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ROBERT WELLS, 70, of Wilmington, died Monday. He was retired from the Defense Electrical Supply Co. and an Air Force veteran. Mass: 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Columbkille Catholic Church, Wilmington. Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Reynolds-Smith Funeral Home, Wilmington. Memorials: St. Columbkille Catholic Church Memorial Fund or Hospice of Dayton.
Date of announcement: 04-22-2003
ISADORE BATES SR., 85, of Silverton, died Monday. He was a retired welder. Services: 11 a.m. Saturday at Thompson, Hall and Jordan Funeral Home, Forest Park. Visitation: 10 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
Date of announcement: 04-23-2003
JAMES GEORGE CRAIG, 64, of Rising Sun, Ind., died Tuesday. He was a machine repairman for Anchor Glass. Services: 11 a.m. EDT Friday at Fitch-Denney Funeral Home, Lawrenceburg, Ind. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials: to the family.
Date of announcement: 04-23-2003
HAZEL M. LITES, 74, of Lincoln Heights, died Monday. She was a cosmetologist. Services: 11 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church of Hartwell. Visitation: 10 a.m. Friday at the church. Thompson, Hall and Jordan Funeral Home, Lockland, is handling arrangements.
Date of announcement: 04-23-2003
Rev. William Henry Mertes saved church
The Rev. William Henry Mertes, known as the pastor who saved Mother of God Catholic Church in Covington from the wrecking ball, died Tuesday. He was 82.
An untiring advocate for the poor, the disadvantaged and outcast, he also was known for helping save the Mutter Gottes and Montgomery neighborhoods in Covington.
"He put the jet propulsion to that issue, to the effort of rehabbing houses in the city," said former mayor and current City Commissioner Bernie Moorman.
Rev. Mertes became associate pastor at Mother of God in 1969 and pastor in 1973. In 1974, he convinced 11 others to pool their resources with him and buy nine houses on Covington Avenue that the city planned to tear down. Rev. Mertes would live in the house he bought there until his death.
That same year, Rev. Mertes also bought a building on Pike Street and created the Parish Kitchen, which has provided meals for the homeless and hungry ever since.
Molly Navin, who now directs the kitchen, said Rev. Mertes was a very spiritual man, but one with many interests in the real world.
"He was a package that was tied with lots and lots of strings and ribbons, and they kind of flew off in all directions like he did," she said.
In 1981, Mertes left Mother of God and became the director of Catholic Social Services of Northern Kentucky. Two years later, he started the Welcome House, a shelter for women and the homeless.
Rev. Mertes studied philosophy at St. Mary College at St. Mary, Ky., and theology at the Gregorian University in Rome before his ordination at 38. Assigned to the Covington diocese when the diocese still included Lexington, he taught at Lexington Catholic High School, then became an assistant at Holy Cross Church in Latonia. In 1968, he joined the faculty of Holy Cross High School there. Rev. Mertes retired as a priest in 1986, but stayed active in Catholic Social Services and other groups.
Rev. Mertes is survived by two sisters, Elaine Trimble of Apopka, Fla., and Antoinette Arens of Dayton, Texas .
Mass of Christian burial will be at noon Saturday at Mother of God Church, Covington. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. Saturday at the church.
Memorials are suggested to Catholic Social Services, 3629 Church St., Covington, Ky. 41015-1499 or to Priests Retirement Fund, P.O. Box 18548, Erlanger, Ky., 41018-0548.
Date of announcement: 04-24-2003
MARY POLK, 88, of Downtown, died Sunday. She was a homemaker. Services: 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph Church, West End. Visitation: 9 a.m. Saturday at the church. Jamison & Jamison Funeral Home, Evanston, is handling arrangements.
Date of announcement: 04-24-2003
ROBERT G. STEINER, 87, of West Harrison, Ind., died Monday. He was a retired painter and a Navy veteran of World War II. Mass: 10 a.m. EST Saturday at St. Paul Church, New Alsace, Ind. Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m. EST Friday at Cook Funeral Home, Sunman, Ind.
Date of announcement: 04-24-2003
DARREL L. BAAS, 50, of Brookville, Ind., died Wednesday. He was a Navy veteran. Services: 2 p.m. EST Saturday at Cook Funeral Home, Sunman, Ind. Visitation: 4 to 8 p.m. EST today at the funeral home. Memorials: Disabled American Veterans.
Date of announcement: 04-25-2003
HARVEY EUGENE BLACK, 65, of Vevay, Ind., died Wednesday. He was a retired heavy equipment operator for Hilltop Basic Resources, Patriot, Ind. Services: 1 p.m. EST Saturday at Haskell & Morrison Funeral Home, Vevay. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. EST today at the funeral home. Memorials: American Cancer Society Switzerland Co. Chapter.HENRY B. ECKSTEIN, 85, of Lawrenceburg, Ind., died Thursday. He was a roofer for Eckstein Roofing. Services: 11 a.m. EDT Monday at Lawrenceburg Wesleyan Church, Lawrenceburg. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. EDT Sunday at the Fitch-Denney Funeral Home, Lawrenceburg, Ind. Memorials: Lawrenceburg Wesleyan Church.
Date of announcement: 04-25-2003
GERTIE E. DANCE EARL, 84, of Vevay, Ind., died Thursday. She was an employee in the trimming department of U.S. Shoe Corp. in Vevay and a member of Connersville Southern Baptist Church. Services: 11 a.m. EST Tuesday at Haskell and Morrison Funeral Home, Vevay. Visitation: 10 a.m. EST Tuesday at the funeral home.
