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Levi Hall |
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Maple Summit Cemetery |
He learned the carpentry trade in young manhood and spent a long career in that occupation.
On June 18, 1889, when he was 22 years of age, Levi married 16-year-old Elizabeth Daniels (March 11, 1873-1962), a native of Ohiopyle and of unknown parents. The ceremony took place in Ohiopyle.
Their nine children were Raleigh Emerson Hall, Daisy "Mae" Hall, Etta Hepler, Charlotte Hoose (sometimes misspelled "Hose"), Elizabeth Long, Idella Meyers Pritchard, Winona Bowers and a son and daughter who both died in infancy.
The family relocated to South Connellsville, Fayette County in 1909. Near tragedy befell Levi in June 1915 when, while working on repairs to his roof, he was overcome by illness and fainted. Local Boy Scouts in South Connellsville, led by Dr. P.G. Dick, came to the rescue and likely saved his life.
Circa 1920, the census shows the family in the Mill Run vicinity of Springfield Township, with Levi earning income as a railroad laborer.
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Levi and Elizabeth with daughter Charlotte and family
- courtesy Catherine Hoose |
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Maple Summit Cemetery |
They lived on Atlas Avenue in Connellsville in 1930-1936, with Levi working as a box factory laborer.
In November 1937, the 71-year-old Levi was injured in an automobile accident on the Connellsville-Uniontown Road, while a passenger in the vehicle of Edward Grimm. Said the Connellsville Daily Courier: "He received two deep lacerations above the left eye, a chest and possible internal injuries. X-ray pictures were taken this morning.... While returning from Dunbar the machine skidded on the slippery highway during the snowstorm, Grimm said. After skidding the machine upset and rolled over onto its top, then overturned again and crashed against the bank, 90 feet from the roadway."
The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1939, although with Elizabeth in poor health, only 17 immediate family members attended the celebration. "The menu consisted of the many good things accompanying a real chicken repast," reported the Daily Courier. "The honored couple and their children were placed at one large table, which was centered with a large three-tier cake, baked by Miss Winona Hall and decorated with fifty pink candles... After the dinner, enertainment was enjoyed. A short program of favorite selections of Mr. Hall and his bride of fity years ago was presented. It was: Piano solo, 'Blue Danube,' Miss Elaine Hepler, granddaughter of the honored guests; reading, 'Grandparents,' Miss Delores Long, another granddaughter; vocal duet, 'The Old Rugged Cross,' Mrs. Meyers and Miss Winona Hall, with Miss Hepler playing the accompaniment." In 1949, on their 60th anniversary, Levi and Elizabeth were pictured in the Daily Courier.
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Connellsville Daily Courier, 1939 |
In 1949, upon their 60th anniversary, Levi and Elizabeth were pictured in the Daily Courier and said to be "one of the oldest couples of South Connellsville."Again in 1954, when they reached their 65th anniversary, the Daily Courier published a photo.
Toward the end of his life, he resided with his married daughter Winona Bowers at 111 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville. Burdened with senile dementia, hypertension and hardening of the arteries, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died at the age of 89 just two days after Christmas 1955. His remains were brought up to the mountains for interment in Maple Summit Cemetery in a funeral ceremony led by Rev. R.A. Nelson of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren Church. An obituary in the Daily Courier noted that Levi's survivors included five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth survived her husband and remained in their daughter's home in South Connellsville. She often visited her adult children in South Bend, IN. Suffering from an infection of hepatitis, she was admitted to Connellsville State Hospital, where she succumbed at the age of 88 on Jan. 30, 1962. Her funeral service was led by Rev. R.A. Nelson. She rests in the Hall family plot of graves in Maple Summit.
~ Daughter Daisy "Mae" Hall ~
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Maple Summit Cemetery |
She never married but lived as an adult with her parents and married sister Winona Bowers at 111 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville.
Evidence suggests that she may have been mentally disabled, as United States Census-taker recorded over the years that she was an invalid and had never attended school. All of the federal census enumerations show that she had no occupation.
