Robert L. Gesell, age 93, of Brookville, died Friday, June 4, 2021, at St. Andrews Health Campus in Batesville.
Born July 8, 1927, in Brookville, he was one of nine children born to the late Luther and Mae Frances (Blackburn) Gesell. He was a United States Army Veteran. On October 7, 1950, he was united in marriage to the former Rita M. Wilhelm, and they enjoyed more than 67 years together before she preceded him in death on February 13, 2018.
Bob was retired, having worked for many years at Ron’s Glass & Body, and later Jansing’s Auto Body in Brookville, in addition to farming in Dearborn County for much of his life. After retiring, he enjoyed hobbies of woodworking, fishing, and beekeeping. He always welcomed a good game of cards and could often be found sitting on his front porch.
He was a member of All Saints Parish – St. Joseph Campus in St. Leon; the St. Joseph Post #464 of the American Legion St. Leon, as well as a former member of the St. Leon Town Board.
Survivors include two daughters, Cathy (Charlie) Huth of Cincinnati, Ohio, Ruth Burkhard of St. Leon; a granddaughter, Maggie Burkhard; step-grandchildren, Dan, Randy, Andy and John Huth and many great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, and wife Rita, he was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Mark Burkhard; four sisters, Lorene Feller, Virginia Tebbe, Joann Lake and Sylvia Lunsford; four brothers, Floyd Gesell, Merlin Gesell, Donald Gesell, and Orville Gesell
Family and friends may visit from 9 till 11 a.m., on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at All Saints Parish St. Joseph Campus, 7536 Church Lane, St Leon, Indiana.
Rev. Jonathan Meyer will officiate the Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at St. Joseph Catholic Church. Burial with full military graveside honors by the St. Joseph Post #464 of the American Legion will then follow in the Church Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the St. Leon Fire Department or St. Joseph Catholic Church. The staff of Phillips & Meyers Funeral Home are honored to once again serve the Gesell family, to sign the online guest book or send personal condolences please visit www.phillipsandmeyers.com .
It started on a Saturday night with My Long Suffering Wife Ruth and me sitting at the fire pit.
The weather was great, maybe a little warm for the fire but who cares and there were still no bugs (mosquitoes) to menace us – or so we thought.
Ruth felt something crawling up her leg, and reacted accordingly since it was dark and surely unsettling. However, I did not allow those factors to keep me from making fun of her when her cell phone flashlight showed a red-eyed cicada, our first good view of a living one.
About five minutes later, my old body, which does not move very well since the Events I Can No Longer Talk About But Always Do (EICNLTABAD), almost went into orbit. And people in the neighborhood must have thought a young girl was screaming bloody murder: Ruth’s flashlight showed a cicada moving up my bare leg, since I was wearing shorts. And I apologize for wearing shorts even though it was dark.
My girlie reaction to the cicada presaged Ruth’s well-deserved derision.
We then went walking around our backyard with Ruth’s flashlight in the fore and found three or four more crawling through the grass with one on our back steps. At least I was very excited by this. Ruth not so much.
We spent the next day with very good friends from New Castle sharing a beautiful Sunday in May by sitting on our large, wraparound porch, and engaging in delightful conversation. Cindy, our female friend, startled with seeing four or five cicadas walking along our porch ledge. So, we took a walk around the yard and saw several skins on some large, old maple trees that have stood between the sidewalk and the streets for quite some time.
There were more cicadas and their skins – shells — on the exterior brick walls of the porch. And there were quite a few shells at the bases of both trees.
We were amazed. If only we would have known.
On that Saturday and Sunday, I regaled Ruth as well as Ray and Cindy, with the words: They don’t sting or bite. They do no harm.
Since that May weekend, the cicadas have taken over. There is really nothing that can be done. Ruth gets frustrated and takes the broom to the nest, swarm, plague — and with the last word I think we can put the word Biblical in front of it as in Biblical plague – knocking the little critters off the porch walls, porch columns and sweeping thousands of shells and living bugs off the porch.
An aside here: Early in the infestation, I would go around the porch’s interior and flip the cicadas, which were on their backs and seemingly helpless, over so they could walk around again. Ruth treated me as if I were coddling and assisting terrorists.
But, I earnestly told her the poor critters have waited in the ground for 17 years for their moment to burst forth and mate. Can one imagine?
My favorite video concerning the cicadas’ life cycle, which I shared with the ubiquitous post on Facebook – I guess it met Facebook’s seemingly clueless and rather alarming censors, I mean fact checkers – from Sir David Attenborough.
