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OSCAR ANTHONY GATESKILL, 81, of North Avondale, died Tuesday. He was a district supervisor. Mass: 11 a.m. Friday at St. Clement Catholic Church, 4536 Vine St., St. Bernard. Visitation: 10 a.m. Friday at the church. Arrangements: Thompson, Hall and Jordan Funeral Home.
Date of announcement: 10-12-2000
JUSTIN TYLER GOULD, 4 1/2 months, of Sunman, Ind., died Tuesday. He was the son of Geneva B. Stafford and Rick D. Gould. Services: 1 p.m. EST Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Stumpkes' Corner, Ind. Visitation: 5-7 p.m. EST Friday at Cook Funeral Home, 107 Vine St., Sunman. Memorials: Sunday School at St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Date of announcement: 10-12-2000
MARY E. JACKSON, 69, of Evans ton, died Oct. 5. Ms. Jackson was a waitress. Services: 9 a.m. Saturday at Peace Baptist Church, 652 Rockdale Ave. Visitation: 8 a.m. Saturday at the church. Thompson, Hall and Jordan Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Date of announcement: 10-12-2000
WAYFORD O. METZGER, 89, of Felicity, Ohio, died Oct. 10. Services: 11 a.m. Friday at Charles H. McIntyre Funeral Home, 323 N. Union St., Felicity. Visitation: 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home. Memorials: Felicity Masonic Lodge 102 or Felicity United Methodist Church.
Date of announcement: 10-12-2000
HATTIE L. SMITH, 84, of Avondale, died Oct. 7. Ms. Smith was a homemaker. Services: 7 p.m. today at Calvary United Methodist Church, 3215 Woodburn Ave. Visitation: 6 p.m. today at the church. Renfro & Piper Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Date of announcement: 10-12-2000
JOE WILLIAMS, 51, of West Harrison, Ind., died Oct. 10. He was an Army veteran. Services: 11 a.m. EDT Friday at Smyrna Baptist Church, New Trenton, Ind. Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m. today at Jackman-Kercheval-Meyers Funeral Home, Harrison, Ohio.
Date of announcement: 10-12-2000
BARTHOLOMEW J. "BARTLEY" GORMAN, 83, of Florence, S.C., formerly of Cincinnati, died Oct. 6. He was an independent contractor and an Army veteran of World War II. Mass: 11 a.m. Monday at All Saints Church, Walton, Ky. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Hamilton-Stanley Funeral Home, Verona, Ky. Burial: St. Joseph Cemetery, Cincinnati.
Date of announcement: 10-13-2000
BEATRICE GREEN, 86, of Georgetown, died Thursday. She was a nurse with Dunham Hospital and Providence Hospital in Cincinnati. Mass: 10:30 a.m. Monday at St. George Church, Georgetown. Visitation: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Monday at Cahall Funeral Home, Georgetown. Memorials: Hospice of Hope, or Share and Care program at St. George Church.
Date of announcement: 10-13-2000
MARVIN NORBERT HAIGIS, 77, of Fort Thomas, Ky., died Wednesday. He was a bus driver with the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Mass: 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Therese Church, Southgate, Ky. Visitation: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Burial: St. Stephen Cemetery, Fort Thomas. Memorials: American Diabetes. Association, 8899 Brookside Drive, Suite 102, West Chester, Ohio 45069. Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas, is handling arrangements.
Date of announcement: 10-13-2000
Margaret B. Riddle, hospital volunteer
Margaret B. Riddle, a longtime volunteer at Christ Hospital, died Friday. She was 88.
Born in Brown County, she graduated from the Christ Hospital School of Nursing in 1934 and served as office assistant to her late husband's medical practice. After his death, she volunteered at the hospital for many years. She also was a member of the Walnut Hills Avondale United Methodist Church.
She leaves one sister, Helen Moore, and seven nieces and nephews.
Memorial service: 11 a.m. Monday at Walnut Hills Avondale United Methodist Church. Visitation follows from noon to 1 p.m. at Elden A. Good Funeral Home, 2620 Erie Ave., west of Hyde Park Square.
Memorials: Christ Hospital School of Nursing Scholarship Fund, C/O Development Dept., 2139 Auburn Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45219.
Date of announcement: 10-14-2000
MARY LUCILLE ALFORD, 76, of Madison, Ind., died Thursday. She was a retired nurse's aide.Services: 2 p.m. EST Sunday at Markland Funeral Home, 327 North High St., Rising Sun, Ind. Visitation: 6 to 9 p.m. EST today at the funeral home. Memorials: Jen nings County Hospice, Olive Branch Baptist Church, or Bear Branch Fire Department.