Mae began to be burdened with heart and kidney failure in her late 50s. Unable to regain her health, she succumbed at the age of 57 on July 27, 1947. Burial was in the Maple Summit Cemetery following a funeral service at the Hall residence, led by Rev. K.M. Bishop of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren Church. An obituary was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
~ Son Raleigh Emerson "Rolla" Hall ~
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Hill Grove Cemetery |
He grew up in Indian Creek, Fayette County and as a young man moved to Pittsburgh where he had obtained work as a brakeman for the Pennsylvania Railroad. His address in the city was at 2111 Sidney Street circa 1917 and reported to work at 30th Street on Pittsburgh's South Side. He was of medium height and build, with blue eyes and dark brown hair. The name of his Pennsy supervisor in 1917 was A.J. Schauer.
Raleigh is believed to have been married, but his wife's name is not yet known. During World War I, as reported on the pages of the Pittsburgh Press, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After basic training, he served with the army'sAmerican Expeditionary Force as a member of the 320th Infantry, Company M.
Tragically, during the bloody extended battle of the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918, Raleigh was killed in action. The details are not yet known. His name was printed in a list of wartime casualties in the Nov. 25, 1918 edition of his hometown newspaper, the Connellsville Daily Courier, and in other newspapers in Pennsylvania such as the Harrisburg Telegraph, Allentown Morning Call and Altoona Tribune. In 1919, workmen erected a memorial tablet naming Raleigh and other local service casualties on the grounds of Connellsville High School in the south section of the city. Raleigh's remains were not returned to the United States for three years, until September 1921.
At the time his body was repatriated, a funeral service was held in his parents' home, followed by interment in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville. Co-officiating at the service were Rev. J.O. Bishop, formerly of the Evangelical Church at South Connellsville, and Rev. J.S. Showers of the United Brethren Church. Reported the Daily Courier, "Members of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars attended the services and furnished a firing squad at the grave in Hill Grove cemetery." The name and fate of his wife will be added to this biography once discovered.
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Stereoview image of a dead American soldier, Meuse Argonne Forest, where Raleigh Hall was killed. Keystone View Company. Courtesy Library of Congress.
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~ Etta Lorena (Hall) Hepler ~
Daughter Etta Lorena Hall (1900-1972) was born in 1900 in Fayette County.
She married Gloster "Dale" Hepler ( ? -1967).
Together, they produced one daughter, N. Elaine Schenck.
The Heplers dwelled for decades in South Bend, IN, where Dale earned a living operating a steam roller for an asphalt paving company. Later, she moved to Syracuse, IN. Etta underwent heart surgery in January 1959.
Dale passed away on Aug. 12, 1967.
Etta outlived her husband by five years. Sadly while visiting her daughter Elaine in South Bend in 1972, she suffered a stroke and was admitted to Memorial Hospital. She died there on Dec. 18, 1972, with an obituary appearing in her old hometown newspaper, the Connellsville Daily Courier. The funeral and burial were held in South Bend.
Daughter N. Elaine Hepler (1922- ? ) was born in about 1922. In 1951, she married Arthur Schenck ( ? -2015), son of George and Louise (Ritcher) Schenck of Florida, where he was raised. The children born to this union were Lynn Schenck and Kenneth Schenck. During World War II, Arthur served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. After the war, he received an education in electrical work at Coyle Electrical School in Chicago. Arthur went on to a 40-year career with U.S. Rubber in Mishawaka, later becoming part of Uniroyal, where he applied his electrical knowledge and became a supervisor. Said the South Bend (IN) Tribune, Arthur was a "kind and gentle man, loving husband and father who had incredible patience and was a superb problem solver. He could fix virtually anything and effectively guide others to do so as well. He had an infectious smile, enjoyed the company of others, loved to read and and listen to music." Arthur retired at the age of 62, and they moved to Syracuse Lake to golf, boat, do woodworking and volunteer with favorite causes. With Arthur suffering from Parkinson's they moved to Bloomington in 2005 and spent their final years there. At the age of 89, Arthur succumbed in Indiana University Health Hospice House on Aug. 28, 2015. His obituary was printed in the Tribune.