One of the things it discusses is how the cicadas know when to emerge in the exact 17-year cycle. It is like with the COVID, the experts – even Sir David Attenborough — are clueless.
But those little red-eyed insects know to emerge. Both males and females have but one thought: To make whoopee in the short time aboveground before they unceremoniously die.
My teenage persona, which is getting closer to my surface with every day I age, has to admire that.
I can just see myself as one of them: I would wait those 17 years thinking about my few days in the sun so to speak but end up on my back on some couple’s porch only to have a broom knock me into the weeds, I mean lawn, with myself still on my back and hear my buds chainsawing away, seeking pleasure and the call of nature.
But I’m far, far past the flipping stage.
Seventeen years ago it was not like this. My youngest, Renee, was either in grade school or junior high – notice my terms, it shows how old I am – and I used that emergence as an educational tool. In the moments before the bus would come and pick her up at our corner, we would look at one of the maples and marvel at the skins and the live ones making their slow journey up the bark of the tree. I did not talk about the whoopee part, but we discussed the 17-year cycle and the fact they did not bite or sting. After school, we would use our Gateway computer and wait for the dial-up connection to slowly bring us facts about how they change colors after exiting their shells and other seemingly amazing facts. Here is the fact about how they change colors from white to the darker shade they keep until hopefully whoopee and then death.
According to cicadamania.com: “the area of the cicada where the black spots appear is called the pronotum — “pro”, meaning before in Greek, and “notum”, meaning the back, also in Greek. Before the back. The spots contain a pigment that will gradually spread throughout a cicada body as it hardens, and transforms from white to black. People speculate that the two black spots resemble eyes, and that might scare away predators. This might be possible, but I haven’t read anything to substantiate the hypothesis.”
Wasn’t that interesting? Those are the kind of things I subjected my child/children to as she was growing up. I still do not understand why she chose to move to Tokyo and the others about as far away in Indiana as one can get.
Anyway, during that late spring time, the other kids waiting for the bus would come over and look at the cicadas with us. Some young boys about Renee’s age were among the kids, and I helpfully told them you can eat cicadas. They had that teenage persona naturally at that time.
That afternoon, they were out collecting cicadas for their mothers to cook for them. I really do apologize to those mothers about that.
There were maybe 100 cicadas on and around that tree. Renee and I were amazed by them.
But this year is like the cicada cycle is on steroids. People walking through the neighborhood cross the street before they get to our yard. Ruth has given up again. I sweep the 10,000 or so cicadas that are on my porch chair each day so I can sit somewhat undisturbed and drink my coffee. I walk across the porch, yard, sidewalks, crunching the little buggers beneath my shoes and not caring, not even my teenage persona cares anymore.
Fred F. Little, Jr., 72, of Rushville, passed away May 28, at St. Vincent Hospital, Indianapolis.
Fred was born in Rushville, October 11, 1948, a son of the late Della Mae (Logston) Little and Fred F. Little. He was a construction worker and a member of the Eagles Lodge. Fred was a kind person with many friends who will miss him.
Fred is survived by three sisters, Della J. Patterson, of Brookville; Melody, wife of Eric Hopkins, of Connersville; Vicky, widow of Michael Laird, of New Castle; a brother, Ralph Eugene, husband of Sandy Little, of New Castle. He is also survived by several Nieces and Nephews
No services are planned. Please remember Fred with a kind act to others. Please light a candle and share your condolence at www.ToddFuneralHome.com
Linda E. Jackson, age 73, of Brookville, died unexpectedly Tuesday, May 25, 2021 in New Trenton.
Born May 7, 1948 in Cincinnati, Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Milton Floyd and Wilma Jean (Farmer) Cooke. She was united in marriage to Robert S. Jackson on June 4, 1966, and he preceded her in death on February 2, 2017.
She was retired, having worked for many years at the former Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. She had attended Smyrna Baptist Church in New Trenton.
Survivors include a son, Samuel A. Cooke of Winder, Georgia; three grandchildren, Bobby Cooke, Nicholas Cooke, and Devon Marie Cooke.
In addition to her parents and husband Robert, she was preceded in death three sisters, Loraine Terrell, Judy McNutt, and Debbie Cassidy; as well as a brother, Mike Cooke.
Rev. Chuck McMahan, pastor of the Smyrna Baptist Church will officiate the Graveside Services on Friday, June 4, 2021, 12:45 P.M., at Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio.
