Obituaries

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Ann Elizabeth Shumaker, age 90, formerly of Bluffton, Ohio, passed away Tuesday, February 7, 2023 in Kirtland, Ohio. Due to failing health, she had recently relocated to northeast Ohio to be near her granddaughter, Beth. 

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Sandra J.  Garmatter, 83, passed away February 7, 2023 at the Bridge Hospice Care Center, Bluffton. Sandy was born July 17, 1939 in Bowling Green to the late Loren and Margaret (McGuire) Bassitt. On October 31, 1959 she married Leland Garmatter who preceded her in death on August 21, 2015. 

Sandy was a graduate of Beaverdam High School. She retired from Bluffton Schools where she was a secretary.  Sandy was a member of Emmanuel United Church of Christ, Bluffton.  She enjoyed playing cards and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  

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UPDATED with additional family members.

Corrinne Catherine Boehr, 91, passed away February 4, 2023, at Willow Ridge - Betty House of Mennonite Home Communities of Bluffton.

Corrinne was born March 23, 1931 in Long Beach, CA, to Orville and Margaret (Hartman) Kamp, who preceded her in death. Her parents and she moved back to Washington, IL where she was raised and lived until her marriage on October 28, 1951 to Richard J. Boehr. They lived in and raised four sons in Bluffton, Ohio. 

Corrinne was a graduate of Washington Community High School, Washington, Illinois and attended Bluffton University for one year. She became a homemaker and over time, worked for Dr. Earl Lehman, head of the music department of Bluffton College at the time. In the early '80s she became an office assistant for a local dentist. In 1987 she took a job as office assistant for Dr. Mark Steinmetz, MD in Bluffton and she retired in 1997.

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LONGMONT, Colo.--Barbara Jean “BJ” Suter, 74, died January 13, 2023 at Longs Peak Hospital in Longmont after a private year-and-a-half long battle with breast cancer, accompanied shortly before her death by her long-time friend and housemate David Coile.

BJ was born August 9, 1948 in Dayton, Ohio to Dale and Helen Suter and spent her early years in Centerville, south of Dayton. At the age of four, she knocked out her front tooth on her family’s piano and began her musical career.

After the family moved to Troy, Ohio in 1956, she mastered the piano and later joined the high school band and learned the flute, violin, sousaphone and tenor drum—though the guitar soon became her primary instrument. She then explored choral music, winning a state music competition with a 6-voice ensemble, and was named “Most Valuable Musician” her senior year. From there she went on to earn degrees in music, art and German from Bluffton College in 1970.

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Dorothy F. Hartman, 78, passed away January 31, 2023 at the Mennonite Memorial Home, Bluffton. Dorothy was born December 29, 1944 in Bluffton to the late Cecil and Esther (Yant) Hartman.

Dorothy graduated from Bluffton High School. She retired from Triplett Corporation in Bluffton and was involved with operating the family farm. Dorothy was a member of the First Missionary Church, Bluffton and loved walking, being outside and enjoying nature.  

Dorothy is survived by her close friends that were very dear to her.  

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Janet Kay Foley, age 88 of Morristown, TN, passed away on January 24, 2023 at Erwin Health Care Center. Her life's quote was, “My spiritual bag is packed”, knowing that when she left this earth she would run into the arms of Jesus. Despite struggling with vascular dementia, Janet never lost her love for people, greeting everyone with her infectious smile. She touched both staff and residents at Erwin, where she was known as “Miss Sunshine.” God used her to be a blessing to so many! 

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