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Granddaughter Lynn Schenck made a home in 2015 in Bloomington, IN.
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Grandson Kenneth Schenck entered into marriage with Merlin ( ? - ? ). They have a son, Skyler Schenck and reside in Conroe, TX.
~ Daughter Charlotte Catherine (Hall) Hoose ~
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Francis and Charlotte (Hall) Hoose and son James. Courtesy Catherine Hoose |
Daughter Charlotte Catherine Hall (1903-1993) was born on April 1, 1903 in Ohiopyle.
In nuptials held in Mishawaka, IN on July 3, 1926, she tied the marital cord with Francis W. Hoose (1900-1983).
They produced one known son, James Hoose.
Circa 1920, Charlotte was a charter member of the Ever Faithful Sunday School Class of the Albright United Methodist Church. The Hooses relocated to South Bend, IN, where they lived for some 50 years until 1978.
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Francis and Charlotte (Hall) Hoose. Courtesy Catherine Hoose |
For decades, both Charlotte and Francis earned a living through their employment with Studebaker Corporation. He was a machinist working with farm equipment and she as a stenographer in the automotive parts department. Francis also was a charter member of St. Anthony's Church in South Bend. Charlotte was socially active in the community and, in September 1947, was named general chairman for a new charity ball, organized by Studebaker employees' "Mary Ann Club." Proceeds from the event were donated to the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund to support cancer research. She also was involved with the Mishawaka Republican Women's Club.
She was pictured in the South Bend Tribune in May 1975 when admiring a needlepointed seal of the Fiji Islands crafted by Beth Bowen, wife of Indiana Governor Otis Bowen.
Wanting to keep family ties, Frances and son James spent a 10-day vacation with her parents in South Connellsville in July 1936.
In October 1970, Charlotte returned to Connellsville for the 50th anniversary of her Sunday School class and received a corsage at a turkey banquet and program held at Otterbein United Methodist Church. Then again in 1975, at the class's 55th anniversary, Charlotte and Francis received an honor for traveling the furthest to attend the banquet held at the Wesley United Methodist Church.
In about 1978, they moved to Houston, TX. There, Francis was a member of the Prince of Peace Church, Keenagers Friendship Group and Baptist Senior Citizens Club.
Sadly, Francis died on Aug. 13, 1983, at the age of 83, ending their marriage which had endured for 57 years.
Charlotte survived for another decade. She passed away in Houston on Dec. 1, 1993, with interment in Memorial Oaks Mausoleum in Houston. An obituary was printed in the South Bend Tribune.
Son James W. Hoose (1930-2021) was born on Jan. 20, 1930 in South Bend, IN. He received a bachelor's degree from Indiana University at Bloomington. Later he earned a master's of business administration degree from Indiana Northern University. He was twice married. His first bride, whom he met in college, and was the mother of their children, was Betty E. Reichenbach ( ? -1999). Their union endured for 49 years. Together, the couple bore four children -- Catherine Hoose, John Hoose, James W. Hoose Jr. and Jerome Hoose. James spent his four-decade career in human resources management and labor relations. As a young man in the 1950s, he worked in personnel matters for South Bend Lathe Works and Fadell Personnel Service. In 1959, he joined the Industrial Systems Division of Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company in Minneapolis and in 1961 was named personnel manager of its facility in Beltsville, MD. Then in 1966, the Hooses lived in St. Louis, where James was employed as director of personnel for the Conductron subsidiary of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. He was transferred to England in December 1966. He also held assignments in Colorado and Pennsylvania. Later, in about 1977, they moved to Houston, TX. He joined the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in 1983 as a labor arbitrator. For more than a quarter century, he taught labor relations at Penn State University and Houston Community College. With a passion for high school sports, he was a referee and umpire for scholastic football and baseball. He received a singular honor in 2001 when he was selected to officiate the Texas High School All-Star football game, held at Texas Christian University Stadium in Fort Worth. In their communities over the years, the Hooses belonged to Lutheran churches, with James serving on the church councils of three and as board chair of one. In 1992, they became affiliated with Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. They also took many ocean cruises, visited all 50 states and 37 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and South America, as well as 16 islands in the Caribbean. Sadly, Betty died in 1999. Five years later, in 2004, he wedded again to Elizabeth "Jill" ( ? - ? ), whom he had met at Glorie Dei. James passed into the realm of the eternal at age 91 on July 21, 2021. Following a funeral service at the family church, the remains were interred in Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston.