The staff of Phillips & Meyers Funeral Home is honored to once again serve the Jackson family, to sign the online guest book or send personal condolences please visit www.phillipsandmeyers.com.
Carl E. Simmons, of Brookville, was born on June 16, 1932, in Walton, Kentucky, a son to Leonard and June Phipes Simmons. He served his country in the US Army in the Korean War. Carl married the late Jean (nee Frye) Simmons on September 20, 1952, in Lexington, Kentucky. He was a member of the Metamora Church of God. In his spare time, Carl liked to go golfing, read books, and most of all, spend time with his family. On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at the age of 88, Carl passed away peacefully at McCullough Hyde Memorial Hospital in Oxford.
Those surviving who will cherish Carl’s memory include his children, Sherri Shelley (Bob Hayes) of Laurel, Carol (Gene) Lucas of Blooming Grove, and Mark (Libby) Simmons of Connersville; seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews. Carl was preceded in death by both of his parents; his wife, Jean Simmons; two sons, David and Tom Simmons; and three brothers, Leonard Jr., Donald, and John Simmons.
Friends may visit with the family on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home – 929 Main Street, Brookville, from 11 a.m. until the time of service at 1 p.m. Pastor Wayne Ison will officiate the service and burial will follow immediately after in Maple Grove Cemetery.
Memorial donations can be directed to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at the funeral home, online at stjude.org, or mailed directly, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105. To sign the online guestbook or to leave personal condolences or memories please visit www.cookrosenberger.com. The staff of Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home is honored to care for the family of Carl Simmons.
Provided by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department
May 15
At 7:45 p.m., Randall Miller, South Burlington, Vermont, was operating a vehicle westbound on Bath Road, and he failed to get over far enough on the road, which led to the vehicle’s mirror striking a mirror on a vehicle belonging to Dustin Helton, Hamilton, Ohio. Helton, who was eastbound, had moved over partially in the ditch in order to try to avoid Miller’s vehicle. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Arin Bowers investigated the accident.
May 24
Rachel Ramey, Sanes Creek Road, Laurel, at 8:34 a.m., was backing down her driveway when the vehicle went off the side of the driveway, and struck a tree. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jason Robinson investigated the accident.
Bill Lynam, North Depot Street, Batesville, at 1:25 a.m., was traveling westbound on Laurel Road when the vehicle ran off the road, came to a stop and then caught on fire. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dylan Enzinger investigated the accident.
May 25
At 4:40 a.m., Devon Nickolas, Shays Road, Brookville, was operating a vehicle westbound on Laurel Road when a deer ran onto the road, and Nickolas’ vehicle struck the deer. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dylan Enzinger investigated the accident.
May 27
Jodi Winters, Whitcomb Road, Brookville, at 10:47 a.m., was operating a vehicle northbound on Johnson Fork Road, when the vehicle traveled off the left side of the road, into the hayfield, through a yard and struck a house. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Major Gregory Mehlbauer investigated the accident.
Dustin Riggle, Progress Street, Brookville, was operating a vehicle eastbound on U.S. 52, at 2:49 p.m. A vehicle operated by Morris Jenkins Jr., Farmland, was stopped in traffic at the intersection of Indiana 1 and U.S. 52 when Riggle’s vehicle rear ended the Jenkins’ vehicle. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jeremy Noah investigated the accident.
At 10:41 p.m., Rachel Loman, U.S. 52, Laurel, was operating a vehicle eastbound on U.S. 52 when a deer crossed U.S. 52 in front of the Loman vehicle, and the Loman vehicle was unable to avoid striking the deer. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Kyle Hartman investigated the accident.
May 29
Amy Stone, Main Street, Oxford, Ohio, was southbound on Harmony Road at 9:30 p.m. A deer was on the roadway, and Stone’s vehicle was unable to avoid striking the deer. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dylan Enzinger investigated the accident.
May 31
Lauren Obendorf, Pearl Street, Batesville, at 11:18 a.m., was operating a vehicle eastbound on Pocket Road went the vehicle went off the south side of the road, striking a tree. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jason Robinson investigated the accident.
Brian Lusby, Ludlow Street, Greendale, at 1:42 p.m., was operating a vehicle onto a private drive along Duck Creek Road and was pulling a trailer with a race truck on the trailer. As Lusby’s vehicle was going up the driveway, the strap holding the race truck on the trailer broke causing the race truck to come back off the trailer, crossing over the private drive where it collided with a second vehicle. There was no information on the second vehicle. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Jason Robinson investigated the accident.