Date of announcement: 04-26-2003
JAMES W. "TOM" GREYE, 74, of Brookville, Ind., died Thursday. He was a retired truck driver and assisted in the Frank-lin County, Ind., sheriff's office as a special deputy. No public visitation or services. Cook Funeral Home, Brookville, is handling the arrangements.
Date of announcement: 04-26-2003
DYNASTY JAMES, 2, of Lockland, died Thursday. Services: 1 p.m. Monday at Thompson, Hall and Jordan Funeral Home, Lockland. Visitation: noon Monday at the funeral home.
Date of announcement: 04-26-2003
Fred Tirey, owned grocery store and taught Sunday school
Fred Tirey, 81, owner of Tirey Grocery Store in Mount Adams during the 1950s and 1960s, died Saturday.
He also worked as a counter manager at Mills Restaurant and as a painter for American Tool Co., both in Cincinnati.
Mr. Tirey, who lived in Ludlow, Ky., was a deacon and Sunday school teacher for more than 50 years at Bethlehem Baptist Temple in Ludlow.
Survivors include his wife, Margaret Taylor Tirey; a son, Freddie Tirey of Florence; brothers, Ruford Tirey of Independence, Ky., and Bradley Tirey of Morning View, Ky.; sisters, Della Tirey of Latonia, Ky., and Geneva Harrison of Butler, Ky.; a granddaughter, two step-grandsons and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home in Independence. Visitation will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Memorials are suggested to Bethlehem Baptist Temple, 316 Adela Ave., Ludlow, Ky. 41016 or to Shriners Burns Institute, 3229 Burnet Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.
Date of announcement: 04-28-2003
LEO LORETTA (DUNNING) CURRY, 86, of Madison Ind., died Saturday. She was a homemaker. Services: 2 p.m. EST Wednesday at Haskell & Morrison Funeral Home, Vevay, Ind. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. EST Tuesday at the funeral home. Memorials: Switzerland County Emergency Unit or Moorefield Community Fire Department.
Date of announcement: 04-28-2003
CHARLES WARDELL FINCH JR., 69, of Anderson, S.C., formerly of Cincinnati, died Friday. He was a retired security guard and an Army veteran of the 
Korean War. Mass: 11 a.m. today at St. Joseph Church. Anderson. McDougald Funeral Home, Anderson, is handling arrangements.
Date of announcement: 04-28-2003
VIRGINIA MAE HESS, 88, of Lawrenceburg, Ind., died Friday. She was a homemaker and a member of Greendale First Baptist Church. Services: 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday at Sunman, Ind., Community Church. Visitation: 6 to 9 EDT tonight at Fitch-Denney Funeral Home, Lawrenceburg. Memorials: Sunman Community Church.
Date of announcement: 04-28-2003
John Toebben, coach of NKU soccer team
When John Toebben came to Northern Kentucky from Lorup, Germany, in 1960, few people here played soccer.
That's not true anymore, and Mr. Toebben's a big reason why.
Mr. Toebben, 61, the coach of the Northern Kentucky University men's soccer team since 1990, died Saturday of cancer.
He held a 137-105-15 record with the Norse, including Great Lakes Valley Conference championships in 1992, 1993 and 1995. He took over the program when it was down and built it into a contender, NKU Athletic Director Jane Meier said.
"John Toebben was an outstanding gentleman who cared deeply about his players," Meier said. "He loved the game and was a true ambassador for the sport in our community."
The Norse play their home games at the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, the indoor/outdoor sports facility that Mr. Toebben developed in 1997. He had created the region's first indoor soccer facility in Park Hills before that.
Before he coached at NKU, he coached at Thomas More College for three years, compiling a 24-24-5 record. The Fort Wright resident also started the soccer programs at Covington Catholic High School in 1977 and Covington Latin School in 1980.
From 1983 to 1985, Mr. Toebben coached the Kolping Soccer Program's under-19 team, and once took the team on a three-week, 15-game visit to Europe.
"He was always handling probably three projects at a time, and somehow managed to make them successful," said his daughter, Jenny Wichmann of Crescent Springs. "That's something I won't forget about him -- he never gave up on anything."
Survivors also include his wife, Judy Adick Toebben; a son, Jack Toebben of Taylor Mill; brothers, Matth Toebben of Villa Hills and Rudolf Toebben of Surwold, Germany; sisters, Marie Kreutzjans of Lakeside Park, Agnes Wessels of Crescent Springs, Elizabeth Oldopp of Harrenstete, Germany, Anna Moring and Tekla Rieken, both of Lorup, Germany; and three grandchildren.
Mass of Christian burial will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Agnes Church, Fort Wright. Visitation will begin there at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Fort Mitchell.
Memorials are suggested to John Toebben Soccer Scholarship Memorial Fund, in care of Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Ky. 41099, or to the charity of the donor's choice.
Middendorf-Bullock Funeral Home, Covington, is handling arrangements.
Date of announcement: 04-29-2003
DALE EUGENE FITE, 73, of Hamersville, died Sunday. He was retired from the Brown County Auditor's office and a
Korean War Navy veteran. Services: 1 p.m. Thursday at Cahall Funeral Home, Georgetown. Visitation: 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials: American Cancer Society.
Date of announcement: 04-29-2003
ROBERT E. LEAR SR., 59, of Springfield Township died Saturday. He was a bus driver/union steward for Queen City Metro. Services: 7:30 p.m. today at Thompson, Hall and Jordan Funeral Home, Forest Park. Visitation: 6 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Date of announcement: 04-29-2003
