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Theresa Ritz
Theresa Ann “Terri” Ritz, 52, of Indianapolis, formerly of Evansville, died Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in Indianapolis of cancer.
She worked for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis as secretary for the Catholic Social Services in family and children’s service for 15 years and for the last two years at Visiting Nurse Association Home Care as secretary and receptionist.
Surviving are a daughter, Kristine Braunecker of Ferdinand, Ind.; a son, Aaron Sorensen of Hinesville, Ga.; her mother, Geraldine E. (Adcock) Ritz of Evansville; two brothers, Tom and John V. Ritz, both of Evansville; and four grandchildren.
Memorial services will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, at Conkle Funeral Home in Speedway, Ind. The body will be cremated.
Friends may call from 6 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Carrie Bleemel
JASPER — Carrie C. Bleemel, 92, died Wednesday, April 26, 2000, at Huntingburg Convalescent Center.
She was the cook at the Jasper Knights of Columbus for 36 years. She was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church and the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin of Holy Family.
Surviving are a son, Bernard McNallin Sr. of Jasper; a stepson, John Bleemel of Ireland, Ind.; a stepdaughter, Elizabeth Lechner of Jasper; two grandchildren, Bernard “Joe” Mcnallin Jr. and Brenda Nixon; 10 stepgrandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and two stepgreat-grandsons.
Her first husband, Matt McNallin, died in 1934, her second husband, Louis Bleemel, died in 1969 and two stepson, Urban and Peter Bleemel, preceded her in death.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Holy Family Catholic Church, with burial in Fairview cemetery.
Friends may call from 2 to 8 p.m. today at Becher & Kluesner Downtown Chapel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church.
Joyce Bradshaw
ROCK-PORT — Joyce Elaine Bradshaw, 53, died Wednesday, April 26, 2000, at Owensboro Mercy Health System from a heart attack.
She was a cook. She was member of Trinity United Methodist Church and Bluff City Rebekah Lodge 239.
Surviving are her husband of 25 years, James; her mother, Imogene Williams of Richland; a sister, Diana O’Neal of Richland and nieces.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Boultinghouse Funeral Home, with burial in Mount Zion cemetery in Richland.
Friends may call from 2 to 8 p.m. today, with a memorial service by the Rebekah Lodge at 6 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to service time at the funeral home.
Pearl Harpenau
TELL CITY — Pearl J. Harpenau, 84, died Tuesday, April 25, 2000, at Perry County Memorial Hospital.
She was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church, past member of the Daughters of Isabella Nativity Circle 710 and St. Ann’s Sodality.
Surviving are two daughters, Jo Ann Shearn and Mary Emma Millburn, both of Tell City; a son, Norman of Tell City; four grandchildren, Angelique Vaughn, Nathan Shearn and Jason and Wesley Harpenau; and a great-grandchild.
Her husband, Vincent, died in 1999.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at St. Paul Catholic Church, with burial in St. Mary cemetery.
Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. today, with a prayer service at 6:45 p.m., and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday at Huber Funeral Home Tell City Chapel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church or Visiting Nurse Association.
Ollie Like
MONROE CITY — Ollie Otis Like, 100, died Tuesday, April 25, 2000, at Amber Manor Care Center in Petersburg.
He had worked for the B&O; Railroad, was a miner and a farmer.
Surviving are his wife, Celestia Irene (Stradtner); a daughter, Linda Britton of Las Vegas; three sons, James E. “Jim” of Monroe City, Fredrick of Texas, and Otis Coleman Like of Franklin, Ky.; 18 grandchildren; and 25 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Harris Funeral Home, burial is pending. The body will be cremated.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. to service time at the funeral home.
Birdie Miles
TELL CITY — Birdie L. Miles, 97, died Wednesday, April 26, 2000, at Beverly Health Care.
She had worked at the Tell City Chair Co.
She was a member of the Evangelical United Church of Christ, and had been president of Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion Ladies Auxiliaries.
Surviving are two daughters, Margaret Evrard of Tell City and Betty McKee of Decatur, Ill.; a son, Wilfred Miles of Tell City; 17 grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and great-great-grandchildren.
Her husband, Everette, and two sons, Alfred and Clifford “Dutch, ” preceded her in death.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Zoercher-Gillick Funeral Home, with burial in Greenwood cemetery.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to service time at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the church or Southern Indiana Rehabilitation Services of Perry County.
Lillie Dilbeck
FORT BRANCH — Lillie Z. Dilbeck, 91, died Tuesday, April 25, 2000, at Gibson General hospital.
She was a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Daughters of Isabella in Haubstadt, the Princeton Eagles and Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary.
Surviving are a daughter, Juanita Baumgartner of Evansville; a son, Raymond of Fort Branch; three sisters, Belina Belisle of California, Catherine Belisle of Oregon, and Nouella Clark of Kansas; and two brothers, Norbert Belisle of California, and Raymond of Kansas. Her husband, George, died in 1980.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Holy Cross Catholic Church, with burial in the church cemetery.
Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Stodghill Funeral Home, with a prayer service at 7 p.m.
William L. “Bill” Brooks
Banker, booster, ‘Mr. Evansville’ Bill Brooks dies
He was “Mr. Evansville, ” the go-to-guy for a needed civic improvement or a worthy cause.
He was a politician whose friendships spanned the political spectrum. He was a banker, a booster, a statesman and a pitchman for everything good about his community
William L. “Bill” Brooks, 73, one of Evansville’s foremost civic leaders, died Tuesday at Regina Continuing Care of complications from hepatitis C.
Although he had a banking career spanning 25 years, Brooks’ presence in the community far exceeded the banking industry.
“He was Mr. Evansville, ” said Robert Schnute, a friend who met Brooks in the 1960s when both were in the banking business. “He was a super guy. I think Evansville has lost a good citizen.”
Services will be at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Ziemer Funeral Home East Chapel, continuing at 9 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, the pastoral team officiating, with burial in St. Joseph cemetery.
Friends may call from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with a memorial service at 7 p.m.
For the past 30 years, Brooks was involved in many community projects that needed money or political clout.
Brooks, once described as Evansville’s city statesman, often was among the first people called upon to get a program, project or idea moving or to keep one afloat.
He served on more than a dozen municipal and civic boards through the years.
Brooks “was an Evansvillian all the way through, ” said Robert Ossenberg, a lifelong friend.
“He’d never leave his community, ” Ossenberg said, recalling that Brooks used to tell others “if you’re going to live in this community, you do something for the community.”
Brooks didn’t slow down, even after his retirement at age 65 from Citizens Bank on Dec. 31, 1991, as senior vice president of corporate, community and government relations.
He retained memberships in many organizations and continued to be an influence in promoting the city. He also operated a consulting firm.
“I love this community and I’ve had several chances to leave, ” Brooks said in 1992. “I just enjoy doing things for people and with people and that’s part of my life. That’s what I live for.”
Ossenberg said Brooks got involved with the Albion Fellows Bacon organization years ago when the facility for abused women and children was housed in an old building.
“Then it (the center) was a dump. He thought these people were underdogs, ” Ossenberg said.
Brooks set out to raise money for a new facility for the nonprofit organization, getting a contractor to construct the building at cost in a “secure, safe spot, ” Ossenberg said.
“He had a way of bringing people together and he knew how to raise money, ” Ossenberg said.
Brooks also was instrumental in getting the Ellis Park Foundation off the ground, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars being distributed to needy Tri-State groups during the past dozen years, Ossenberg said.
Brooks headed the Freedom Festival and Thunder on the Ohio hydroplane boat race groups during some lean years, frequently making appeals for money and button sales to keep the events in existence.
In later years, when the boat race event was faltering financially, Brooks put together a group to raise $157, 000 to keep Thunder going.
He was active in promoting convention and tourism for Evansville and served on the Airport Authority Board.
He served nine years on the Evansville City Council during the administration of Mayor Frank McDonald Sr.
Brooks ran unsuccessfully in 1971 for mayor, losing to Republican Russell Lloyd Sr.
Brooks was co-chairman of YES!, an organization that pushed for approval of a referendum in 1993 that successfully brought a riverboat casino to Evansville.
He was a World War II veteran, serving in the Panama Canal Zone in the Coast Artillery.
He was a graduate of Memorial High School, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Evansville and the Chamber of Commerce Institute at Michigan State University.
Brooks memberships included the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Courier Theater District Advisory Board, Indiana Film Commission from 1992 to 1995 and Junior Achievement operating campaign in 1993.
He is past president of the Kennel Club, Forty et Eight, Rolling Hills Country Club, Welborn Hospital Foundation and board of directors of Youth Resources.
He was an executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America, past president and co-founder of the Evansville Freedom Festival Foundation, first chairman of the Thunder on the Ohio Unlimited Hydroplane Races and past finance chairman of the Albion Fellows Bacon Center.
Among his many awards are: 1992 Evansville Freedom Festival Lifetime Director Award, 1991 United Way Lifetime Volunteer Achievement Award, Executive Director of the Year in 1991 from the Evansville Chapter of Professional Secretaries International, in 1989 was voted one of the Top Ten Leaders in Evansville, Sagamore of the Wabash in 1986 and 1979, in 1984 received the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizens Award, received the Who’s Who in Evansville Public Service Award in 1982 and the American Silver Beaver Award in 1971.
Surviving are his wife, Frances; a daughter, Sandra Zeluff of Houston; two sons, Michael of Terre Haute, Ind., and Steven of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and four grandchildren, Jeremy, Andrew and Courtney Brooks and Brooke Zeluff.
Memorial contributions may be made to Albion Fellows Bacon Center, the Boy Scouts or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
