Tributes 2009-02-27

Richard W. “Oil Can” Abel, 68

“Together Again”

WARREN – Richard W. “Oil Can” Abel, 68, died 4:12 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, at St. Josephs Health Center following a lengthy illness.

He was born March 4, 1940, in Warren, the son of Clarence and Christena (Futscher) Abel.

A lifetime Warren resident, he was a Boy Scout and an explorer as a youth. He attended Warren schools and graduated from Warren G. Harding High School in 1958. Following graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy in June and served four years, getting discharged in 1962.

“Oil Can” was part of the first group of employees hired at the General Motors Lordstown Assembly plant, where he was a millwright for 27 years retiring in 1963.

He was a member of Carroll F. Capp No. 655 Masonic Lodge and the Ali Baba Grotto. He was a handyman that was always willing to help when needed. He volunteered as the director of maintenance for the Western Reserve Classic Horse Show for many years. A devoted father and grandfather, he enjoyed camping, hunting, and especially spending time with his family.

His beloved wife of 44 years, Sara K. (Bloss) Abel, whom he married May 29, 1964, preceded him in death Dec. 9, 2008. He also was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Arlene O’Shea and Donna Abel.

He will be missed by his children, Tammy L. (Randall) Loudon of Warren, Cynthia M. (Mark) Derthick of Newton Falls and Scott W. (Michele) Abel of Warren and three grandchildren, Megan M. and Dylan J. Derthick of Newton Falls and Riley Loudon of Warren. He also leaves four sisters, Connie (Thomas) Jingo of Canton, Carolee (Howard) Smith of Niles, Sandra Davis of Warren and Helen (Bruce) Parker of Leavittsburg; 12 nieces and nephews; and Chloe, the cat.

Carroll F. Clapp Lodge No. 655 will conduct a Masonic service at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009, at the Roberts-Clark Chapel, where friends will be received for one hour prior to the service. Military honors will follow.

Cremation will take place and his ashes will be interred at Crown Hill Burial Park.

Please visit www.robertsclarkchapel.com to view this obituary online or send condolences.

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Anthony Michael Vincent Direnzo, 21

AUSTINTOWN – There will be a gathering of family and friends on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Schiavone Funeral Home to remember Anthony Michael Vincent Direnzo, 21, who passed away Feb. 25, from congenital heart disease.

Anthony was born Nov. 7, 1987 in Youngstown, the son of Anthony and Lisa Vitullo Direnzo.

After graduating from Austintown Fitch High School in 2006, he was attending Youngstown State University to further his ambition of teaching. He was working toward a degree in education, so he could impact the lives of others in a positive manner.

When you spoke to Anthony, he listened carefully in order to give his “knowledge” and good advice. In his short life Anthony touched many lives and had an impact on all those around him. He was a good hearted, compassionate, dependable son, grandson, great-grandson, cousin, nephew and friend, and will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Anthony was always there for his family and friends, no matter what time or what was needed and you could always lean on him.

Anthony was previously a server at Rotelli’s Restaurant and BW-3, and was currently working at Harry and Jean’s.

As well as being an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan, he enjoyed hanging out with family and friends, watching movies, writing music and creating “Beats”. Anthony loved his tattoos, each one having a special meaning.

Besides his parents, he will be sadly missed by his grandparents, Nick and Maria Vitullo and Rose Yeager; great-grandmother, Catherine Direnzo; an aunt, Debbie (Joe) Patton; his uncles, Joseph Direnzo, Steven (Allison) Direnzo, Kevin Bocker and Nick (Rhonda) Vitullo; several cousins; and his pets, Bella and Buddy.

Anthony was preceded in death by his great-grandparents, James and Edith Vitullo and Anthony Direnzo and an aunt, Patricia Direnzo.

Arrangements are being handled by the Schiavone Funeral Home.

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Virginia R. Fankhauser, 92

CANFIELD – Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday at the Canfield United Methodist Church for Virginia R. Fankhauser, 92, who died Thursday morning at her residence.

Virginia was born March 5, 1917, in Youngstown, the daughter of Homer J. and Mary Cassell (Phillips) Thomas.

Virginia was a longtime member of the Canfield United Methodist Church. She had been employed as a medical assistant for Dr. Resch and Schreiber in Canfield. Virginia graduated from South High School. With her husband, Willard, she enjoyed traveling through out the United States and Europe. She also enjoyed sailing and loved music and dancing. She played the organ with great zest.

