Jr., 52, a native of Churubusco and more recently a resident of Auburn, died unexpectedly and was found at his home at 4:20 p. m. on Friday, January 18, 2007.

Mr. McClure was born on December 5, 1955 in Fort Wayne, a son of Alden Ray, Sr. and Betty J. (Walker) McClure. He spent his formative years in Churubusco, and graduated from Churubusco High School in 1974.

He had been employed at Graber Excavating in Auburn for several years, and for the past seven years had worked in road construction for Wayne Asphalt & Construction Company, Inc. in Fort Wayne.

He was a member of the Pro Golf Association. An avid sports fan, he enjoyed golf, and recently had a hole-in-one. He enjoyed fishing, blue grass music, and was a fan of the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana University basketball, and NASCAR.

The surviving relatives include his daughter Tinly Hoffman of Fort Wayne; his mother and step-father Betty J. and Leroy Lawson of Churubusco; his siblings Carol Butler of Spencerville, Gloria Hughett of Fort Wayne, June Houlton of Auburn, Linda (Duane) Barth of Columbia City, Beverly (Joe) Gray of Archbold, Oh., David (fiancee Rebecca Coffelt) McClure of Columbia City, Aaron (fiancee Cynthia Freeman) McClure of Churubusco, and Wanda Van Horn of Auburn; and his three grandchildren Austin Hoffman, Peyton Gaff, and Alyvia Hoffman.

In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by a son Jeremy Ray Hoffman on November 3, 2002.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a. m. Wednesday, January 23, at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco with Rev. Timothy Grable, pastor of Sugar Grove Church of God, officiating.

The family will receive friends at the mortuary on Tuesday from 2 to 4 and from 6 to 8 p. m., or one hour prior to the service.

Interment will be in the Eel River Cemetery, south of Churubusco.

For those who wish, memorials may be directed to the American Heart Association.

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Shirley Virginia Linn, age 80, a resident of South Main Street in Churubusco, Indiana died Wednesday January 16, 2008 in the Fort Wayne, Parkview North Hospital (Hospice) following an extended illness.

Mrs. Linn was born November 25, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois a daughter of the late Albert and Olive (Wilson) Fritz. She spent most of her adult life in the Fort Wayne, and Whitley County, Indiana area. She was a homemaker and loved to work to please her family.

She was united in marriage in 1968 to Darryl R. Linn who survives. Surviving in addition to her husband Darryl are her children, Ted (Shirley) Sterling of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Jay (Susan) Beaver of Toledo, Ohio and Janet (Jerry) Carnahan of Angola, Indiana; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her sisters Darlene (Dr. Donald) Welsh of Churubusco, Indiana, Pat Geisler of Columbia City, Indiana and Gerry Phares of Hopewell, Virginia.

She was preceded in death by one son Jerry Lee Phares, her parents, and a brother Edward Fritz.

The services will be held Monday January 21, 2008 at 2:00 P.M. in the Sheets and Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco with Pastor Jeff Stedge officiating.

Burial will follow in the Riverview Cemetery south of Churubusco.

The family will receive friends in the funeral home on Monday from noon until service time.

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