At 10:02 p.m., Chelsi Ruehlman, Dillsboro, was operating a vehicle eastbound on U.S. 52, when the vehicle drove off the road into a yard, going over the driveway and striking a Duke Energy pole., causing the pole to snap. Ruehlman’s vehicle traveled another 20 feet before coming to rest. Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dylan Enzinger investigated the accident.
Provided by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department
May 25
Amanda L. Kampf, 36, Westview Road, Brookville, was arrested at 7 p.m., at her home, by Brookville Police Department Officer D. Forsee, on an Out-of-County Arrest Warrant.
Justin A. Lewis, 30, Lower Jim Run Road, Metamora, was arrested at 7:47 p.m., at West Harrison, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy A. Bowers, for Resisting Law Enforcement.
May 28
Michael W. Bannon Jr., 44, West County Road 750 South, Connersville, was arrested at 11:18 p.m., at the intersection of Lafayette and Neff streets in Laurel, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Tyler Ford for Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated Endangerment and Operating a Vehicle while Intoxicated.
May 29
Andrew M. Stutz, 28, Moraine, Ohio, was arrested at 6:56 p.m., at Metamora, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy A. Bowers on an Arrest Warrant.
May 30
Mia N. Disabato, 18, Hilliard, Ohio, was arrested at 2:05 p.m., at Brookville, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dusty Hill, for Possession of Marijuana/Hash and Delinquent Alcohol Violation.
Michelle J. Nicolay, 29, Erlanger, Kentucky, was arrested at 5 p.m., at New Trenton, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dusty Hill for Possession of Marijuana.
Skylar E. Parsley, 28, Indiana 244, Rushville, was arrested at 11:15 a.m., at Ind. 244 in Andersonville, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Tyler Ford for Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication by Drugs.
Jackson S. Sowers, 19, Hilliard, Ohio, was arrested at 2:05 p.m., at Brookville, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dusty Hill, for Minor Possession of Alcohol.
James C. Van Cleve, 24, Covington, Kentucky, was arrested at 5 p.m., at New Trenton, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Dusty Hill, for Possession of Marijuana/Hashish.
May 31
Stacie J. Perry, 28, Long Street, Brookville, was arrested at 1:30 p.m., at the Fayette County Jail, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy S. Stirn, by order of the Court.
Devin R. Wegford, 24, Lyness Avenue, Harrison, Ohio, was arrested at 11 a.m., at the Dearborn County Jail, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy R. Gordon, by order of the Court.
Kristina R. Wilson, 28, Greensburg, was arrested at 11:12 a.m., at the Decatur County Jail, by Franklin County Sheriff’s Department Deputy S. Stirn, by order of the Court.
Indiana Department of Transportation press release
Indiana Department of Transportation contractor Specialties Company plans to relocate its current cable barrier installation work along I-74 to Dearborn County starting on or after Monday, June 7. Crews began work near Greensburg late last month and are moving further east due to material shortages.
Excavation for barrier installation is expected to begin next week between Whites Hill Road and the Ohio state line. This work will be completed under inside shoulder closures and a reduced speed limit of 55 mph when crews are active. Once finished in Dearborn County, the contractor will return to the site near Greensburg.
The $875,000 contract was awarded in January of this year. Motorists are reminded to slow down, use extra caution, and drive distraction-free in and near all work zones. Drivers should also watch for large trucks entering and exiting the work zone.
Hillenbrand, Inc. announced today that Joe A. Raver, president and chief executive officer, plans to retire at the end of 2021. The Board of Directors has appointed Kimberly K. Ryan to succeed Raver as Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2022, at which time she will also join the Hillenbrand Board. She will become Executive Vice President of Hillenbrand effective immediately.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, the management team, and Hillenbrand’s 11,000 employees, we want to thank Joe for his leadership and impact over his more than two decades with the organization,” said Joe Loughrey, Hillenbrand chairperson. “A steadfast and strategic leader, Joe has guided Hillenbrand since 2013. During his tenure, he played a significant role in transforming the Company from a $600 million death care business in North America to the approximately $2.5 billion global diversified industrial company it is today. In addition, Joe has been instrumental in the evolution of the Hillenbrand Operating Model and the Company’s inorganic growth strategy, including the transformative acquisitions of Coperion and Milacron. The Board is sincerely grateful to Joe for his dedication to Hillenbrand and wishes him nothing but the best in this next chapter.”