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Granddaughter Catherine E. Hoose made her home in 2021 in Tomball, TX.
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Grandson John W. Hoose wedded Kathleen Elaine Abdoo (March 10, 1954-2010), a native of Detroit and the daughter of David and Ann Abdoo. Their marriage lasted for 34 years until the separation of death. The Hooses put down roots in Spring, TX. The two daughters they bore together were Kristen Holland and Kerry Rose. Kathleen spent 25 years as a pre-school teacher at Kinsmen Lutheran Church. She also played in women's tennis leagues. Sadly, Kathleen passed away at home at the age of 56 on March 23, 2010. An obituary in the Houston Chronicle said she was survived by a grandson. Funeral services were held at Kinsmen Lutheran Church. The widowed John has made his dwelling in recent years in Denton, TX.
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Grandson James W. Hoose, Jr. was joined in wedlock with Mary. Their residence in 2021 was in Raleigh NC.
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Grandson Jerome W. Hoose was united in matrimony with Jill. They relocated to Perth, Australia.
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Granddaughter Dana Hoose entered into marriage with Richard Meyer. They have dwelled in Houston TX.
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Granddaughter Diana Hoose married (?) Frazier. Circa 2021, she was in Santa Fe, TX.
~ Daughter Winona E. "Winnie" (Hall) Bowers ~
Daughter Winona E. "Winnie" Hall (1905-1983) was born on Oct. 25, 1905.
As a young woman of 24, in 1930, she was a public school teacher in South Connellsville.
She married Rexford "Rex" Bowers (April 17, 1912-1976), son of William and Susan (Klink) Bowers of Champion and Mill Run, Fayette County.
The pair did not reproduce.
While not yet married in May 1937, the couple motored to South Bend with Winona's mother and niece to visit with Winona's sisters. He served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II.
Their address in the 1950s-1970s was 111 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville. Rexford was a carpenter who was employed by Atlantic Freight Lines and a member of Carpenters Local 1010.
Circa October 1970, Winona served as treasurer of the Ever Faithful Sunday School class of Albright United Methodist Church and was pictured in the Connellsville Daily Courier as part of the class's 50th anniversary celebration and turkey banquet. Than again in 1975, when the class celebrated its 55th anniversary with a banquet at Wesley United Methodist Church, Winona presented a memoriam for the 26 deceased members.
Rexford was stricken at home at the age of 64 on June 26, 1976 and was rushed to Frick Community Hospital in Mount Pleasant, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Interment was in Normalville Cemetery following funeral services led by Rev. David Eversdyke. His obituary ran in the Daily Courier.
Winona lived for another seven years. She was gathered in by the Angel of Death in July 1983.
~ Daughter Elizabeth (Hall) Long ~
Daughter Elizabeth Hall (1909- ? ) was born in about 1909.
In 1927, while in South Bend, IN, the vehicle in which she was riding was involved in an accident, and her body was catapulted forward, with her head smashing through the windshield. She was rushed to the hospital where her facial wounds were repaired with 50 stitches.
Elizabeth recovered and eventually was joined in matrimony with (?) Long.
Their only known daughter was Dolores Long.
The marriage ended by 1949, with Elizabeth residing that year in Mishawaka, St. Joseph County, IN.
She made her home in 1955 in South Bend and in 1972 in Mishawaka.
