Carl E. Berry Jr.
HOWARD — Carl E. Berry Jr., 75, of Hazel Dell Road, Howard, died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006, at his residence. Arrangements are under the care and direction of the Snyder Funeral Homes in Mount Vernon. To view the full obituary or send a condolence to the family online, visit www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.

Mary Jane DeLisle
MOUNT VERNON — Mary Jane DeLisle, 90, of Mount Vernon and formerly of Flint, Mich., died on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 16, 2006, at the Country Club Retirement Campus in Mount Vernon following a brief illness.

She was born in Flint, Mich., on June 9, 1916, the daughter of the late Louis E. and Maud Madeline (Lash) DeLisle. Mary Jane graduated from Flint High School and took business courses at the College of William & Mary and the University of Michigan. An astute businesswoman, Mary Jane put her heart and soul into her business ventures; owning and operating Accents and the Sue Phillips Dress Shop, both in Flint, Mich. She prided herself and her businesses on good customer service, tending to the customer’s every need and preferring to work with only one customer at a time.

With an eye for fashion, Mary Jane will be remembered for her creative ability to “accessorize” and decorate; her outfits and living quarters were always up to date with what was fashionable. Mary Jane was a very independent woman who aged gracefully and was very considerate of others.

Mary Jane resided in Flint, Mich., until 2003, when she moved to Mount Vernon to be closer to her family. During her time in Flint, Michigan, Mary Jane was a member of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the Flint Country Club where she was an avid golfer. An active bridge player, she played in several bridge clubs and greatly enjoyed the many friends she would play with.

While in Mount Vernon, Mary Jane was a member of the Red Hat Club Society.

Mary Jane will be missed by her cousin, Susan (Mark) Noland, and their children, Matthew and Michael Noland, all of Mount Vernon; and her special friend and cousin-in-law, Dorothy Kay of Marion; and her friends from the Retirement Campus.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her cousins, Donald Kay and Caroline Kay.

Private family services will be held at a later date at Chapel Heights Memory Gardens in Marion. Arrangements were entrusted to the Denzer-Farison-Hottinger & Snyder Funeral Home in Marion.

If desired memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society, 5555 Frantz Road, Dublin, OH 43017; or to Hospice of Knox County, 17700 Coshocton Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.

John W. Gwinn
COSHOCTON — John William Gwinn, 79, of Township Road 65, Coshocton, died Sept. 19, 2006, at the Coshocton County Memorial Hospital.

The funeral service will be Saturday, Sept. 23, at 2:30 p.m. at the Fischer Funeral Home in Warsaw, with the Rev. Ron Davis officiating. Burial will be in the Hamilton Valley Cemetery in Washington Township. Visitation will be Friday, Sept. 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday until service time.

Violet W. Maxwell
MOUNT VERNON — Violet W. Maxwell, 79, of North Gay Street, Mount Vernon, passed away Thursday morning, Sept. 21, 2006, at her residence surrounded by her family. Arrangements are under the care and direction of the Snyder Funeral Homes of Mount Vernon.

Dale E. Shafer
MOUNT VERNON — Dale E. Shafer, 84, of Mount Vernon passed away Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006, at the Knox Community Hospital. Arrangements are under the care and direction of the Snyder Funeral Homes of Mount Vernon.

Ruth F. Smith
MOUNT VERNON — Ruth F. Smith, 91, of Hopewell Road, Mount Vernon, died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006, at her residence.

Ruth was born in Knox County on Sept. 27, 1914, to Lewis and Edna (Porter) Fowler and had spent her lifetime in the Mount Vernon area. Ruth was a faithful member of the Hopewell United Methodist Church where she was active with the United Methodist Women. She enjoyed working in her garden and with her flowers but the joy of her life was her grandchildren.

Ruth is survived by three daughters, Kathryn Smith of Mount Vernon, Barbara (John) Butler of Mount Vernon and Sandra (Tom) Williams of Tiffin; two sons, Ralph L. (Anna) Smith Sr. of Wittenberg, Wis., and George Smith of Mount Vernon; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; three stepgrandchildren; a stepgreat-grandchild; her brother, Dr. John Fowler of Mount Vernon; and several nieces and nephews.

Besides her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Ralph B. Smith, in 1976; four sisters, Virginia Curtis, Lucy Biggs, Rena Welker and Hazel McFarland; and four brothers, Raymond Fowler, Kenneth Fowler, Floyd Fowler and an infant brother.

Friends may call Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Flowers-Snyder Funeral Home in Mount Vernon, where funeral service will be Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in Hopewell Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Hopewell United Methodist Church, in care of Barbara Butler, 18301 Hopewell Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. To send a condolence to the family online, visit www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.

Craig Stead
MOUNT VERNON — Craig Stead, 59, of Wooster Road, Mount Vernon, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006, at the Knox Community Hospital.

He was born April 17, 1947, in Lakewood to Fred J. and Mary Veronica (Caffrey) Stead. Craig was employed at New Hope Industries where he enjoyed friends and staff workers.

Craig is survived by many caretakers and friends at CCL Group Homes, New Hope Industries, Advocacy and Protective Services and the Knox County Board of MRDD.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

There will be no calling hours. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. The arrangements are under the care and direction of the Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home.

This obituary and online condolences can be accessed at www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.

Fred Toms
KEIZER, Ore. — Fred Toms, 91, died Sept. 8, 2006, in Keizer, Ore. He was born to Burr and Lillie (Wells) Toms in 1914 in Ankenytown, Ohio. Fred graduated from Fredericktown High School and earned a teaching certificate from Kent State University.

Fred wed Rowena (Syler) Toms in 1936 with the marriage lasting 65 years until her death in 2001. They purchased and ran a small farm near Ankenytown. Fred and Rowena both loved the land and were avid gardeners. Fred worked for over 40 years at Westinghouse Electric in Mansfield. Rowena raised her family, sold Stanley products and later became a real estate agent.

They are survived by their daughter, Nadine Beckel of Tualatin, Ore.; and sons, Gerald (Patricia) Toms of Keizer, Ore., Merrill Toms of Louisville, Ky., and Lowell (Denise) Toms of Columbus, Ohio. There are 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

There will be a graveside memorial service for Fred and Rowena on Saturday, Oct. 7, at noon in the Ankenytown Cemetery next to the Owl Creek Brethren Church on Toms Road. Pastor Bill Fulda will conduct the service. The family asks that any donations should be sent to Hospice of Knox County, 17700 Coshocton Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050.