Sheets and Childs Funeral Home

Robert E. Haynes, 75, a resident of Churubusco, passed away at 2:20 a. m. on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne.  He had suffered an apparent brain hemorrhage on Thursday.

Mr. Haynes was born on June 26, 1935 in Garrett, a son of Morris and Cleatus (Thompson) Haynes, and as a young man served with the U. S. Navy during the Korean Conflict.   On August 27, 1962 he was married in Garrett to Jean Zimmerman.  The couple lived in Fort Wayne for a period, and moved to the Churubusco-area 34 years ago.

Employed as a drywall finisher and painter for most of his adult life, he retired from Tri-State Decorating in Fort Wayne in 1997.  Following his retirement he was employed by the Albion New Era and the Churubusco News.

He was a member and past master of Churubusco Lodge 515 F&AM, was commander of Churubusco Veteran’s of Foreign Wars Turtle Post 3846, and was a member of the Gilbert Davis American Legion Post 157 in Churubusco.

The surviving relatives include his wife Jean; his daughter Kimberly (Marc) Pape of Fort Wayne; two grandchildren Zachary Pape and Krista (Steven) Sanavongsay; and a great-grandson Alec.  His parents preceded him in death.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a. m. on Wednesday, May 4, 2011, at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco with Rev. Kevin Wendt, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church, officiating.

The family will receive friends at the mortuary from 3 to 8 p. m. on Tuesday, or one hour prior to the service Wednesday morning.

Interment with military graveside rites will be in the Eel River Cemetery, south of Churubusco.

For those who wish, memorials may be directed to the Humane Society of Whitley County, P. O. Box 245, Columbia City, Indiana  46725.

********************************************

To leave an online condolence for the family in Mr. Haynes’ memory, please click on “Condolences” below. . .

Robert J. Sloffer, 88, a resident of Churubusco and widely acquainted Churubusco businessman and community leader, passed away at 3:30 p. m. on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the family residence following an extended illness.

Mr. Sloffer was born in Huntertown on June 7, 1922, a son of Milo and Bertha (Dunten) Sloffer, and spent his formative years in that area.  He graduated from Huntertown High School in 1940 and as a young man served with the U. S. Army during World War II.

On April 4, 1942 he was married to Doris M. Gordon, and along with his father-in-law, the late Walter Gordon, was co-owner of Gordon & Sloffer, Inc. in Churubusco for 41 years, retiring in 1986.

In addition to his business concerns, his life was marked by memberships and active participation in a variety of civic and fraternal organizations.  He was a member of the Churubusco United Methodist Church; and was a 50 year member of Churubusco Lodge 515 F&AM, Scottish Rite, Valley of Fort Wayne, and the Mizpah Shrine in Fort Wayne.  In addition, he was a member of the Gilbert Davis American Legion Post 157 in Churubusco, Churubusco Veteran’s of Foreign Wars Turtle Post 3846, and was a charter member of the Churubusco Lions Club.

The surviving relatives include his wife Doris, to whom he was married for 69 years; his son Robert J. (Sandy) Sloffer, Jr. of Churubusco; three daughters Diane (Bruce) Fletter of Grand Rapids, Mich., Karlin (Terry) Shively of Whitehouse, Oh., and Jan Patnella of Holiday, Fla; a sister Hilda Shively of Churubusco; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother John Sloffer; and by three sisters Marie Bosler, Helen Stonestreet, and Marcella Hoyer.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a. m. on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, at the Churubusco United Methodist Church with Pastor Corinne K. Boruff, officiating.

The family will receive friends at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco on Monday from 2-4 and from 6-8 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 Shriner’s Hospital For Children, 2211 North Oak Park Avenue, Chicago, IL 60707

*********************************************

To leave an online condolence for the family in Mr. Sloffer’s memory, please click on “Condolences” below. . .

Beverly M. Lewis, 83, a resident of Fort Wayne and widow of Jack L. Lewis, passed away at 3:40 p. m. on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at Bethlehem Woods Nursing Home in Fort Wayne following a lengthy illness.

Mrs. Lewis was born on March 15, 1928 in Fort Wayne, a daughter of Lloyd and Bernice (Brown) Reynolds, and graduated from Northside High School in 1946.  Upon completing her education, she worked at the former Wayne Knitting Mills and later at Security Cartage Trucking Company.

On June 10, 1950 she was married in Fort Wayne to Jack L. Lewis, and spent most of her adult life in Washington Township in Allen County.

She had worked at The Lincoln Life Insurance Company in Fort Wayne for 23 years, retiring from there in 1990 as a group department systems tester.  She had previously attended the Bethel United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, and was past worthy matron of Churubusco Order of the Eastern Star 136.

Mr. Lewis preceded her in death on July 30, 2001.