Daughter Dolores Long ( ? - ? )
~ Daughter Idella "Della" (Hall) Meyers Pritchard ~
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Della's grave, Hill Grove Cemetery |
She was united in wedlock twice. Her first husband was Kenneth Meyers (July 10, 1907-1946), son of Charles and Susan (Bittner) Meyers of Rockwood, Somerset County, PA.
The couple produced two known daughters, Juanita Jean Percy and Bonnie Louise Mengel.
Kenneth was a longtime fireman, employed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Circa 1936, they lived at 112 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville, and spent Christmas with her sisters in South Bend, IN.
Sadness enveloped the family when the 39-year-old Kenneth suffered a heart attack at work and was rushed to Hazel McGilvery Hospital in Meyersdale, Somerset County, where he expired seven hours later, on Oct. 5, 1946. Interment was in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville. The death left Idella a widow at the age of 35.
The following year, in 1947, Idella and Mrs. K.M. Bishop and Mrs. Raymond Johnson presented a play, For Such a Day as This, at the fall institute of the Greensburg District of the Women's Society of World Service, held at the Fourth Street Evangelical United Brethren Church in Greensburg.
On the fourth anniversary of Kenneth's death, in 1950, Idella published an "In Memoriam" poem in the Connellsville Daily Courier: "Gone from this earth, But from our hearts -- no never! Love and remembrance -- even death, cannot sever."
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Connellsville's Hill Grove Cemetery, where many of the Halls rest |
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Hill Grove Cemetery -- note Della's metal plaque to the left of the Meyers stone |
They resided on Hyndman Street in South Connellsville. The marriage lasted for 15 years, but the couple divorced in January 1969 with "indignities" as the cause.
By 1970, Idella had relocated to Mishawaka, IN where her sister Elizabeth Long made her home. In October 1970, Idella sent a message to members of her old Ever Faithful Sunday School class of Albright United Methodist Church to help them mark their 50th anniversary.
When her daughter Bonnie Louise became a stewardess with Eastern Airlines, she and Idella flew to Hawaii for a Waikiki vacation in August 1965.
Della passed away at the age of about 74 in 1984. Her remains were lowered into eternal repose beside her first husband in the Hall plot in Hill Grove Cemetery. Today a small metallic plaque marks her final resting place, next to Kenneth Meyers' stone.
Daughter Juanita Jean Meyers (1928-2005) was born on July 25, 1928 in South Connellsville. She was a 1946 graduate of Connellsville High School. Juanita entered into marriage with William M. Percy (March 26, 1926-1998), the son of George and Helen (Haile) Percy. Four offspring they bore together were W. Alan Percy, Betsy Harker, Cindy Hein and Diane Grim. William was a 1944 alumnus of Connellsville High School and served in the U.S. Navy during both World War II and the Korean War. Upon his return home, he was employed as a die setter at the cap plant of Anchor Hocking Corporation in South Connellsville. William held memberships in the local posts of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Lions Club. They attended the First Christian Church of Connellsville, where he held several volunteer positions, and the Pennsville Baptist Church. William died at the age of 72 on Dec. 11, 1998. Juanita endured for another seven years. Sadly, at the age of 77, she passed away on Christmas Day 2005 in Pittsburgh's Forbes Hospice. Interment of the remains was in Hill Grove Cemetery, with Rev. Robert Bixel presiding over the obsequies. In an obituary, the family requested that any memorial gifts be made to the Leukemia Society.
- Grandson W. Alan Percy relocated to West Hollywood, CA.
- Granddaughter Betsy Percy wed David Harker. They established a dwelling in Des Moines, IA.
- Granddaughter Cindy Percy married Gary Hein and migrated to Stillwater, OK.
- Granddaughter Diane Percy tied the knot with Ronald Grim. In 2005, they lived in East Fallowfield.
