Columbia City, IN. Obituaries

Jun 19, 2021

Ardilla Dunfee, 90, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Saturday morning, June 19, 2021 at her home with her sons by her side. Born at home on March 19, 1931 in rural Merriam, she was the youngest child of Harold G. and Northa (Winebrenner) Kesling.

She played basketball while attending Wolf Lake High School and graduated with...

Jun 17, 2021

Treasa Marie (Gadomski) Bridegan, loved beyond measure, departed on June 17, 2021 for one last adventure, beyond the 48 states she has visited in the past five years, beyond the Middle East where she spent three adventurous months with two of her youngest grandchildren (and daughter), beyond the magnificent beauty of the beaches in Texas where she and her...

Jun 15, 2021

Paula R. McClain, 50, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at Parkview Hospital. Born January 2, 1971 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of Tom and Dixie "Sis" (Clingerman) Nei.

At nine years old, Paula moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida where she graduated high school. By 19, she moved...

Jun 8, 2021

Faye C. Webb, age 73, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away at 2:10 am on Tuesday June 8, 2021 at Hospice Home, Fort Wayne. Born on October 25, 1947 in West Chester, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Ellis P. and Anna M. (Glauner) Cunningham.

She graduated from West Chester High School with the Class of 1965...

Jun 6, 2021

Kermit R. Hathaway, 96, formerly of Philadelphia, passed away Sunday, June 6, 2021 at IU West in Avon, Indiana. He was born May 18, 1925 in Louisville, Ohio, the son of Charles F. and Imo Irene (Clapsaddle) Hathaway.

Kermit graduated from Kokomo High School with the Class of 1944 and the Indiana School of Pharmacy (Butler University)...

Jun 4, 2021

John C. Duffy, 91, of Columbia City, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday morning, June 4, 2021 at Majestic Care West. Born December 20, 1929 in Lafayette, he was the son of Peter and Dorothy (McGann) Duffy.

He graduated from Jefferson High School with the Class of 1949. He served in the U.S. Army in...

Jun 3, 2021

Betty J. Verhest, 76, of Columbia City, passed away Thursday, June 3, 2021 at her home. Born February 10, 1945 in Fort Wayne, she was the daughter of Alanzo and Florence (Koehling) Wickliffe.

She attended Southside High School and moved to Whitley County in 1988. She worked at Magnovox for 14 years and started working at Coupled...

Jun 3, 2021

Betsy R. Thompson, 80, formerly of Albion, IN, passed away Thursday, June 3, 2021 at her home in Columbia City. Born October 20, 1940 in Paulding, OH she was the daughter of Francis and Ruth (Birkhold) Ross.

She graduated from Columbia City High School with the Class of 1959. On April 12, 1963,...

May 31, 2021

Rick Alan Trumbull, 56, of Fort Wayne, passed away unexpectedly Monday, May 31, 2021 at his home. Born October 3, 1964 in Columbia City, he was the son of Howard Wesley and Ruth Ann (Lehman) Trumbull.

Growing up in rural Whitley County, Rick enjoyed being outdoors, swimming and playing in the woods. He graduated from Columbia City...

May 30, 2021

Robert "Bob" John Sikkenga, 85, of Middlebury, Indiana, passed away Sunday, May 30, 2021 at his home. He was born November 9, 1935 in Muskegon, Michigan to John and Effie (Newmyer) Sikkenga.

He married his soul mate, Mary Ann (Bowman) Sikkenga on July 22, 1985.

Bob is survived by his wife, Mary Ann Sikkenga; daughter,...

May 28, 2021

Fun-loving, young at heart, and dedicated to God are just a few ways to describe Sharon Rucker.  A  few events that occurred in history in 1935 include:  the Amelia Earhart solo flight across the Pacific, Parker Brothers released the game Monopoly, nylon was first introduced, and on November 30, 1935, Jesse and Laura (Pheister) Braddock welcomed the birth of...

May 28, 2021

Ambitious, social, and someone with a positive outlook on life are just a few ways to describe Maxine Hauth.  A few events that occurred in history in 1920 include the first commercially-licensed radio station broadcast, establishment of The League of Nations, women gained the right to vote, and on January 10, 1920 Ora DeWitte and Mabelle Mae (Bracey) Noyer...

May 26, 2021

Terry Lee Friend, 58, of Columbia City, passed away Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at Parkview Hospital. Born May 17, 1963 in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Robert D. and Mary L. (Beckman) Friend.

He attended Columbia City Joint High School where he played basketball and received the Sportsmanship Award. Terry had been a mechanic at...

May 25, 2021

Megan S. Spillers, 36, of Columbia City, passed away Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born June 7, 1984 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of Timothy and Sally (Geiger) Spillers.

With a love for dancing and music, Megan was involved with the choir and voted Prom Queen at Whitko High School and graduated...

May 21, 2021

Dennis L. Marrs, 73, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Friday, May 21, 2021 at his home. Born August 6, 1947 in Wolf Lake at Lucky Hospital, he was the second born child of Raymond and RoseMary (Blair) Marrs.

Growing up on Big Lake, Denny learned at a young age how to fish. As a...

May 8, 2021

Pretty outgoing, quick-witted with fast comebacks, and definitely the comedian/goofball of the family are just a few ways to describe Gary Wireman.  A few events which occurred in history in 1961 include Alan Shepard making the first U.S. space flight, the Peace Corps was established by President John F. Kennedy, the construction of the Berlin Wall began, Pampers started...

May 8, 2021

Judith Ann Ancil, 79, formerly of North Webster, passed away Saturday, May 8, 2021at her new home in Columbia City. Born March 2, 1942 in Selma, she was the daughter of  Bill Cox and Geneva (Hendricks) Sanders. Growing up in Grant county, Judy graduated from Marion High School with the Class of 1960. One day while being at Custer's...

May 4, 2021

Donald L. Weller, 94, of Columbia City, passed away Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at Miller's Merry Manor, Columbia City. Born March 12, 1927 in Huntington County, he was the son of  Walter and Maude (Burkhart) Weller.

He graduated from Columbia City High School and serve in the U.S. Army at the end of WWII. On...

Apr 29, 2021

Friendly, loving, and an ornery prankster, with a very relaxed disposition are just a few ways to describe Jan DeKoninck.  Several events that occurred in 1955 include Rock & Roll music popularity increasing, which featured Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry and The Platters,  "The Mickey Mouse Club" debut on ABC, the Broadway musical "Peter Pan"...

Apr 27, 2021

Shelby Lee McClellan, 26, of Columbia City, passed away Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from injuries from a car wreck along with her unborn son, Ty and daughter Olivia. Born June 1, 1994 in Columbia City, she was the daughter of Travis Lee McClellan and Elizabeth (Slusher) King.

Growing up the youngest of four, Shelby was involved with...