May 2015

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Outstanding music awards to Bluffton High School seniors were presented earlier this month. Here's the list of award winners, provided by David Sycks and Kara Zink:

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Can you believe it? Ninty-nine sports seasons ago.

There was no Western Buckeye League and the Northwest Conference was two generations in the distance.

Here's the Bluffton High School boys' basketball team from 1915-1916. We know the uniforms were red and white, but this team was not yet called Pirates. That would happen about 13 season later.

Don Schmidt provided this photo to the Icon.

Open the photo to view the player names and to enlarge the photo.

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CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MEMORIAL DAY PARADE.

Persons attending Bluffton's Memorial Day service at Maple Grove Cemetery couldn't help but miss Bluffton's tallest-ever flying American flag.

Here's a close-up view. Check the photo below for the long view to better understand the height of this red, white and blue symbol.

How did it get there?

Bluffton resident Navy Reservist Nathan Ulrey of Arbor Elite LCC Trimming Service was the  mastermind behind the flag display.

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Lots of events take place in Bluffton during June. Here's the Icon's list of events of interest, open to the public.

• Farmers’ Market, Citizens National Bank parking lot - Saturdays, 8:30 - noon
• BFR adventure camps – June 2, 4, 9, 11, 18, 23, 25, 30

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Vera L. Brien, 89 of Bluffton died at 4:25 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at the Bluffton Mennonite Memorial Home. 

She was born in Columbus, Feb. 25, 1926, to the late James H. and Cleo (Graves) Dyer.  On July 18, 1945, she married Lester Brien and he survives.

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This community's oldest annual tradition, Bluffton High School Commencement, continued on May 23 for the 134th time.

The Bluffton High School class of 2015 received diplomas as did 133 classes before it.

The familiar names of Basinger, Burkholder, Garmatter, Geiger, Huber, Luginbuhl, Neuenschwander, Parkins, Schmutz, Schumacher, Spallinger, Stratton and Zimmerman were joined by Markowski, Thierjung and Zarazua as the 2015 ceremony is now history.

Attached is a list of members of the 2015 graduates plus the future plans of those graduates.

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Bluffton High School graduate Hannah Chappell-Dick ran a huge PR and finished in third in the 1500m at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships on Saturday in Canton, N.Y.  

She took more than three seconds of her best time, finishing in 4:27.25 on the national stage and within a second of the national champion. Her previous PR, which had been the ODAC record, was 4:30.97. She now has whacked 5.58 seconds off the old ODAC record, set by Roanoke's Carmen Graves at 4:32.83.

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Here’s what’s cooking at Jeanne’s Kitchen, May 26-29.

LUNCH SPECIALS

TUESDAY
Italian chicken soup
Cabbage rolls with side salad
Quiche with side salad
Salmon arugula salad

WEDNESDAY
Baked potato soup
Perch platter
Meatloaf sandwich
Strawberry salad with chicken

THURSDAY
Tomato bisque
Stuffed pepper with side salad
Eggplant Parmesan
Spinach turkey salad

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Beth E. Schumacher, 67 died May 24, 2015, at Bluffton Hospital. She was born April 29, 1948, in Bluffton to the late Harry and Juanita (Weber) Schumacher.

She was a graduate of Pandora-Gilboa High School.

Survivors include three sisters Dawn Atkinson of Pandora, Tammy (Bill) Anderson of Cridersville, Prudence (Mike) George of Leipsic; three nephews Ryan Atkinson, Matt Honigford, Tomas George; four nieces Amy Higley, Chris Grake, Katie Anderson, Joy Houston; and twelve great nieces and nephews.

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Phillip R. Kingsley, 72, died May 22, 2015, at 9:55 a.m. at Frieda House, Willow Ridge Drive, Bluffton, Ohio. For the past two years he suffered the progressive diminishments of ALS.

He was born Oct. 21, 1942, in Kendallville, Ind., to Leonard and Velma (Emmert) Kingsley who preceded him in death. On Dec. 27, 1966, he married Judith Hilty Kingsley.

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