Virginia is survived by her husband, Willard, whom she married in 1961 and children, Sandy (Velton) Jenkins of Diamond, Lynne Yost of Canfield, Ronald (Terry Cloonan) of Canfield, Ric (Carolyn) of Canfield, Judy (Hal) Walker of Canfield and Mary Jane (David) Sciortino of Boston. She also leaves 17 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Terry Schulz; and brothers, Carlisle and John Thomas.

Family and friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Lane Funeral Home, Canfield Chapel and from 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, prior to services at the church.

Family and friends may visit www.lanefuneralhomes.com to view this obituary and send condolences.

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Rae M. Mahoney, 86

HUBBARD – Rae M. Mahoney, 86, died Wednesday morning, Feb. 25, 2009, at Hospice House.

She was born Jan. 12, 1923 in Culpeper, Va., a daughter of Warren and Louise Witt McDaniel and has lived in the area since 1956.

Mrs. Mahoney was secretary of the Economics Department at Youngstown State University for 16 years before retiring in 1990. She began her secretarial career at the Veteran’s Administration in Washington D.C. after graduating from Strayer Business College and she also worked for Ursuline High School. Rae enjoyed playing cards, and was an avid reader. Her family was her greatest joy.

Her husband, Albert T. Mahoney, whom she married in November of 1951, died in 1962.

She leaves a son, Thomas Mahoney of Lowellville; three daughters, Mary Alice Brant of Madison, Va., Nori (Bill) Pilati of Vienna and much beloved friend and daughter, Donna Mahoney of Hubbard; three sisters, Ruth Potts of Berryville, Va., Evelyn Ullman of Kensington, Md. and Hazel Thompson of Roanoke, Va.; seven grandchildren, Laura (Nate), Daniel, Steven, Tommy, Karen, Joe and Leah; and three great-grandchildren, Audrey, Evan and Braeden.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Kelley-Robb Funeral Home.

Family and friends may call on Saturday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.

Contributions can be made to Hospice of the Valley Hospice House, 9803 Sharrott Road, Poland, OH 44514 or to the Hubbard Public Library, 436 West Liberty St., Hubbard, OH 44425.

Please visit www.kelley-robb.com to view the obituary and to send condolences to the family.

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Shirley Moore, 77

YOUNGSTOWN – Funeral services will be on Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, Austintown Chapel for Shirley Moore, 77, who passed away early Thursday morning at Camelot Arms.

Shirley was born June 14, 1931 in Pittsburgh, the daughter of Daniel and Georgiana Patterson Held.

Shirley was a graduate of South High School. She started off working at the Youngstown Board of Education in housekeeping. She then worked at Easco Aluminum as a wrapper for 20 years, retiring in 1992.

She was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church.

She enjoyed playing cards in the card club with her friends, and she loved to read.

Her husband, Thomas H. Moore, whom she married June 13, 1975, passed away Dec. 28, 2003.

She leaves a daughter, Sherry (David) Lorenzi of Youngstown; two sons, William H. Baun and David D. Baun, both of Youngstown; a sister, Mary K. (Timothy) Johnson of Canfield; five grandchildren, David “DJ,” Jamie, Stacy, Justin and Thomas; and seven great-grandchildren.

Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and a son, Nicolas Baun.

Friends may call Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. at the funeral home.

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Robert Powell, 51

BESSEMER, PA. – Robert Powell 51, of 536 S. Main St., passed away at 11:57 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, at Jameson Hospital in New Castle, Pa. from complications of kidney failure.

Robert was born Oct. 25, 1957 in Youngstown, the son of Mardis E. and Sarah Thomas Powell.

Mr. Powell was a general laborer and also enjoyed working on cars. He enjoyed gardening and riding on his motorcycle.

Robert is survived by his mother, Sarah Powell of Bessemer; two sisters, Barbara (Kenneth) Book of New Castle and Joyce Tribe and her fiancé, Claude Berry of Columbiana; four nephews; five great-nieces; and three great-nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009, at the Seederly-Mong & Beck Funeral Home in North Lima.

Friends and family may call from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009, at the Seederly-Mong & Beck Funeral Home in North Lima.

Burial will be at New Springfield Cemetery.