The surviving relatives include two sons Ronald C. (Marilyn) Lewis of Fort Wayne and Donald L. (Melody) Lewis of DeRidder, La; a daughter Mari (Brian) Davis of Noble County; a brother Jerry A. (Ruth Ann) Reynolds of Bluffton; six grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a sister Elaine McComb; and by a brother James Reynolds.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a. m. on Monday, May 2, 2011, at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco with Rev. Rick Van Horn, pastor of Christ Community Church, officiating.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday from 2 to 5 p. m.   Churubusco Order of the Eastern Star 136 will conduct memorial services at 5 p. m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Interment will be in Greenlawn Memorial Park, Fort Wayne.

For those who wish, memorials may be directed to Churubusco Order of the Eastern Star 136, c/o Margaret Hoot,  1812 W. Shoaff Rd., Huntertown, IN  46748.

******************************************

To leave an online condolence for the family in Mrs. Lewis’ memory, please click on “Condolences” below. . .

John Guy Dambra Jr., 67, of Fort Wayne, passed away at 3:00p.m., on April 26, 2011, at Parkview North Hospital following complications to cancer treatments. He was born in Ipswich Mass. on August 8, 1942 to John Guy and Laura C. (Piecuch) Dambra Sr.

 He is a graduate of Ipswich High School. Following graduation he joined the United States Marine Corps where he served his country in Vietnam.  When he was honorable discharged from military service he settled in the Fort Wayne area.

He married his first wife Elouise (Esterine) Dambra on April 10, 1965. He began his career with UPS at that time and retired after 30 years of service from driving. He married his second wife Josephine (Lawton) Dambra on July 30, 1973. During this time he found his love for spending time on the lake with his family. Following the death of Josephine on November 30, 2001, he married Deborah (Wright) Dambra on August 22, 2003. During his retirement he and Deborah enjoyed ushering at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and at Notre Dame University, South Bend.

A beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather,  he is survived  by his wife Deborah (Wright) Dambra; his children Penny (Ray) Turner, Gina (Jess) White, Michele (Thomas) Line, Jeffrey (Billie Jo) Dambra, Jay (Wendy) Dambra, John G. (Christina) Dambra III, Andrea (Mike) Perez, Sarah Hodgin, and Jennifer Hodgin; first wife Elouise (Esterine) Dambra; 19 grandchildren and one great-grandchild all of the Fort Wayne area.

Funeral services will be held at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church 1636 St. Mary’s Ave.  at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday April 30, 2011, with Pastor Russ Dewell, officiating.

The family will receive friends on Friday April 28, 2011 from 2 – 4 and 6 – 8 p.m. at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. There will also be calling before the service starting at 9:30a.m.

For those who wish, memorials should be directed to the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church 1636 St. Mary’s Ave. Fort Wayne, In 46808; or Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana 6316 Mutual Drive
Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825.

*********************************************************

To leave an online condolence for the family in Mr. Dambra’s memory, please click on “Condolences” below. . .

Cynthia Anne Crooks, 69, a resident of Churubusco and wife of David L. Crooks, passed away at 4:41 p.m. on Friday April 22, 2011, at Parkview Hospital after a short illness.

Mrs. Crooks was born in Fort Wayne July 23, 1941, a daughter to Howard W. and Margaret (Neher) Wilson. She spent her formative years in Churubusco where she graduated from Churubusco High school in 1959.

On September 12, 1960 she was married in Churubusco, to David L. Crooks of Churubusco, where she spent all of her married life. She spent a period in Springfield, Oh with her husband moving back to Churubusco in 2002 following his retirement. She was involved with Cub and Girl scouts with her children. Mrs. Crooks had worked at the former Pat’s Café in Churubusco and delivered the Post & Mail for 17 Years.

The surviving relatives include her husband David L.; four sons Christopher Crooks of Fort Wayne, David (Cassandra) Crooks Jr. of Fort Wayne, Robert ( Tammy) Crooks of Columbia City, and Patrick Crooks of Fort Wayne; two daughters Diana Hoffman of Columbia City and Margaret Crooks of Churubusco; a sister Pamela Hinrich of Churubusco; six brothers James L. (Ann) Wilson of Decatur, Carl A. (Bonnie) Wilson of Larwill, Kenneth E. (Lana) Wilson of Pierceton, Keith E. Wilson of Pierceton, John H. (Cheri) Wilson of Spencerville, and Kevin P. (Sharon) Wilson of Philadelphia, Pa.; 18 grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; a former son – in- law Kenneth Hoffman, Jr. of Columbia City.

Mrs. Crooks was preceded in death by her parents.

The funeral services will be held at 1:00p.m., on Wednesday April 27, 2011 at Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco, with Rev. Corinne K. Boruff, pastor of Churubusco United Methodist Church, officiating.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday April 26, 2011 from 3 – 5 and 6 – 8 p.m.

For those who wish, memorials should be directed to American Diabetes Association or American Heart Association.

*******************************************

To leave an online condolence for the family in Mrs. Crooks’s memory, please click on “Condolences” below. . .