When Craig Allen Roan was born on 2 January 1953, in Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Greene, Ohio, United States, his father, Norman Clark Roan Jr, was 28 and his mother, Maudie Bell Cammerer, was 26. He lived in Woodward, Oklahoma, United States. He died on 13 September 2003, in Provo, Utah, United States, at the age of 50, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Woodward, Oklahoma, United States.
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Lovingly submitted by her partner of 20 years, Sue Rector.
Obituary for Carolly Janne Struck
Carolly “Carol” Janne Struck of Spokane Valley, Washington passed on March 5th, 2023 peacefully at home.
She was born at the Ravenswood Hospital in Chicago, Illinois on June 6, 1953, the youngest child of George and Shirley Struck.
She attended McHenry Community High School in Illinois in her Freshman and Sophomore years and completed her Junior and Senior years at the International School of Bangkok in Bangkok Thailand living with her mother while her father served as a diplomat in Vietnam.
After graduation in 1971 Carol joined the Army. She was stationed at Fort Hamilton, New York from 1971 to 1973 where she served with her long time friend Ernestine Baxter. She was then stationed at Frankfurt Germany from 1973 to 1977 where she was awarded the German Army Marksman Award, Bronze. From 1977 to 1979 Carolly served in Naples, Italy assigned to NATO Command and was recognized for her “faithful and efficient” service as Personnel Sergeant and Reenlistment NCO. During her Enlistment she earned: Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon.
After being honorably discharged she moved to California and was Senior Veterans Customer Advisor Counselor at the College of Alameda for 4 years. She earned her AA degree at the same time. In 1985 she moved back to Illinois and worked as a Personnel Staffing Technician at Fort Sheridan where she met her “sister from another mister” Debbie Herr/Lewis. During which she was awarded US Army Recruiting Command Civilian of the Year (1985). She also worked at this time as an Information Management Technician at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
From 1995 till her retirement in 2010 she was the Head Librarian at Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Illinois. During her tenure she was awarded: Junior Civilian of the Quarter, US Naval Hospital Great Lakes (1997), Federal Library Technician of the Year Finalist from the Library of Congress (2000), Federal Employee of the Year Finalist for the Chicago Metropolitan Area (2000), Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal(2002), First Place Winner of the National Medical Library Association Award (2004), Awarded 35 year Civil Service Pin in 2010.
She was an active in member of several Library Associations; she served in the Hospital Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects, as well as the Hospital Graduate Medical Education Committee. She was the Leader of the Hospital Beautification Team in 2005.
When Carolly retired in 2010 she moved to the Spokane area and began to pursue her hobbies with a great gusto. She was a ghost hunter and she loved doing paranormal research about the locations she personally investigated. She also loved going to famous locations like Pompeii, the Tower of London, Waverly Sanitarium in Kentucky, the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, and Gettysburg National Park in Pennsylvania to name a few. Carolly loved going to Powwows, museums, and libraries. She also was interested in the local legend of Bigfoot and attended many conferences in the area. Every year we made a pilgrimage to McMinnville, Oregon for the UFO Festival that was so much fun. She enjoyed traveling, seeing the sites and meeting people. She loved talking to everyone and made friends that she loved to see again at these events. She was also interested in genealogy and was very proud of her Danish heritage. Her family will always remember her as a vibrant, joyful and caring human being.
Carolly is survived by her current life-partner Sue Rector who she lived with from 2002 to 2023.
Carolly is predeceased by her previous life-partner, Sandra Olson(1995-2000), they were together five years. She is predeceased by her parents George (1926-1994) and Shirley (1925-1997). She is survived by her older brothers Michael and Kristopher Struck and a younger half brother Randy Struck. Also, she is survived by Michael’s ex-wife Virginia Struck and her children, Zeke Struck and Jacee Nova.
A Life Well Lived Service is planned for June 6th. For those who are unable to attend a virtual service will be broadcasted on Facebook Memorial page. If you have a story you would like to share about Carolly it would be wonderful to be part of the service since she loved telling stories. For those who wanted them, Parting Stones will be sent prior to the service. I am asking for those who want them to take extras for those places that Carolly loved. I am placing one at our special place next to the river where she loved to listen to the running water and smell the pines.
