June 2023

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The following land transfers took place in Bluffton, Ohio in May 2023.

203 Cherry St, Bluffton, $80,100; Single family dwelling; Varner Clyde & Michelle To Partee Courtney & Kyle Knezovich

159 Garmatter St., Bluffton, $162,500;Single family dwelling; Lujack, LLC to Wilson, Zachary D, 

194 E. Jefferson St., Bluffton, $90,000; Single family dwelling; Bixel, Seth C/Bixel, Carol A to Burrell, Jo Lynn Trustee/Jo Lynn Burrell Living Trust.

199 W. Kibler St., Bluffton, $235,000; Single family dwelling; Newkirk, Daniel/Hogan, Lauren H to Koontz, Dana L.

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Diane Muller, 86, of Bluffton passed away June 17, 2023 at the Mennonite Memorial Home. Arrangements are incomplete at Chiles-Laman Funeral & Cremation Services, Bluffton.

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By Fred Steiner
www.BlufftonForever.com

A little known, interesting Bluffton fact is that the community has been home to African-America residents and visitors earlier than most people realize. 

Recent discoveries found in Bluffton News microfilms prior to 1910 sheds light on this early history.  This feature examines many of these residents and visitors.

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Jack E. Earl, age 88, of Lakeview, passed away on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 8:24 AM at Vancrest of St. Marys. 

He was born on August 2, 1934, in Uniopolis, Ohio to the late Kermit and Hazel (Steele) Earl.  On August 5, 1955, Jack married Fairlie Hanson and she preceded him in death on June 5, 2022.  

Jack is survived by his three children: Steven (Linda) Earl, Sr. of St. Marys, Kathleen (Robert) Shaw of Ada, and Dianne (Ed) Ducker of Lima; nine grandchildren: Steven Roy (Jessica) Earl, Jr., Forest (MacKenzie) Earl, Rob (Brittany) Shaw, III, Sarah (Quinton) Schmidt, Adam Shaw, Danny (Tara) Kellermeyer, Wess (Brandy) Kellermeyer, Trey Ducker and Andrew Ducker; sixteen great grandchildren; and two sisters-in-law: Karen Kestle and Imogene Earl.  

He was preceded in death by a brother, Robert Earl and a sister, Marilyn Dubenion. 

Jack was a ceramic artist. He has pieces of art displayed across the world, including in the Smithsonian Museum. Jack was the first artist in residence at Kohler Company. He was an Associate Professor of art at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University). A former instructor of art at the University of Toledo. Jack authored a book of poems and stories, “Just For The Fun Of It.”  He was a member of Mt. Olivet Church of God in Christ, Lima.  

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By Paula Scott

Trucks, trucks and more trucks. Deliveries, power and cable companies, construction, etc., etc. Bluffton’s streets are filled with a wide variety of these service providers. One company can be seen parked with regularity on Main St., BJAAM Environmental.

I know from conversations with Fire Chief Jon Kinn that these crews are doing followup on a 2019 tank leak at the Marathon gas station. But what does that mean?

I got in touch with the State Fire Marshal's office to get the backstory on this project. They confirmed that “environmental consultant BJAAM Environmental is testing the soil and water at the gas station on 205 S. Main Street. They regularly provide reports to our office, the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR) detailing their findings and activities on behalf of the gas station owner. The owner has been in compliance with state and federal regulations.”

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By Megan Verhoff, PA-C
Pain Management, Blanchard Valley Pain Management

Do you want to reduce chronic pain and improve your quality of life? Physical activity has proven to be one of the best ways to achieve that goal. In June 2023, Medscape Medical News reported adults who consistently engage in moderate physical activity experienced the highest pain tolerances, while even light exercise demonstrated significant improvements in pain levels.

Physical activity has been shown to enhance mood, reduce stress, improve sleep, maintain a healthy weight and reduce cardiovascular disease. According to the University of Cambridge, parents who are physically active have children who adopt physically active lifestyles that remain throughout their lifespan.

If physical activity and exercise are helpful, what works best? Thankfully, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each person can decide what works best for them; however, there are some nice guidelines available. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week and muscle strengthening activities two days a week for adults. For kids, 60 minutes or more of moderate activity daily.

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CORRECTION: Brown taught 33 years at Bluffton High School.

By Bill Herr

What Bluffton High School teacher was most memorable and influenced students the most? As a graduate of BHS and later a teacher at my alma mater, my list would be great but I would narrow it down to include Lorain Basinger (Vocational Agriculture), Wilbur Howe (History and Government), Wilford Geiger (Biology), Margaret Weaver (Latin), Duane Bollenbacher (Mathematics), and my choice at the top of the list, Gary Brown.

Gary graduated from Ada High School in 1956, from Bluffton College in 1961 and received his Master's in Teaching from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1972. He taught high school science for 35 years: Physics, Chemistry, Advanced Biology, and Environmental Biology (for which he developed his own course of study). He taught 33 of those years at Bluffton High School where he was affectionately known as "Doc." He was an assistant coach in football at BHS for 10 years.

Gary died on April 25, 2023, at age 84. There were approximately 150 who attended his funeral and a number of them were his former students. He retired from teaching in 1996. He was genuine, had high character and a strong personality. One of his former students told me he would always remember Gary's unique laugh. He had fun teaching and his classes received the benefit of his humor and his creative teaching.

He was an excellent teacher according to his students, but what elevated him to a memorable status was his demand that his students respect each other and respect the educational environment. He was a master of creative discipline, and if the principal was absent from school and a problem in discipline arose in the school that day, he was called upon to handle the problem.

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Bluffton Child Development Center, 325 County Line Rd, Bluffton, 419-358-8222

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Ronald F. Goshe, 84, passed away June 14, 2023 at his residence in Arlington.  Ron was born January 29, 1939 in Alvada to the late Linus and Margaret (Kessler) Goshe.  On November 25, 1961 he married Mary Eschenbrenner Goshe and she survives.

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By Karen Kier
Pharmacist on behalf of the ONU HealthWise team

In 1975, Michael Martin Murphey released the song Wildfire after recording at the Ray Stevens Sound Lab in Nashville, Tennessee. Murphey wrote the song about a horse named Wildfire when he was a junior at UCLA based on a dream he had the night before. In an interview about the song, he believed the inspiration came from a story his grandfather would tell him about a Native American legend of a ghost horse. The song hit number one on the US Billboard Top 100 Easy Listening songs.  

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