Tributes For My Friends
Friends and family that have been an important aspect of my life who are now in the arms of
God and still living in my heart and guiding my life
My best Childhood Friend His Name Shines as a bright Star Mixed with all the other
stars on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial his presents is felt as you touch it
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Full Name: Ruggles, John Richard III ( Jackie)
• Country: South Vietnam
• Sheet Number: 1
• Rank: Second Lieutenant
• Grade: O1
• Specialty: Infantry Officer (USMC)
• Hometown: Knoxville
• Home State: TN
• Race: Caucasian
• Religion: Protestant - No Denominational Preference
• Marital Status: Single
• Gender: Male
• Date Of Birth: 23 Oct 1944
• Tour Start Date: 11 Dec 1967
• Casualty Date: 28 Feb 1968
• Death Date: 28 Feb 1968
• Age: 24
• Casualty Type: Hostile, Died
• Died Of: Other Explosive Device
Jackie one day soon we will join forces as we did in our youth, and again roam this time the
heavenly woods and fields playing and having fun,and it will be as if we never were apart.
You are forever in my heart. When I visited you at the wall and as I touched your name the
sudden rush of a summer breeze made me realize you knew I was there. We are forever
bonded in friendship.
Tribute to a Friend
Sometimes in our life we come across another person, that you immediately know they and you are going to be
friends “Great Friends”. This was the case I had with a guy named Randy Cooper, when we met at a school meeting
some years ago.
When the meeting was over he and I casually walked toward his office and chatted. Soon we were standing at a
balcony overlooking an area of the school called the commons, where we hung over the rail and talked for another
hour. We talked about things at school and home, we talked about growing up in the fifties and sixties, we talked
about our hometowns both of us came from small towns, he from Raceland Ky., and me from Fountain City
Tennessee.
It didn’t take long to debate the issue, and conclude he was a pure bred Ridge Runner and I, a pure bred Hillbilly.
There were other important items such as that to discuss and we hashed them out one at a time. I hadn’t had that
much fun and laughed that hard in a long time, it was like I had known him all my life.
Time passed and soon it was almost eleven I had to be up at three am so I had to end our session and head for
home, bed and all to soon, work. The phone rang at about seven that morning and there was an announcement
“Super Cooper here,” wanting to know if I could stop by his office after work. He had a project he thought I could
handle. Seemed that an area between baseball and softball didn’t drain and the kids were getting in the staginet,
contaminated water. Randy was afraid someone would get sick. This was an important project to him because as I
would find out later it involved his kids. Randy told me all I had to do was figure out what to do and he would get the
items needed to accomplish the task. The project lasted about 3 afternoons a French drain solved the problem never
again did water stand in the area, mission one done.
That was my test I had been tested to see if I could get it done. I must have passed because Randy called me a few
weeks later and wanted to go to lunch (I was finding out early in our relationship he never missed a meal) we met and
went to Penn Station. We talked small talk about a dozen topics for an hour or so including my book Never Say
Goodbye. He had read it and had a lot of questions about the people in it. He was always curious about people. After
a while he sprung it on me that the softball field was a weed patch and very clumpy, the kids were hurting their ankles
do you suppose????.
After many do you supposes over the years I finally got the message one weekend when Randy, my kids and me were
fishing for Muskie in the middle of lake Saint Clare in Michigan. We had been out for about 3 hrs, Cooper had lost the
only really big fish we had on for the morning and the warm October sun was beating down on us everyone was
nodding off when all of a sudden he exclaimed “I just cant figure out what to do” and he stopped, everybody jumped
up trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. Randy I exclaimed, “What is wrong”? He replied “I just cant
figure out what to do I got a few children at school who I’m afraid were not getting to I just can’t let them fall back.”
That my friend was Randall K Cooper principal of Ryle High School in Union Kentucky. No matter where we were or
what we were doing he couldn’t let the kids go. He could not stand the thought of just one student not learning and
passing. Yep he had his detractors but a close look would tell you they were the ones who really didn’t care, and
usually had real big trouble. Even then he still tried and was sometimes shocked by who it was, but Randy would
never let out their names and we wouldn’t have wanted him too it would have ruined the mystique of the man.
What was more amazing was the large majority of the kids really liked, you might even say loved him they gave him
nicknames; He liked “Super Cooper” and “Coop-dawg” the best. Randy knew his kids no matter where we were or
how long ago they graduated, he would say that’s so and so they graduated in 1999 and now they are working or
going to school or have a new baby, Cooper I don’t think ever forgot one of his kids ever.
