John R. Beckler Jr., 77, died on March 14, 2014 at Hilty Memorial Home, Pandora. He was born on July 29, 1936 in Leadwood, Missouri to the late John and Audrey (Rice) Beckler. On July 20, 1958, he married Marilyn Shoemaker and she survives.
John had been a truck driver for Signal Delivery, Findlay. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, Bluffton, the Pandora American Legion, Masonic Lodge Post 418, Mt. Cory, the Teamsters Union and was a veteran of the U.S. Marines Corp.
Ruth Naylor, Bluffton author and poet, will hold a book signing and reading at Book ReViews from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 22.
In her book, "A Family Affair," she gathered together a collection of her poems that traverse the rough terrain of family life, pain of loss, the difficult beauty of human love. She writes, “I do not know understand / How love can dwell so close to hurt.” A reader shared, “Your self-disclosure somehow puts my own life in perspective. Your struggles move me to a quicker understanding, deeper contentment, and brighter hope.”
Kimberly Lynn Nussbaum of Columbia City, Ind., died on March 13, 2014, at Parkview Hospital in Ft. Wayne, Ind.. She was born on Jan. 9, 1957, in Nelsonville, Ohio, to Don and Tresa Burris who preceded her in death. She married Roger Gross who died on July 4, 1993. On March 4, 1994, she married Steve Nussbaum who died on April 26, 2004. She is survived by her companion, Dan Chivington.
Kim was a 1975 graduate of Bluffton High School. Kim was an organ donor.
Bluffton council will act to amend its sidewalk ordinance on Monday. The amendment affects “existing sidewalks” in the village.
The amendment states that all existing sidewalks in the village will be reviewed by the village administrator to determine if the sidewalk in question is in need of repair or replacement.
It also states that it is the consensus of council that any brick sidewalk in the village that exists as of Jan. 1, 2014, will be grandfathered in provided that is can be maintained and repaired by the property owner.
Jason Cox of Bluffton is the new Executive Director of Hilty Home, Pandora, according to Laura Voth, CEO of Mennonite Home Communities of Ohio.
Cox has been serving as Executive Director of Oak Grove Healthcare Center, Deshler, for the past three years and has experience working with other long-term care facilities.
Note: Earlier this week The Icon announced the winners of Maple Crest's soup cook-off of March 6. This post includes photos not shown in the original story. Here, you'll see each of the competitors and a summary of the event.
We encourage viewers to open the "flip book" at the bottom of this story. It shows all the competitors. Please allow a moment for the photos to appear.