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James R. Meeker February 9, 2016 Long time resident of St. Louis, born in New Jersey
Dear son of the late Merle and Mary Meeker
Loving father of James Meeker of Cleveland, Oh.
Dear brother of John (Sue) of Huxley, Ia., Julie Allsup of St. Louis, Joseph of Foley, Mo., Jeremy of Jackson, Mo., Jodie (Matt) McCarthy of Anchorage, Ak. and the late Joyce Meeker
Dear uncle to many, great-uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend
James was member and treasurer of the 3rd Infantry Div. Association., the Korean War Aux., and member of SLU Alumni Organization He was business consultant and business owner
Visitation 4-8pm Friday February 12, 2016 at Jay B. Smith Funeral Home 7456 Manchester Funeral service Saturday 10am at funeral home with interment at St. Matthew Cemetery Memorial contributions to V.A. St. Louis Fisher House, 1Jefferson Barracks Rd. St. Louis, Mo. 63125 or Humane Society of Missouri, 1201 Macklind Ave. 63110
Tributes at jaybsmith.com
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I’m sad to post the death of my dear brother, Steve Burgess, ’76, who was at ISB from 1967 to 1971.
David Stevens “Steve” Burgess
November 24, 1957 – May 17, 2023
Steve Burgess, sweet brother and uncle, devoted friend, and dedicated member of First United Presbyterian Church of Salem, New York, died at Saratoga Hospital on May 17, almost two years after a diagnosis of lung cancer. Steve was a gentle, quiet, and loving soul who loved to paint, care for his dog, and call his friends and family. Through his terrible illness, he endured treatment bravely and without complaint.
Steve’s life began a long way from Salem, in New Delhi, India, where he was born in 1957, the youngest child of a diplomatic family. In Thailand, he was a boy scout and his troop once took a trek in the mountains with an elephant carrying their camping gear. He and his brother took train trips around the countryside.
Steve returned to the United States as a teenager and graduated from Montclair High School in New Jersey. Soon his life took a tragic turn with the onset of schizophrenia. For more than a decade he was in and out of mental institutions. But in his 30s he started to find his footing. It seemed a miracle, but much of it came from his own determination. He moved to East Greenwich, New York, and, in 2005, to Salem.
Steve became a familiar sight around town, sometimes driving a pick-up filled with materials for many home improvement projects of his own design. He walked his dog at Salem Art Works. He got coffee and cigarettes at Stewart’s, casseroles at the St. Paul’s food pantry.
Steve studied art as a young man and came to be accomplished with a brush, creating a distinctive style of soft pastels and bold brush strokes. He always painted from imagination, not real life. He once called himself an “armchair painter,” because he didn’t set up an easel outside. He shared his art in exhibits in Salem, Greenwich, Cambridge and Schuylerville. In his early years he focused on scenes from nature. In his later, he painted scenes from the Bible, reflecting his deepening Christian faith.
At Salem First United Presbyterian Church, Steve served on the outreach committee and was a regular at its Bible study sessions. Sometimes his dog came along. Toward the end of his life, he was talking of becoming a deacon.
Steve’s family and friends miss him. Mental illness created many challenges, but Steve managed to live a productive and independent life. He loved Salem and found ways to contribute to the community. In an artist statement, Steve wrote, “Some sort of connection with the natural world in our daily lives is essential to our physical and mental wellbeing. I feel fortunate to live in the area of the country that I love the most.”
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Hello to all John Soderberg’s friends. This is Misty his daughter. I wanted to let everyone know that John passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. I want to keep this post short as we are all mourning his loss right now. I know John knew so many people so I wanted to share this sad news. I thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years (and the likes 👍) I will miss my father terribly. He knew how much he was loved ❤️ RIP John Soderberg
John M. Soderberg PhD Location: Sedona, Arizona Interview dates: September 12 & 14, 2015
“To me, art is not a luxury, but is a basic human necessity. Art can, and should, remind us of our humanity, and that of others, and enhance the quality of our lives. From the earliest artists, Stone Age storytellers around a fire in a cave, to the painters and sculptors and architects of today, art has pervaded and shaped our societies. To me, an artist is not primarily a creator, but is rather a conduit—absorbing, translating, and conveying messages of value to others, living or centuries yet to be born.”