Ryle, for you that don’t know, is a very large school with a large student body. I think over 1500 but that might be wrong
it might be more. Randy loved them all and wanted the best for them. Ryle is always one of the top learning schools in
the state.
I remember the first year Ryle was listed in Newsweek’s top 100 schools in the USA and just a few weeks before
graduation this year they got it again, wow was he proud of the staff and students. He called me and said go get
Newsweek’s issue its on sale now we’ve done it again.
Randy used to call me at least once a day we would talk small talk about things we were going to do or solving
tribulations at home like how to plant a tree or do you think we could change the pool liner, or build a brick wall. Things
he wanted to learn to do, most of all he loved his garden and his large yard, get two warm days in the middle of
February and Randy was chomping at the bit, “come on we have to go get onion sets the weather is warming, or do
you think I need to seed and fertilize yet,” His prize possession in the yard was a variation of the Japanese red maple
that he bought and planted earlier this spring he had wanted one for a long time, but we could never find the perfect
one. Randy always made me smile, laugh and gave me a very warm feeling in my heart, he was my friend.
Randy held graduation for the class of 2006 on Saturday May 27th, 2006 he greeted and shook their hand and got a
lot of hugs as each of the graduates came forward to receive their diploma. He stayed after and talked to the kids and
their parents and then quietly slipped away; he was going home to Raceland to see his parents and brother, get a
good nights sleep and on Sunday travel to the Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte N.C with his sister Diane. That
Sunday afternoon while standing in line to enter the race something went terrible wrong with Randy. He collapsed and
died at the age of 54 almost 24 hours after he took care of his final graduation.
My friend who was more like the brother I never had was gone and I was stunned, I could not get my mind to go in one
direction, and as things started sink in, I had emotions that I didn’t know run through me. My head was clogged; it felt
like a cattle stampede in there. I just couldn’t comprehend that there wouldn’t be anymore weekend fishing trips or
sitting in his garage to watch football game or just plain bum around with him and laugh and snipe at each other
again. We wouldn’t eat Sunday morning breakfast at Grandma’s Restaurant where we had hatched our great Alaskan
cruise next summer. Worse we would never take our dream trip like we planned. There wouldn’t be the daily phone
call saying “Super Cooper here.” It felt like the world had stopped and I was dragging a very large weight, everything
was in slow motion, everything seemed to be in black and white. I hadn’t felt this way since my childhood friend Jackie
Ruggles was killed way back in 1967 on his first day in Vietnam. I didn’t like these emotions, I just wanted them to go
away.
I went to the school and sat on a little knoll overlooking the Stadium field, I glanced at the flag in front of the school and
thought that should be at half-staff. I sat at the baseball field for a while waiting to see if the white F-150 with the Case
knife logo on the front bumper pull in, Randy jumping out with a big smile, saying “what ya doing” I knew this was a
very bad dream from which I would awake soon, everything would be back to normal.
That never happened, and what was strange was there wasn’t anybody around the school. It stood deserted and
silent which never happens. The ball fields were void of kids practicing and there were no runners on the track. A deer
came out of the woods by the ball field at Gray and grazed. You could hear the birds calling each other. The flag, which
I had lowered to half-mast, hung limply against the pole, there weren’t even any planes passing overhead on their
approach to Cincinnati’s busy Airport. The school was saying goodbye to the only principal it ever had, my friend and
buddy Randy Cooper.
In the distant afternoon sky to the west you could see lightning and hear the low rumble of thunder, a storm was
brewing. What an eerie look the sky had, the sun was setting into the dark storm clouds what a beautiful display of
colors and contrasts, while the sun set a large cross was formed and as the sun pierced the clouds, lighting snaked
from the cross. Randy was that storm he was saying goodbye to me in his own spectacular fashion, through my tears,
I smiled something he always made me do.
Rest In Peace RC you will be dearly missed
One Of Randy’s Dream Comes True.
Raiders rule in middle of night
RYLE SECURES FIRST SCHOOL TITLE AT 1:30 A.M.
By Jennifer Smith
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
JEFFERSONTOWN - Lightning raced across the sky at Skyview Park Field. Maybe the bolts were a thank-you note of
sorts written in the sky to the Ryle players from an old friend.
Behind a dominant performance from sophomore pitcher Kirsten Allen, Ryle's softball team became the first sports
team in the school's 14-year history to win a state championship.
