Marie Bernardine English, 93, Vero Beach
Marie Bernardine (nee Campbell) English, 93, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Nov. 10, 2019, while at the home of her daughter, Nancy, and son-in-law, Paul Mace, in Vero Beach, Fla. She was surrounded by many of her immediate family.
She was born Nov. 22, 1925, in Youngstown, Ohio. She was raised by her mother Marie Campbell. She assisted in raising her siblings Elizabeth (Betty), Ella Mae, and Edwin.
After graduating Chaney High School in 1943, she worked as a secretary for Republic Steel.
On July 19, 1946, she married Daniel English Sr. of Youngstown, Ohio. He was an Ironworker/boilermaker for U.S Steel Ohio Works. They were married for 73 years.
She raised four sons and a daughter who were blessed to have her as a “stay at home” mom.
During those 73 years, she followed her husband to Midwest Bible College in St. Louis, Mo.
She was a supportive wife, a loving mother, and a faithful servant of God. She volunteered for the Child Evangelism Fellowship where she held Good News Clubs in schools, churches, and in her own home. God used her to share the message of how to find faith in Jesus Christ using hand made flannel graph materials to teach Bible stories. The results of her ministry are recorded in heaven. She also served as camp counselor for various church camps. She taught Sunday school classes and played the piano for the Galilee Baptist Church in Austintown, Ohio.
With most of her children raised, Marie pursued a nursing degree at Choffin School of Practical Nursing. After graduation, she served as an LPN at North Side Hospital and local nursing homes in Youngstown, Ohio.
She provided daily care for five years in her own home for her mother who was bedfast with Alzheimer’s disease. After her mom’s passing and her husband’s retirement from U.S. Steel, she and her husband moved to Pelican Bay in Micco, Fla., where they resided for 27 years.
She was an avid knitter, knitting dozens of items for family and friends. She was known by her family for her cookie baking skills. She was always reading and loved to do crossword puzzles. She could challenge anyone on Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy. She loved spending time with her family.
Marie leaves behind her husband of 73 years, Daniel English Sr.; her five children, Daniel English Jr. (Linda), of Lebanon, Ohio; Nancy Mace (Paul), of Vero Beach; David English (Susan), of Alpharetta, Ga.; James English (Rebecca), of Micco, Fla.; and Thomas English (Amy), of Port Orange, Fl. Marie leaves a sister, Ella Mae Carrera (Anthony); a sister-in-law, Dolores Campbell; 15 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and many loving nieces and nephews and their families.
She was predeceased by her mother, Marie Campbell; her sister, Elizabeth (Betty) Schlosser; Betty’s husband, Steve; her brother, Edwin Campbell; two nephews, Robert and Jerry Schlosser; and a niece, Janet Zielinski.
A graveside service will be held at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery in Mims, Fla., on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
Joseph W. Hickenbottom, Jr., 84, Vero Beach
Joseph W. Hickenbottom, Jr., 84, of Vero Beach, died Nov. 5, 2019, at Cleveland Clinic – Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach.
He was born in Palmer, Neb., on Dec. 22, 1934, and grew up in Sterling, Colo., graduated from South Dakota School of Technology and lived in New York and New Jersey before moving to Vero Beach.
He was an Army veteran and served in Europe as a Radio Technician. He then worked in the food industry for a number of years before he joined Malt Products Company from which he retired.
He was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church,Vero Beach, and served as an usher during services.
He was predeceased by his mother, Lucy; his father, Joseph William, Sr.; and his sister, Norma Countryman; as well as his wife Joyce Vanderveer.
Survivors include a brother, Alan D. Hickenbottom, of Bradenton, Fla.; stepchildren Lynne C. Brentnall, of Palm City, Fla., Fred M. Vanderveer, of Marathon, Fla., William E. Vanderveer, of Daytona Beach, Fla., Joy E. Funk of Ocean City, N.J., and Penny L. Davidson, of Salem, Ore.; and also a number of step-grand- and great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to American Cancer Society.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, at Crestlawn Cemetery in Vero Beach.
Robert J. Theis, Sr., 95, Vero Beach
Robert J. Theis, Sr.- loving father and faithful servant of God – passed away Friday, Nov. 8, 2019, in Vero Beach. He was 95 remarkable years old.
“Bob” or “R.J.” as he was known to his countless friends and family, was born March 30, 1924, in Indianapolis, the youngest child of Edward and Edna Theis. A member of the Greatest Generation, his experience growing up during the Depression was fundamental in shaping his commitment to the well-being of his family through hard work and integrity.
Originally enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, his studies were interrupted by his call to service in WWII. He proudly served in the 13th U.S. Air Force as a radio operator and tail gunner in B-25 bombers deployed in the South Pacific. Not one to forsake joy even in somber times, he is rumored to have founded the clandestine “Palm Palm Social Club” on base, though when asked directly he’d reply only with a smile and a wink.
Upon return from the Pacific theater, Bob married Margaret “Peggy” Louise Jones in Philadelphia in 1947. Their 66-year marriage was characterized by a love, faith, and enthusiasm for life’s adventures so profound it continues to serve as an exemplar to their children and grandchildren.
