Obituaries

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Jeffrey Scott Graham, 45, passed away at 6:20 p.m. March 1, 2013 at Richland Manor Nursing Home. He was born on April 23, 1967, in Lakewood, to Robert B. & Karen L. Eke Graham.

He was a 1985 graduate of Bluffton High School. He then entered the United States Navy, where he had top-secret clearance, received the National Defense Service Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal, worked in Electronic Warfare, and was honorably discharged in 1991, as an EW3.

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James E. Bertsche, 91, of Goshen, Ind., died at 9:55 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at Greencroft Health Care after a three month illness.

He was born June 20, 1921 in Bluffton, Ohio to Harry and Emma Steiner Bertsche. He married Genevieve “Jenny” Shuppert June 9, 1946, in South Bend, Ind.

She survives along with three children, Sandra (Rod King) of Goshen, Linda (Jim Yoder) of Port au Prince, Haiti and Tim (Laura Gilbertson) of Morton, Illinois; a sister, Ruth Covington, and seven grandchildren. Local survivers include two first-cousins, Alice Niswander and Fred Steiner.

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Lola May Basinger, 96 died at 1:20 p.m. March 3, 2013 at Willow Ridge, Bluffton. She was born Sept. 27, 1916, in Roanoke, Illinois, to the late Rudolph and Matilda (Stalter) Schertz. 

On July 8, 1948, she married L. Eugene Basinger and he died July 1, 2011. 

She retired from Lima Convalescent Home as a registered nurse.  She had also nursed in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Ohio.  She served as a camp nurse Civilian Public Service in World War II, which is where she met her husband, Gene. 

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Marvin M. "Bud" Miller, 85, died at 5:48 p.m. Feb. 27, 2013, at Lima Memorial Health Systems. He was born on Aug. 25, 1927, in Lima, to Winson J. and Bernice L. Ackerman Miller, who have preceded him in death. On Nov. 4, 1951, he married Bernita L. Winget, who survives in Bluffton.

Mr. Miller served in the United States Army from 1945-47. He was a lifelong farmer, who also retired in 1983 from the Allen County Engineer's Office. He was a member of the Bluffton First United Methodist Church and the Farm Bureau. .

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Carolyn (Kerry) Vore Dickey, 84, formerly of Bluffton, died Feb. 24, 2013, in Prior Lake, Minn.

Preceded in death by her parents, Roger Miller (d. 1995) and Ida Panabaker (d. 1987) Vore, and one brother, Robert Vore (d. 1998).

Mrs. Dickey was born in Lima, Oct. 31, 1928. She graduated from Lafayette Jackson High School in 1946 and Bluffton College in 1950. She taught kindergarten at Allen-East  from 1968-1988.

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Frederick Fritchie, 90, died at 3:15 a.m. Feb. 26, 2013, at the Mennonite Memorial Home, Bluffton.

Services will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday at English Lutheran Church. Friends may call one hour prior to services Saturday at the church. Arrangements are incomplete at Chiles-Laman Funeral & Cremation Services, Bluffton.

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