Letter: More about the "Doug Smith" house
Icon viewers:
I just finished reading an article on Google featuring Dan and Lauren Newkirk.
Bluffton and "old Doug Smith house" caught my attention.
That would be to us the old Harry and Hilda Klay home. Doug married their
daughter, Rosemary, and later inherited the home. Harry was my mother's cousin.
We hold a Stepleton/Klay reunion every year at the Sportsman's Club in
Bluffton.
Many of us spent lots of years visiting and staying with our grandparents Sam and Della (Klay) Stepleton on Lawn Avenue. Lydia Gratz (a great aunt) lived across from the Elementary school where our Aunt Meredith Stepleton used to be principal.
What we find interesting is how such last names are almost unknown today. Time marches on. Anyhow...I enjoyed the article and can now share with family members who's living in "Doug Smith's old house"!
Chrisanne Turner
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Pirates Essinger and Gatchel finish cross country season at OHSAA Championships
- Nov. 7 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Pirate football hits Archbold roadblock in playoff loss
- Forum: Vaughn explores biblical and multicultural accounts of spirits and exorcism
- Bluffton University relaunches Leadership Development Program with NetVUE grant support
- Weekend Doctor: When distraction becomes the default
Friday, November 6, 2026
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
- Klausing graduates from Ohio Bankers League Bank Management School
- Joellen Kay Lehman, 46, owned and operated Folly Faces
- Dec. 4-5 Messiah performances continue holiday tradition at Bluffton and Findlay
- Future Beaver Saturdays invite students to experience Bluffton University
- Ellie Bogart named BHS Student of the Month for October 2026
- Walter "Steve" Suter, 73, worked at Kirtland’s Auto Repair
- Grab an afterschool snack at the Bluffton Public Library