"This is very emotional for these kids," Raiders Coach Billy Matteoli said afterward. It was emotional because it was a
state championship. But it meant more to these Ryle players because they had dedicated their tournament run to
Randy Cooper, the school's principal who died of a heart attack at age 54 while on vacation at the end of May.
"This would have been so special to him," Matteoli said. "He was an old football coach. He was my old football coach,
actually. He was very supportive of all sports. One of his dreams was to have a state championship."
It took two games in the double-elimination tournament, but No. 3 Ryle finally gave him one in a game delayed three
hours by inclement weather.
The Raiders did it by topping defending state champion and top-ranked Owensboro Catholic 5-2.
"This is our gift to him," said Allen, who nailed down the final out with a strike at nearly 1:30 a.m. yesterday.
Allen was the star of the tournament all weekend and earned Most Valuable Player honors.
In the four tournament games leading up to the state championships, the pitcher gave up just four hits and one run,
including a no-hitter against Butler in the opening game. She struck out 48 batters.
"She was dominating," Matteoli said. "That's pretty much the only word for it. That's pretty much it."
Allen looked a tad more human in the first of the two championship games. Owensboro Catholic won 4-2 to force the
second title game.
The Lady Aces, trying to earn an unprecedented fifth state title, managed four hits and four runs off Allen in that first
game. Allen said the team didn't feel sorry for itself for long. The players knew they had 20 minutes before the decisive
game to regroup."We told ourselves that that's not who we are," Allen said. "We don't play like that. We are a team that
comes out strong and gets the hits and the plays when we need them."
That's the team that showed up for the final championship game, scoring four runs in the fourth inning, taking
advantage of Owensboro Catholic miscues. "They played one bad inning all day," Coach George Randolph said of his
Aces. "And (Ryle) got four runs. In six games today, one bad inning isn't so terrible. I couldn't be more proud of these
kids." Owensboro Catholic fell into the consolation bracket with a loss on Friday night, but Randolph said his players
didn't look at it as a bad loss. They only saw it as a way to prolong their season another seven games, five of which
they had to play on Saturday.
It wouldn't have been an unprecedented feat for the Aces (35-13-1), who won state titles from the bottom part of the
bracket in 1999, 2003 and again last year.
"Having to win seven in a row and we almost got there," Randolph said of his team making its fourth straight state
championship game appearance. "We just couldn't pull it off. Ryle is a great team."
It was the first state softball championship for a team from the 9th Region. Ryle (38-7) became only the second team
east of Louisville to win a title.
Allen finished this season with 478 strikeouts, second most in state history, and a 35-7 record. The 35 wins were third
best in the state record books. "I told myself I was going to bawl and cry after we won," Allen said. "But seriously, I'm
too excited to show any emotion. It's overwhelming. I never imagined that it would feel this big
George Honts
This page is my attempt to honor a friend and fellow researcher who with his untimely passing ended his dreams of
researching his roots. What have we have missed because with the history there was always a story, George was a
master at finding the story.
I remember when George, Joe McClure and Ellyn Worley visited one 4th of July weekend, we traveled the back roads
of Grant County Ky. to see where the ancestors had lived, loved, worked and died. What an adventure what a great
time we had even in the heat of a Kentucky summer. After we were done we returned to the women foke who decided
to forsake a great afternoon of cemetery hopping for a afternoon at nearby Florence Mall. (Go Figure) George and I sat
on the back deck at the house listening to the water rush down the rapids in my backyard stream , he was really
excited about the possibility of retiring. George had so much research he wanted to do, he took a little pull on his pipe
and let the smoke curl upward slowly, he then uttered "so many ancestors so little time",
I miss George his passing cheated a lot of people out of the great adventures he would have researched and found,
for he was a researchers researcher. He was careful, deliberate, diligent and most of all patient. I miss sending him
the little jokes by e-mail, he always answered with another, he would always have a great point of view and usually
have a way to get you thinking when you got your research in a corner. I sit there some evenings and listen to the
water rush by and can almost hear him, It is almost like he is still on the deck puffing on his pipe. You know some
nights I even smell the smoke curling up from his pipe
I have been blessed to know him God Bless Rest In Pease
HONTS, George E. III
George E. Honts III, 64, of Fincastle, passed away Tuesday, March 23, 2004. He was born February 20, 1940 in Eagle
Rock, Botetourt County, Virginia. He was elected president of the state Beta Clubs from Eagle Rock High School as
well as being a high school recipient of two W&L Grants. He received a BA in history in 1962 from Washington and
Lee University, Juris Doctorate in 1968, and received his Masters of Judicial Studies from the University of Nevada-
Reno in 1998. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Helen Arthur, whom he married on August 17, 1968; and two sons,
George E. "Ned" Honts, IV and his wife, Stephanie, and Joel G. Honts and his wife, Marthe; and one grandson, Logan
P. Honts; and one brother, Charles R. Honts and his wife Rosanna. George served in the U.S. Army Reserve,
Commandant, 4th U.S. Army NCO Academy, Ft. Hood, Texas from 1964 to 1966. He was previously employed by
Carter, Roe, Emick and Honts, attorneys at law, from 1968 to 1983.