Friends may visit www.seederly-mongandbeck.com to view this obituary, sign the guest register or send online condolences.

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Patricia Raye Preston, 75

COLUMBIANA – Patricia Raye Preston, 75, died Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009.

Mrs. Preston was born April 28, 1933 in Youngstown, a daughter of Paul and Camille Raye Glass Riddle and was a lifelong area resident.

She was a 1951 graduate of Poland Seminary High School, and graduated from Westminster College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She had taught for the Poland Union Elementary and Boardman Market Street and Robinwood Elementary Schools for many years.

Mrs. Preston then went on to privately tutor children out of her home and was one of the top three tutors for students in our area.

Mrs. Preston was a member of the Bethel Friends Church in Poland. She was a former member of the Village Club and Garden Club in Poland.

Anyone that knew Mrs. Preston knew that she had a ministry of hospitality and encouragement. She will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Dr. James H. Preston, whom she married Aug. 3, 1957; one daughter, Kimberlee (Howard) Thornton of Saint Clairsville; two sons, James H. (Wendy) Preston Jr. of Oxfordshire, England and Jonathan “Kip” (Allison) Preston of Golden, Colo.; eight grandchildren, Andrew (Abbey) Reynolds, Sarah (Gareth) Etches, Rebecca Preston, Ryan Preston, Drew Preston, Cameron Preston, Jade Preston and Shaina Thornton; and one great-grandchild, Poppy Etches.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Family and friends will be received Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home in Poland.

Services will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at the Bethel Friends Church, 2771 Spitler Road in Poland, where family and friends will be received from 10 to 10:45 a.m., prior to the service. Interment will follow at Grandview Cemetery in Salem.

Memorial contributions may be given in Mrs. Preston’s name to Project Jamaica, 25738 Summergreen Lane, Golden, CO 80401

Please visit www.beckerobits.com to send condolences.

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Stephen J. Sopik, 75

HUBBARD – There will be services at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Stewart-Kyle Funeral Home for Stephen J. Sopik, 75, who passed away Wednesday at home.

Stephen was born July 2, 1933 in Youngstown, a son of Ludwick and Anna Korsala Sopik.

He was a maintenance repair man at U.S. Steel for 32 years, retiring in 1982, and later worked at Youngstown Window Cleaning and Burdman Group, both in Youngstown.

He was a member of the Holy Name Church in Youngstown.

He enjoyed polka music, playing bingo, fishing and watching baseball and soccer.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during the Korean conflict.

He leaves a brother, Louis Sopik of Austintown and two sisters, Ruth DeMarco of Niles and Veronica Ross of Austintown.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, John Sopik and sisters, Anna Floco and Mary Louise Shields.

There will be calling hours Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Stewart-Kyle Funeral Home.

Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Youngstown, with full military honors provided by the Trumbull County American Legion Honor Guard.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 525 North Broad St., Canfield, OH 44406.

Family and friends may visit www.stewart-kyle.com to view this obituary and send condolences.

Stewart-Kyle Funeral Home Providing Funeral Service Since 1850

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O. Kathleen Strange, 86

YOUNGSTOWN – O. Kathleen Strange, 86, formerly of Poland, died Monday morning at Omni West Assisted Living.

Kathleen was born March 16, 1922 in Philipsburg, Pa., a daughter of Maurice and Edna Poorman Strange.

She was a 1940 graduate of Wilson High School and attended Youngstown Business School. She worked as an office manager for Acacia Life Insurance, and later as a claims secretary for Youngstown Sheet & Tube, and then LTV. She was a member and past Matron of Miriam Chapter of Eastern Star and White Shrine of Jerusalem. She was an active member of the Trinity United Methodist Church.

Kathleen leaves her sister-in-law, Ethel Strange of Boardman; one niece, Susan (John) Denoon of Galion; one nephew, John (Peggy) Strange of Boardman; five great-nieces and nephews, Heather, Todd and Jon Strange, Stacy Shipley and Shane Denoon.

Besides her parents, Kathleen was preceded in death by her brother, John “Jack” Strange.

Memorial services will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home, Poland Chapel with Pastor Carolyn Griffeth officiating.

Friends will be received Saturday from 1:15 p.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.

Contributions may be made to the Southern Care Hospice, 5401 Ashley Circle, Youngstown, OH 44515.

Please visit www.beckerobits.com to send condolences.

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