February 10, 2005

OBITUARIES

Effie Willis Logan O’Connor

Effie Willis Logan O’Connor died peacefully at home on Jan. 29. She was 95.

She was born in Bowling Greene, Ky. Willis and Rod O’Connor were married in 1937, and they drove to Acapulco in a new Ford convertible with the top down. After getting married, Willis supported Rod in his position as head of food services at the Antioch Tea Room, later the Antioch Inn. Their biscuits had a wide reputation. However, they did not make it widely known that they had substituted whole wheat flour, because that was too radical at that time.

Willis held various positions managing food preparation including the Olney Inn and the Lazarus employee cafeteria following her graduation from Antioch College. She was an avid organic farmer, an advocate for the importance of nutrition to health and a birding enthusiast. She once spotted a rare Scarlet Tanager on a trip in Florida in the late 1960s.

Willis and Rod had many friends who advocated organic farming and nutrition, notably J.I. Rodale, who published the Organic Gardening magazine, Louis Brumfield from Malabar Farm and Dr. Foreman. Their enthusiasm grew following a sabbatical year in 1951 in which they traveled around the nation with two Chow dogs in a pickup truck carrying a Cree Coach camper, visiting college dining rooms, food production and innovative waste facilities that turned garbage into compost. While visiting a friend from Antioch in California they modified their schedule to take in a seven-week lecture series taught by their friend’s neighbor, Adele Davis, at a cost of 25 cents.

Willis did some lecturing and would generally employ a visual showing the sugar content of various foods, such as a large salt shaker full of sugar found in one can of pop.

She had many friends including young people with whom she shared her knowledge, stories and animated conversation while working on the farm or watching the birds from the dining room table.

She was preceded in death by her husband; two sisters, Eleanor Kebabian and Elizabeth Collins; and a brother, Emmet G. Logan III.

She is survived by three nieces, Barbara Logan of Blue Ridge, Ga., Lynda Valdez of Mansfield, Texas, and Patricia Bailey of Webster, Texas; and three nephews, John Kebabian of Wayland, Mass., Paul Kebabian of Acton, Mass., and Rod Kebabian of New York City.

Memorial donations may be made to the food pantry of Christ Episcopal Church, 409 East High Street, Springfield 45505 or Tecumseh Land Trust, P.O. Box 417, Yellow Springs.

Ople E. Harris

Ople E. (Davis) Harris of Xenia, formerly of Yellow Springs, died on Saturday, Jan. 29, in Hospitality East Homes of Xenia. She was 82.

She was born on Aug. 13, 1922, in Chattanooga, Tenn., to Edgie and Linner (Adams) Davis. Ople was a member of El Bethel Temple.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Albert E. Harris; one brother, Cesar Davis; one sister, Cleoria Skipper; two sons, Timothy and Keith Harris; and one daughter, Cheryl Starks.

She is survived by four daughters, Trudy Lawrence, Patricia, Cynthia and Esther Harris; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Kenneth and Christine Harris and Ronald Harris; one brother, James P. Davis; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Funeral services were held Friday, Feb. 4, at Porter Qualls Funeral Home in Springfield, with burial following in Ferncliff Cemetery.

Patrick M. Routson

Patrick M. Routson of Piqua died Wednesday, Feb. 2, at Friends Care Community. He was 38.

He was born Feb. 9, 1966, in Troy, the son of Thomas and Barbara (Hoban) Routson. He graduated from Tecumseh High School in 1984. He served for nine years in the U.S. Army, serving during the Gulf War. He married Amiee (Merritt) Routson in 1994.

He is survived by his parents; wife, Amiee; two sons, Patrick M. Routson Jr. and Andrew B. Routson, both of Dayton; brothers, Nicholas Routson of Phoenix and Jeffrey Routson of Troy; and sisters, Jolaine Routson of Piqua and Bridget Lichtinger of Syracuse.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 5, at Melcher-Sowers Funeral Home in Piqua, with burial following at Forest Hill Cemetery in Piqua. Memorial contributions may be made to Friends Care Community.

Marie Matheny

Marie (Price) Matheny of Cedarville died on Jan. 31. She was 38.

She was born on July 5, 1966. She was a much loved mother, daughter, sister and friend.

She was preceded in death by her father.

She is survived by her two sons, Ethan William and Jesse Lee Raby, and their father, Mark Raby, all of Cedarville; her mother, Maxine Price of Cedarville; five brothers and their spouses, Haskel and Paula Price of Kentucky, Larry and Dawn Price of Clifton, Harlis and Vicki Price of Crystal Lakes, Bill Price of Wilmington and Robin and Teresa Price of Sabina; and four sisters and their spouses, Wanda Stacy of Kentucky, Debbie and Chris Benson of Spring Valley, Dolly and Jeff Heston of Clifton and Kathy Ferguson of Cedarville.

Burial was held Saturday, Feb. 5, in the Brand Montgomery Cemetery in Polksville, Ky. Memorial contributions may be made to a fund for her children at Sky Bank in Cedarville.

Sandra Kay Wing

Sandra Kay (Painter) Wing died recently after a long illness. She was 56.

She was born in Charleston, W.Va., on Aug. 26, 1948, the daughter of Alfred Harlen Painter and Helen Marie (Bennett) Painter. Her father died before Sandra’s first birthday and her mother raised her alone.

Sandra worked, attended night classes and graduated from North High School She became receptionist at YSI Incorporated, then assistant personnel director and finally sales representative for the Southeast U.S. region.

She married John Fiske Wing, a professor at Wittenberg. She earned an applied science degree with honors from Clark State along with her registered nursing license in 1994 and in 1997 her B.S. in nursing from Franklin University. For nearly 10 years she worked for Friends Care Community. Upon her retirement they named the dining hall “Sandra Wing Dining Room.” In the room hang several of her stained glass windows. Her artworks grace several homes and businesses in the area and others have been sold at Village Artisans and at art shows.

In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by an aunt, Margarette Virginia Bennett, and an uncle, William George Bennett.

She is survived by her husband; son, John Alan Wing; her mother; stepchildren, Amy Jennet Wing of Portland, Ore., Alison Leah Wing of Amherst, Mass., and Jesse Andrew Wing of Seattle; and many relatives in Springfield and Dayton, including her stepbrothers and their spouses and children, James R. and Cynthia Phillips and daughters, Erin Phillips and Whitney Phillips, Paul Scott and Peggy Phillips and daughter, Kera, and Tony Phillips.

A service celebrating her life will be held Saturday, Feb. 12, at 3 p.m., in the Sandra Wing Dining Room at Friends Care. Memorial donations and or flowers should be sent or brought to Friends Care.