John Soderberg circled the world eight times and visited more than 40 countries before graduating high school in Bangkok, Thailand. His father Richard had been commissioned in 1947 by the King of Afghanistan to build the first engineering school in that country. Born in 1950, John spent his first four years there, after which the family moved to India for five years, and then Thailand for eight years.
The Soderberg family was required to circle the world every two years. Loving art, they spent much time in Europe and Asia, visiting the world’s great art in museums, galleries, cathedrals and temples. In Rome, when John was five, his mother Betty held him up so he could touch the foot of Michaelangelo’s Moses. He experienced his first epiphany, and was amazed at the ability of sculpture to move people, centuries after the artist was gone. He dedicated himself to art, started painting in oils at age five, and studied teakwood carving with Thailand’s leading master, a Buddhist monk, from age 12.
After high school in Thailand, John came to America for college, in Washington State. Due to extreme culture shock, he dropped out and painted on the street in Berkely, California, in the middle of the riots of the late 60s. In 1970, for a life-change, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps for three years. After receiving his Honorable Discharge, he worked as a machinist days and painted and made jewelry nights. Among others works, he completed a commission for a bracelet for Elvis Presley, then moved his family to Flagstaff, Arizona, to work in a bronze foundry to learn the art and craft of sculpture.
After numerous and interesting starving artist years, John began selling his art professionally, and served as Artist in Residence at Northern Arizona University. He later received his Ph.D. in Humane Letters from that institution. He has since completed monumental bronze commissions for private parties, corporations, churches, and organizations across the country, including Amnesty International, the Crystal Cathedral, the Sedona Synagogue, Rancho Feliz Charitable Group, Free The Slaves organization, Pepsico Corporation, Texas Winery Products, Jacmar Foods, the Honeywell Foundation, Wilden Pump and Engineering, and others. Along with his other works, he has sculpted numerous influential figures including Christ, Steve Biko, Al Stein, Moses, Merlin, Billy Graham, Norman Vincent Peale, Sacajawea, Mark Honeywell, Bill and Vieve Gore, Robert Schuller, Jim Wilden, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, St. Catherine of Siena, Gil Gillenwater, and others.
John became involved with service-work in the military, and has since donated a large portion of his time and work to others, focusing on children and women in need. He has worked with domestic abuse shelters, Amnesty International, Free The Slaves, Rancho Feliz, Big brothers, Big Sisters, and many other groups and causes. In the late 90s, John was knighted by Ulf Hamilton, a Swedish Count, for his service.
John lives and works in the Sedona, Arizona area. His daughters, Heather and Misty, both noted professional sculptors, work with him on all of his monuments. They each began spontaneously sculpting at age one, turned professional at age two, (at their own choice,) and were featured on Paul Harvey News, People Magazine, National Geographic World, That’s Incredible T.V., and other media, and showed their work in galleries in Scottsdale and Houston, all before eight years of age, and all before their father achieved any professional success, whatever.
Cultural Value of Bronze Biography
“Standing in front of the ovens in Auschwitz at age ten and traveling through Southern India, I witnessed the pain and brutality of humanity; but from that same humanity, I have witnessed also instances of humanity’s rare and unearthly beauty, of hope, compassion and faith”.
“One of the most crucial human qualities, I believe, is empathy. Given empathy, brutality becomes impossible. Empathy is at the heart of our humanity, and in fact is the heart of our humanity, for it reduces the barriers of race, religion, and creed to items of mild interest, while unlocking our true, inherent human dignity.
John M SoderbergDeep Water Blow Eyes The act of encapsulating empathy in some medium, be it dance or music, painting or sculpture, simple stories or more complex forms, is my definition of art. The feeling and then the sharing of an emotion or idea — which is the essence of art — is what makes us human”.
