Sara M. Beery, 96, passed away May 12, 2026, at the Mennonite Memorial Home.
Sara was born August 23, 1929, in Bluffton, to Millard and Sophia (Eisenbach) Oberly, who preceded her in death. She was previously married to Howard Eldon Beery and they had four children together.
She was a 1947 graduate of Bluffton High School and attended Ebenezer Mennonite Church. She worked for the Triplett Corporation and Richland Manor. She was a member of the Bluffton Senior Center. She loved to knit, sew and bake. She especially loved spending time in her garden.
MEDIA RELEASE_The Pandora-Riley branch of the Putnam County District Library, 304 Hilty Dr., has announced 2026 summer reading challenges.
Participants are asked to log books read to earn badges. One ticket will be earned per badge, and participants can use tickets to enter a drawing for prizes. The drawing will be held the first week of each month. Prize categories include: birth to 11 years old, 12 to 18 years old, and adults 18 and over.
FROM BLUFFTON WATER BILLS__The Village of Bluffton has notified residents that the spring Bluffton Community Clean Up will take place May 26-28 at the brush dump on Spring St.
Dumpsters will be available for Village of Bluffton residents only.
The May 14 dedication ceremony to be attended by Gov. Mike DeWine at the Ray Brown Memorial Park, 1014 N Ohio St, Alger, will begin at 2:00 p.m.
By Paula Pyzik Scott
The dedication of Ray Brown Memorial Park in Alger, Ohio, on Thursday, May 14, is a remarkable ending to a long-forgotten story. Only in recent years has it become locally known that Negro League star pitcher and Baseball Hall of Fame honoree Ray Brown was born in the village in 1906.
MEDIA RELEASE __More than 400 high school writers from across Ohio and Michigan will gather at Bluffton University on Monday, May 18, for theJustWrite State Tournament, a day-long creative writing competition and literacy event hosted in partnership with JustWrite, Inc.
Now in its seventh season, the tournament serves as the culminating event for regional competitions held throughout Ohio and Michigan. Students in grades 9-12 qualified for the state tournament through top performances at regional events.
MEDIA RELEASE__Orange Township Trustees will meet on May 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Township meeting hall, 2973 Township Road 28 (at SR 235). Email [email protected] for more information.
The Bluffton Village Council met Monday, May 11 with Mayor Rich Johnson calling the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Reports included downtown safety zone improvements and work on the Community Pool. A second reading of legislation to build outdoor pickleball courts was approved.
SPENCERVILLE__The visiting Bluffton High School softball team lost 11-1 to Spencerville in a Northwest Conference contest on Monday, May 11.
The Bearcats scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and added two scores in the second to build an early 5-0 lead.
Bluffton plated its lone run in the top of the sixth inning on a run-scoring single by Greta Myers. But Spencerville tallied five runs in the home half of the sixth to invoke the 10-run rule.
Bluffton fell to 8-11 overall and 4-3 in the NWC with the road defeat.
SPENCERVILLE__The visiting Bluffton High School baseball team rallied late but lost a 4-3 nailbiter to Northwest Conference foe Spencerville in a tight league game on Monday, May 11.
The Bearcats scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, but Bluffton matched that with a pair of runs in the top of the second frame.
Spencerville untied it with two runs in the home third, and neither team scored over the next three innings. Bluffton pushed one across in the seventh inning, but came up a run short.