Date of announcement: 10-14-2000
Theodore M. Berry: 'Genuine folk hero'
As Cincinnati's first African-American mayor and a staunch civil rights activist, Theodore M. Berry vaulted himself and others out of poverty and into fulfillment.
"This city would not be as it is today if not for the leadership he provided," said U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Nathaniel Jones. "He was, without question, one of the most significant figures of the second half of the last century. He turned things around here and relentlessly fought to change the status quo. He encouraged people to understand they could make a difference. He was a genuine folk hero."
Mr. Berry, in frail health for some time, died Sunday morning at the Lodge Care Center, where he lived out his final years with his wife, Johnnie Mae, said one of his daughters, Gail Berry West of Washington, D.C. He was 94.
Mr. Berry strove to advance social causes and empower the poor and powerless. In the process, he inspired others to follow in his footsteps as a civil rights trailblazer. While mayor, he promoted equal employment and housing opportunities and oversaw the public takeover of the local bus system.
The illegitimate son of a deaf-mute mother and a poor farmer, Mr. Berry was born in rural Maysville, Ky., but was living in Cincinnati by the time he was 3. Shunted from one foster home to another, he spent most of his youth in the West End.
Such humble beginnings did not stop him from becoming a pioneer.
At Woodward High School, he earned the honor of being Cincinnati's first black valedictorian. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati and its law school, he became, at 26, the youngest president of the local chapter of the NAACP - the first of two stints as its leader.
He started his career as a Republican, saying that at the time, he was told "that a young lawyer who wanted to get anywhere should join." He left the party later when he went to Washington to serve in Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. On his return he joined the Charter Party.
In 1939, he became Hamilton County's first black assistant prosecutor. Fresh out of law school, he won an acquittal for a black man sentenced to the electric chair for the murder of a guard in a Mansfield jail break.
As a young attorney, Mr. Berry became known as a "rabble-rouser" by filing cases no one else dared.
He sued Crosley Radio over not having a single black worker and took on the Board of Education because there were no black members.
"He was very courageous and tackled and challenged the way things were being done. He put everyone's welfare before his own," said Bobbie Sterne, a former City Council member who served with Mr. Berry on council.
He strove so hard because he knew he was subject to scrutiny as one of the area's first African American figures, longtime colleagues said.
"We knew that his perfor mance and ability would determine whether the doors would be open for future African American candidates to excel as council members," said Steven Reece Sr., who served as Mr. Berry's administrative assistant from 1972 to 1975. Mr. Berry inspired many to follow in his footsteps and enter public service or law to make life better for the less fortunate, said his family members and several longtime friends.
"He believed we're all one people before God and equal opportunity and fairness for each person, regardless of color or condition or religion or race," said his son, Theodore Berry Jr., a local attorney.
"He was my hero," said former House Majority Leader William Mallory. "He was a towering figure who exuded that persona of a fighter against great odds.
"He inspired me to run for office and to be like him and work for people. I worked for his first campaign, and one of the highlights of my life is when we were both on a bus coming from Columbus, and I had the chance to sit and talk with my hero the whole way."
When first approached about running for Cincinnati City Council in 1945, Mr. Berry declined, not wanting to seem that he was using his NAACP post as a political springboard. He lost his first race for council two years later but in 1949 accepted a spot on the Charter Committee's slate and was elected, beginning a political career that assumed a growing prominence.
"He was a legend in his own time," said former City Coun cil member Marian Spencer. "I love his memory. I think historians will respect his legacy and will never stop being aware of the contributions he made to this community and nation."
In private life, Berry was an avid reader and chess player who enjoyed golf, the symphony and travel. He celebrated his 90th birthday with a trip to Alaska.
Mr. Berry resigned from council in 1965 to accept a presidential appointment in Washington as assistant director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, working under Sargent Shriver in one of the key posts in President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty.
In Washington, Mr. Berry helped force states to meet new guidelines in voter registration in order to qualify for billions of dollars in anti-poverty grants.
When the Nixon administration took over in January of 1969, Mr. Berry returned to Cincinnati.
He re-entered politics in 1971 when he was named to fill the unexpired council term of fellow Charterite Myron Bush, who had died.
He easily kept the seat that fall in a Charter-Democrat landslide that ended 14 years of Republican domination of City Hall.
But in 1975, Mr. Berry stepped out of public life and has since racked up numerous honors that include the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce "Great Living Cincinnatian" award and a downtown street and riverfront park that bear his name.
His last public appearance was in September 1999 at Music Hall, where the Underground Railroad Lecture Series was named in his honor. The moment was a poignant one for Mr. Berry, his family said.
Some 75 years earlier, he had been there but was not allowed to walk beside a white woman to deliver a speech - one he had to pen under a pseudonym to disguise his race so the judges wouldn't shut him out.