Bob’s notable business career encompassed over 40 years’ experience in the consumer goods, industrial products, food service and mineral industries. He was an executive of Philco/Ford and GTE/Sylvania. Based on his turnaround experience at Sylvania’s television subsidiary, he was hired by Harold Geneen at ITT becoming Corporate Vice President and Group General Manager overseeing 33 brand names in 14 countries. In 1971 he partnered with investment bankers to purchase Syracuse China, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial china.
His risks and success there were chronicled in a 1978 Forbes Magazine cover article on “The Leveraged Buy-out Game.” Theis sold Syracuse China to Canadian Pacific Enterprises, staying on as Chairman and later a Director of their U.S. holding company. He later founded Westover Holding Corp., his personal investment company.
Bob held the position of Director on numerous corporate boards and was on the Advisory Committee for International Trade Commission in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Committed to philanthropy, Bob volunteered on many boards in Syracuse, NY including Community General Hospital, the Advisory Board of Syracuse University School of Management, The Central New York Community Foundation and most notably, the Boy Scouts where he served as Chairman of the Boy Power Program in 1981. In Vero Beach he gave generously to many organizations including Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, Vero Beach Museum of Art and most recently to several charities serving the homeless.
Bob will be remembered fondly for his indefatigable spirit and unshakeable devotion to his friends and family. He truly embodied living life to the fullest by giving to others, traveling, and swinging a golf club until his final days on this glorious earth.
Bob is survived by his children, Robert J. Theis, Jr. (Sally), of Sarasota, Fla., Paula Theis Smith (Doug), of the Villages, Fla., Nancy Theis Weed (Bob), of Franklin, Mich.; his son-in-law, Tom Hanton, of Blufton, S.C.; as well as 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren; his longtime business assistant, Mickie Ruppert; Donna Mitchell; and his devoted friend, Roberta Titelman.
He was predeceased by his wife, Peggy, in 2013; his eldest daughter, Margot Theis Raven Hanton, in 2014; his brothers, Fred and Hank; and his sister, Mary Theis Everroad.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Foundation, 1000 36th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Vero Beach.
Gloria A. Tremblay, 94, Vero Beach
Gloria A. Tremblay, 94, Vero a resident of Vero Beach, died, Nov. 11, 2019. Gloria was born in Leominster, Mass., Dec. 11, 1924, daughter of the late George and the late Rosanna (Flibbert) Boucher. She had been a resident of Chelmsford, Mass., for 38 years.
She was the wife of Leo Tremblay for 73 years. Leo and Gloria were married in St. Cecilia’s Church in Leominster, Mass., on Sept. 28, 1946, and celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary.
She graduated from St. Cecilia’s School in Leominster, Mass., in 1940 and St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg, Mass., in 1944.
Gloria was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Chelmsford, Mass.
She leaves a son, Deacon Frank Tremblay (wife, Virginia), of Stoughton, Mass.; daughter, Rosanna Kenney (husband, Paul), of Dracut, Mass.; daughter, Mary Rurak Burke (husband, Kevin), of Methuen, Mass.
She was a caring grandmother of seven grandsons: Mathew Tremblay, of Kingwood, Texas, Michael Tremblay, of East Hampton, N.Y., and Joseph Tremblay, of Sag Harbor, N.Y., Nathan Kenney, of Leominster, Mass., Andrew Kenney, of Lowell, Mass., Troy Rurak, of Methuen, Mass., and Dr. Evan Rurak, DMD, of Norfolk, Va.; five great-grandsons; and four great-granddaughters.
Church services will be at St. Mary’s Church, North Road Chelmsford, Mass. Burial will be at Pine Ridge Cemetery, 50 Billerica Rd., Rte 129-Chelmsford, Mass.
Dan Wesley Wohlenberg, 87, Wabasso
Dan Wesley Wohlenberg, 87, of Wabasso, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Nov. 10, 2019. Dan was born to Daniel E. and Eva I. Wohlenberg Oct. 25, 1932, in Tularosa, NM.
At age 15 moved with his family to Gravette, Ark., where he graduated from the Gravette High School in 1950. He earned an AA Degree at Alan Hancock College while stationed in California.
Dan joined the United States Air Force shortly after graduating from high and retired as a Senior Master Sargent after serving for 28 years. After basic training Dan was stationed at McGee Tyson Air Force Base in Blount County, Tennessee, where he met his future wife, Vona Mae Hill. They married a few days upon his return from an 18-month tour of duty in Japan in 1956.
He was then stationed at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida where both of their children were born. He spent the last 24 years of his service in the research and development of guided missiles.
Dan is predeceased by his parent and two sisters, Mable Stamper and Mary Beavers.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years; his son, Brent A. Wohlenberg, of Fellsmere; and his daughter, Diane E. Garland (David), of Kentucky; his brother, Harold, of Texas; three grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
Dan was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church of Wabasso. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.act.alz.org/donate in Dan’s name.
Memorial services will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the First Baptist Church of Wabasso.