Ryan’s selection is the culmination of a robust, multi-year leadership development and succession planning process led by the Board with the help of an independent external management consultant.
“With an experienced leadership team guided by the Hillenbrand Operating Model, a focused portfolio and a strong balance sheet, Hillenbrand is poised for success through this transition,” added Loughrey. “For the past six years, Kim has led Coperion, and with her deep experience and strong track record of global leadership and execution, she is the right choice to lead Hillenbrand through its next phase of continued growth and shareholder value creation.”
Ryan joined the Batesville Casket Company in 1989 and in her 33 years with Hillenbrand, has held many senior roles, including president of Batesville. Since 2015, she has been president of Coperion, Hillenbrand’s largest business, where she built a strong management team and drove excellent results – achieving 30 percent revenue growth to approximately $1 billion in 2020 and more than 500 basis points of improved EBITDA margin – while establishing Coperion as a clear global industry leader.
“It has been an honor to serve as CEO of Hillenbrand during this period of transformation and growth, and I want to offer my sincere thanks to our employees whose hard work and dedication have allowed us to achieve so much,” said Raver. “I also want to thank our customers, communities, colleagues, shareholders, and the Board of Directors for their ongoing support. I have worked with Kim for many years and am confident she will be an excellent leader for Hillenbrand. I look forward to working closely together for the balance of the year to ensure a smooth transition.”
The CEO transition begins June 2, 2021. Effective immediately, Ryan will have responsibility for the Company’s businesses, including Mold-Masters, Milacron Injection Molding & Extrusion, Coperion, and Batesville. The leaders of these businesses will report directly to Ryan, and she will lead the development and execution of their strategies and business plans to drive profitable growth. The other members of the Company’s Executive Management Team will continue to report to Raver during the transition. As EVP, Ryan moves out of her role as president of Coperion. Ulrich Bartel, president of Coperion’s Polymer Division, has been named Coperion President and joins the Hillenbrand Executive Management Team, effective immediately.
“I want to thank Joe Raver for his distinguished leadership at Hillenbrand and also the Board for its confidence in me as I step into this role,” said Ryan. “I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with our talented leadership team and employees around the world to advance Hillenbrand’s profitable growth strategy.”
About Hillenbrand Hillenbrand (www.Hillenbrand.com) is a global diversified industrial company with businesses that serve a wide variety of industries around the world. We pursue profitable growth and robust cash generation to drive increased value for our shareholders. Hillenbrand’s portfolio includes industrial businesses such as Coperion, Milacron Injection Molding & Extrusion, and Mold-Masters, in addition to Batesville, a recognized leader in the death care industry in North America. Hillenbrand is publicly traded on the NYSE under “HI.”
Loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Linda Louise (Inman) Coyle, age 71 of Batesville, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2021, in Cincinnati, Ohio surrounded by her family.
Linda was born on January 2, 1950, to the late Robert and Sylvia Inman in New Castle. She attended Sunman High School and worked at Hill Rom, where she retired, after 33-plus years. She was known as ‘The Candy Lady’ to her nieces, nephews and many neighborhood kids. She loved her family and the outings where she could throw her fishing line in the water. She enjoyed her old TV shows, soaps, and game shows. She had a green thumb too and loved to care for her plants and flowers. She always kept up with her friends and family on Facebook. Linda lived her life to the fullest, how she wanted and everyone enjoyed being around her.
Linda is survived by her loving husband of 53 years Roy Coyle; son, Tony (Deanna) Coyle of Greensburg; daughter, Lisa (John) Ronnebaum of Batesville; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; sisters, Sylvia (Robert) McDaniel of Peppertown and Margaret (Larry) Kunze of Sunman; brothers, Robert (Debbie) Inman of Morris, Fred Inman of Harrison and Mark Inman of Michigan; along with her beloved Floppy (dog) who was always by her side.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Judy (Chester survives) Philips of Peppertown.
Visitation will be Wednesday, June 2, 2021, from 4-7 p.m., with funeral service at 10 a.m., on Thursday, June 3 all at Meyers Funeral Home in Batesville. Minister Brian Hudson officiating. Burial to follow in St. John’s UCC Cemetery in Batesville.
Memorials may be made to New Testament Baptist Church or St. Jude Children’s Hospital by bringing to services or mailing to: Meyers Funeral Home, P.O. Box 202, Batesville, IN 47006.