"For him to be received there with a standing ovation was wonderful," Mrs. West said. "He had come full circle."
In addition to his wife, son and daughter, Mr. Berry is survived by a daughter, Faith Berry of Santa Barbara, Calif.; four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Funeral services have tentatively been set for Friday at Renfro and Piper Funeral Home Inc. in Avondale. Arrangements will be finalized today.
In lieu of flowers, the Berry family is asking that donations be made to the Johnnie Mae Berry and Theodore M. Berry Charitable Fund at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
Date of announcement: 10-16-2000
Rosemary Kahmann, building matriarch
Rosemary Caroline Erpenbeck Kahmann was a driving force behind two of Northern Kentucky's most prominent home-building families.
She died Friday at home after a brief illness.
Mrs. Kahmann, 67, of Florence, retired as bookkeeper and secretary for the Erpenbeck Construction Co. and the Kahmann Construction Co.
She was the only daughter of Anthony and Marcella Erpenbeck, founder of the Erpenbeck Construction Company.
Mrs. Kahmann and her mother performed all the accounting and bookkeeping work for the Erpenbeck company. When her mother died in 1970, Mrs. Kahmann became the matriarch of the family. As the mentor and adviser for other family members, Mrs. Kahmann kept the family together and the business successful even during the 1970s when interest rates were high, the family said.
The family started several businesses - B.O.L.D. Homes and Paul Kahmann Development in Florence, David E. Kahmann CPA in Dry Ridge, and Kahmann Custom Homes in Dayton, Ohio.
She volunteered with the Cub Scouts and the teacher assistant program at St. Paul School, Florence, provided free tax preparation for seniors in Boone County and taught in the Boone County Adult Literacy Program.
Survivors include her husband, Paul; three daughters, Mary Rose Kahmann, Janet Kegley and Teresa Kahmann-Attabary, all of Florence; four sons, Paul Kahmann Jr. of Union, Ky., James Kahmann and David, both of Florence, and Daniel Kahmann of Dayton, Ohio; four brothers, William Anthony Erpenbeck and Raymond Erpenbeck, both of Edgewood, and W. Thomas Erpenbeck and Lawrence Erpenbeck, both of Union; and 13 grandchildren.
Mass: 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Paul Church in Florence. Visitation: 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Linnemann Funeral Home, Erlanger. Cremation: Baxter Cremation Co., Cincinnati.
Memorials: Father Flannagan's Boys Home, 14100 Crawford St., Boys Town, Neb., 68010.
Date of announcement: 10-16-2000
MARY F. ALLEY, 67, of Bethel, died Saturday. Graveside services: 10:30 a.m. today at Felicity Cemetery. Charles H. McIntyre Funeral Home, Felicity, handling arrangements. Memorials: American Diabetes. Association.
Date of announcement: 10-16-2000
GARY G. "UNCLE RED" ARNEY, 47, of Madison, Ind., died Friday. He was a self-employed repairman and an employee of Hanover College. Services: 11 a.m. EST Tuesday at Morgan-Webster-Nay Funeral Home, Madison. Visitation: 4 to 8 tonight and 9 a.m. until services Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorials: Lydia Arney Trust Fund.
Date of announcement: 10-16-2000
JOSEPH SEUBERT, 74, of Sunman, Ind., died Saturday. Mass: 4 p.m. EST today at St. Paul Church, New Alsace, Ind. Visitation: 1:30-3:30 p.m. EST today at the Andres-Wuestefeld Funeral Home, Highway 1, Dover, Ind. Memorials: Sunman Life Squad, Sunman Fire Department or Masses.
Date of announcement: 10-16-2000
Berry to lie in state in rare city honor
Theodore M. Berry will become the first person in almost 30 years to be honored by being permitted to lie in state in City Council Chambers at City Hall.
Mr. Berry, a civil rights crusader and the city's first African-American mayor, will lie in state at City Hall from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday.
Mayor Charlie Luken will make a brief presentation at 5:15 p.m. followed by Masonic and fraternal ceremonies.
"Mayor Berry was a courageous and vigilant crusader for the citizens of Cincinnati," Luken said in a statement Monday. "His death leaves a void in our city. We should all learn valuable lessons from his dedicated service."
Funeral services for Mr. Berry will be 11 a.m. Friday at Christ Church at Fourth and Sycamore streets. A private burial will be held immediately after the funeral.
The last person to lie in state at City Hall was Myron Bush, a city council member who died in July 1971 of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Flags at City Hall and Fountain Square were at half-staff Monday in honor of Mr. Berry and in memory of the Navy personnel killed in the Middle East.
They will remain at half-staff in memory of Mr. Berry for 30 days.
Date of announcement: 10-17-2000
