Richard A. Dillon
COSHOCTON — Richard Allen Dillon, 36, of Township Road 314, Coshocton, died April 18, 2004, in a motorcycle accident in Clark Township, Coshocton County.

He was born Feb. 15, 1968, in Millersburg to Ernest R. and Elaine Dillon. He was a 1986 graduate of River View High School and enjoyed hunting, fishing and four-wheeling.

He is survived by his mother, Elaine Dillon of Warsaw; a daughter, Sierra Dawn Dillon of Coshocton; a stepdaughter, Kayla Chandler of Coshocton; a sister, Jeannie Dillon of Warsaw; a brother, Clayton Dillon of Warsaw; his fiancee, Valerie McMorrow of Coshocton; grandfather, Junior Mullens of Craigville, W.Va.; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father.

Funeral will be Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the Fischer Funeral Home in Warsaw with the Rev. Ron Davis officiating. Burial will be in Killbuck Cemetery. Visitation is today from 6 to 8 p.m. and until service time on Wednesday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the River View Community Park, P.O. Box 399, Warsaw 43844.

James M. Kessler
SPARTA — James Mason Kessler, 92, of Sparta passed away Sunday, April 18, 2004, following an extended illness.

He was born Dec. 26, 1911, to James Daniel and Margaret (Boyd) Kessler in Virginia. They moved to South Bloomfield where they operated a general store. He was a 1928 graduate of Sparta High School. He was employed at Cooper-Bessemer in Mount Vernon from 1934-37 and 1940-48. He worked as an electrician in 1937, worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1938, and for Columbus Tool and Dye in 1939. He built and operated Kessler Electric in Sparta for 47 years from 1948 to 1995. He sold, traded, built and serviced televisions, appliances and guns. In the 1950s, he owned the first TV set in the area and sold TVs before Columbus had a television station. He won many sales contests during his career including trips to Florida, Hawaii and the Bahamas.

Mr. Kessler is survived by his wife of 71 years, Dorothy (Keller) Kessler, whom he married in 1933. He is also survived by six children, Don (Jan) Kessler of Sparta; Betty (Gene) Turner of Mount Liberty; Virginia (Dave) Brooks of Ashland, Kenny Kessler of Mount Liberty, Rick (Patty) Kessler of Sparta and Kimi (Sam) LoPiccolo of Sparta; as well as 18 grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Katherine Hanna of Mount Gilead; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Mr. Kessler enjoyed woodworking and was an avid hunter, fisherman and gunsmith, and an expert marksman. He owned and operated a trap shooting facility and competed in state, national and international trap shooting tournaments. In the 1960s, he won the Ohio Trap Shooters Championship, placed second in the National Trap Shooters Championship Contest, and won third place in a World Trap Shooters Championship. He also sponsored men’s softball teams in Mount Vernon for several years.

Friends may call Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Flowers-Snyder Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, and Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Mount Liberty Advent Christian Church, followed by services at 11 a.m. Burial will be in the Bloomfield Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Mount Liberty Advent Christian Church. This obituary and to send a condolence visit the Web site at www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.

Casper ‘Cap’ Rausch
MARENGO — Casper H. “Cap” Rausch, 78, of Marengo died unexpectedly April 19, 2004, in the emergency room of Morrow County Hospital.

He was born June 3, 1925, in Plain City to Daniel and Virgie (Vance) Rausch. A veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, he participated in the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns of World War II. Cap had worked as a milk deliveryman for Riverside Dairy, owned/operated the 71/61 Gulf Station until 1977, and retired in 1985 from the Marengo Post Office as a rural mail carrier.

He is survived by his wife, Joanne (Jordan); daughter, Mary (Jerry) Steele of Marengo; sons, William (Sharon) of Marengo and Richard (Connie) of Brownwood, Texas; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

Besides his parents he was preceded in death by a daughter, Joyce Chandler; brothers, Lee and Bill; and sisters, Mary Lou Hyatt and Edith Kincade.

Friends may call Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. in the DeVore-Snyder Funeral Home, Ohio 3 at 61, Sunbury, where funeral will be Thursday at 11 a.m. The Rev. James Brantingham will officiate. Interment with military honors will follow in Marengo Cemetery. Condolences may be expressed at www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.