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Gary Starr Kocher, age 77, of Toledo, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, December 3, 2015. He was born on December 24, 1937, to Franklin C. and Ruth E. (Young) Kocher in Akron, OH. As a child Gary grew up in Akron, OH, Rockville, MD and moved to Shelby, OH where he graduated high school. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Michigan where he was a drum major for three years. Later he received his Master’s Degree from the University of Toledo. For 37 years he taught and was the head of the Science Department at Sylvania Northview High School. Gary also taught at Willow Run, MI and Bangkok, Thailand.
Some of Gary’s passions and interests were natural vegetable and flower gardening, fused glass work and stained glass work.
Left to cherish his memory are his siblings, Terry (Mike Reichert) Bodager, Lary Kocher and Sherry Kocher; four nephews; two nieces and three great-nieces.
The family will receive guests on Tuesday, December 8, 2015, from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Newcomer Funeral Home, 4150 W. Laskey Rd. (419-473-0300). Sharing of Memories will begin in the funeral home on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.
Mr. Kocher,
You were my favorite teacher during my time at ISB. You always found a way to make learning fun, and your smile was contagious. That Saturday that you took several of us to Chinatown was a great adventure and one of my fondest memories of Bangkok. Rest in peace and Thank you, David Wilkerson
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Seated in the middle posted by Deborah Bornstein Munoz.
Lovingly Reported by, Deborah Bornstein Munoz
Bonnie Tullar Thompson, Class of ‘72 earned her angel wings on November 5, 2022. Hoping to wish her a happy birthday today, it was a sad shock to see an obituary on her profile. I had not known of this until today. Bonnie was a dear friend, fun and loving, gone far too soon and now I picture her in Heaven with our friend Sarah Ann Vessey 💔. Here’s a picture of Bonnie sitting between Jill McAlvage and Sarah and Ora Brough behind her, a typical weekend scene for us back then. …sending condolences and prayers for comfort and love for all of Bonnie’s friends and family.
Bonnie’s Son, Jared Thompson Lovingly Wrote:
For those of you who did not know my mom personally, this is her. I wanted to share this beautiful photo of her. Nearly 2 weeks it’s been now. I miss you so much. Bonnie Tullar Thompson May 6, 1954- November 5, 2022
OBITUARY Bonnie Tullar Thompson MAY 6, 1954 – NOVEMBER 5, 2022
Barbara (Bonnie) Thompson began life at Ft. Hood in Killeen, Tx. May 6, 1954, and departed this world for the next, on Nov. 5, 2022 at her home in San Antonio. Her parents, Thomas and Dorothy (Dot) Tullar, fulfilled a 26-year Army career, moving Bonnie and her younger sisters, Linda and Sue throughout the world. In doing so, Bonnie was exposed to many cultures and many people which gave her a worldly education all on its own. Bonnie graduated from the International School of Bangkok in 1972 and enrolled at Texas Christian University (TCU). While studying in the field of Social Work, she met and after graduation, married the man who would be the long-time love of her life, Chris.
Together they soon moved to San Antonio, where Bonnie worked in Child Welfare for the State for many years. After their third son was born, she decided to give up Social Work and do the equally rewarding work of raising a family and keeping a welcoming home. She did it all with grace and good cheer.
She is well remembered and already deeply missed. Her sons, Jared, Zach, and Adam Thompson, all survive her and are inspired by her love and devotion. Chris admits to “marrying up” and certainly becoming a better man for it. Bonnie worked tirelessly at St. Matthews United Methodist Church over the years, with Children’s Church, Youth Groups, Vacation Bible School, Boy Scouts and many other efforts. In her passing, many hearts are saddened, but many smiles come forth in any remembrance of her.
In lieu of flowers, please consider Bonnie’s favorite charities. The St. Joseph Indian School, PO Box 100, Chamberlain, South Dakota 57325. Or the Special Needs Ministry of University Methodist Church, 5084 De Zavala Rd, San Antonio, 78249.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sunsetfuneralhomesa.com for the Thompson family.
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