Daughter Bonnie Louise Meyers graduated from Connellsville Joint High School in 1962 and the Naison-Frederic School of Beauty Culture in Uniontown in 1963. She obtained work with Michaline's Beauty Salon in Connellsville. In 1964, she became an Eastern Airlines stewardess and was assigned to New York City. In 1966, she was joined in wedlock with her first spouse, Lt. Robert L. Cameron ( ? - ? ), son of Thomas Cameron of Santa Rosa, CA. The wedding took place in Fort Sill, OK, immediately following his graduation from the U.S. Army Officers Candidate School, and was officiated by Chaplain Robert Vaughn. Their happy news was announced in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Together they bore two sons -- Troy Cameron and Todd Cameron. Then circa June 1975, in South Bend, IN, Bonnie was united in matrimony with Donald "Robert" Mengel ( ? - ? ) of Mishawaka, the son of Russell D. and Agnes (Goebel) Mengel. They produced a daughter of their own, believed to be Heidi Emberland. Robert was a native of Bethlehem, PA and a 1952 graduate of Allentown High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in 1956 at Muhlenberg College and received a doctor of medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He and his first wife Marie Waring settled in South Bend, IN, where he was interning at the local Osteopathic Hospital. Five children with his first wife were Donald Robert Mengel Jr., Judith Mengel, Patricia Morton, Beth Mengel and Michele Adams. The first marriage eventually ended in divorce. Robert went on to a four-decade career in South Bend, practicing in pediatric medicine. Said the South Bend Tribune, the years were "long enough for many patients to grow up, start families of their own and bring them back to Dr. Mengel. Bob was a kind and compassionate physician with true love for children, and a gentle, often humorous manner with his patients." Robert followed Notre Dame University football and the Chicago Cubs, which he often called "the Flubbies." In September 1990, they endured the death of Robert's son Donald Jr. at the age of 25 following a "sudden illness" of heart failure, said a newspaper. Upon retirement, the Mengels moved to the warmer climes of Palm Springs, CA. Sadly, at the age of 78, Robert died in Odyssey Hospice House in Palm Springs on Nov. 22, 2012.
- Grandson Troy Cameron ( ? - ? ) - He wed Berthe Sefuku (Aug. 25, 1966-2021), a native of Rwanda, Central Africa, and the daughter of Pastor Issachar and Adele (Kangabe) Sefuku. Berthe migrated to the United States and settled in South Bend in 1994, following the murder of her father in Rwanda by the Hulu community. Together, the Camerons became the parents of two -- Amanda Cameron and Bradley Cameron. They made a residence in Niles, near South Bend, but their marriage dissolved in divorce. Berthe was employed as a nurse by Madison Center/Epworth Hospital and later at NeuroPsychiatric Hospital in Mishawaka. Toward the end of her life, she became a psychiatric nurse practitioner. She held a membership in the member of Praise Fellowship SDA Church in South Bend and in her free time liked to garden, read and travel. When the film Hotel Rwanda was released in 2005, she went to see it and told a South Bend Tribune reporter that "finally someone was willing to show what really happened those 100 days in Rwanda." Said an obituary, "Berthe was a person of faith. She was very caring, had a big heart, enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and always put others before herself. Berthe was intelligent, diligent, and determined, and always inspired others to do their best." Grief swept over the family when, stricken by Covid-19, Berthe died at the age of 54, in South Bend's Memorial Hospital, on Jan. 17, 2021. Pastor Mario Ferguson presided over the funeral, with interment in St. Joseph Valley Memorial Park in Granger, IN.
- Grandson Todd Cameron married Marsha ( ? - ? ). Circa 2012, they lived in Mishawaka.
- Granddaughter Heidi Rene Mengel grew up in Granger, IN and is a 1995 graduate of Penn High School. She tied the knot with Jon Emberland ( ? -living), son of Lynette Emberland. The couple migrated to LaQuinta, CA and are the parents of Elena Emberland and Grant Emberland.
Copyright
© 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2019-2020, 2025 Mark A. Miner |
Minerd.com extends appreciation to Randy McKean and Carl Leonard "Chuck" Hall Jr. for graciously sharing valuable content for this biography and David Magiske for providing his Hall genealogy. |