He served as Judge, 25th Judicial Circuit of Virginia from 1968 to 2004 (with his retirement planned for July 1, 2004).
He served on the Board of Visitors, Radford University from 1982 to 1983, Chairman, Industrial Development Authority
of Botetourt County from 1969 to 1983, Board of Directors, First National Bank of Troutville from 1974 to 1983, and on
the Board of Directors, Roanoke and Botetourt Telephone Company from 1976 to 1983. His judicial positions
included Chair, Committee on Compensation and Retirement, The Judicial Conference of Virginia, 1984 to 1990,
Member of the Criminal Sentencing Guidelines Commission of Virginia from 1992 to 2002, and on the Executive
Committee of the Judicial Conference of Virginia from 1998 to 2000.
In his life, he authored and co-authored many pieces of literature. He was co-author of Following the McClures,
Donegal to Botetourt, a social history of the McClure family of Botetourt. He authored The Early Brughs of Botetourt, a
social history of the Brugh family, who settled in Botetourt c. 1790 and were builders of Brugh's Tavern, now situated
at Explore Park near Roanoke, and one of whom was among the first trustees of Salem, Va., The Papermills of
Botetourt, a history of the antebellum papermills along Looney Mill's Creek, The Descendants of Henry Honts/John, a
history of early 19th Century ancestors, and The Blue Ridge Rifles, as related by the unit's 1st Sgt. J.K. Simmons. In
the case of each of these books, actual costs were recovered and sales were assigned to The Botetourt County
Historical Society, which retained the profits. Friends are welcome to call TODAY, Wednesday, March 24, 2004 from 2
to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Rader Funeral Home, 630 Roanoke Road, Daleville. A service celebrating George's life will be
held 2 p.m. Thursday at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Fincastle. Officiating will be Rev. Ann Kruger and Rev. Harmon
Smith. Interment in Godwin Cemetery, Fincastle. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to St. Mark's Church, P.
O. Box 277, Fincastle, Va. 24090, Attn: Treasurer, or Botetourt Historical Society, P. O. Box 468, Fincastle, Va. 24090.
Arrangements by Rader Funeral Home, Daleville.(2329794)
JOHN PRIOR
5/24/2006 12:20:00 AM
John W. Prior
John W. Prior LIMA, Ohio — John W. Prior, 81, died at 4:06 p.m. Monday, May 22, 2006, at Lima Convalescent Home.
He was born July 24, 1924, in Van Wert, Ohio, to the late Darrell Prior and Chloe (Webb) Prior. On April 8, 1944, in
Ohio, he married Barbara Elizabeth (Waymack) Prior. She preceded him in death on May 27, 1995.Survivors include a
son, Steven M. (Ginger) Prior of Monroe, Mich.; one daughter, Karen L (David) Winters of Lima; a sister, Catherine
(Howard) Burgess of Cridersville, Ohio; one brother, Richard (Jane) Prior of Palm Springs, Calif.; five grandchildren,
Michael A. Driessche, Rachel E. Boyd. Nathan D. Winters, Sarah L. Winters-Closson and Melissa A. Prior; seven great-
grandchildren, Joseph Winters, Elizabeth A. Winters, Emma Closson, Penelope Closson, Kennedy Rex, Reagan
Winters and Madison Rex, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one son, Timothy Lee
Prior, and four brothers, Darrell Prior, Herbert Prior, Raymond Prior and Henry Prior.Mr. Prior worked for Standard Oil
for 36 years. He was a member at St Lukes Lutheran Church where he was a greeter and known as the "gum" man.
He also helped with the maintenance projects. He was also a member of Elks BPOE 54, Eagles Aerie 370, and a
former member of the Lima Choral Society. He was in the PTA Council for several years. He an avid Ohio State fan,
mushroom hunter, outdoorsman, and a friend to many.Services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Lukes Lutheran
Church. The Rev. Robert Gibson will officiate. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, Lima, Ohio.Calling hours are
6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 and 2-8 p.m. Thursday, May 25, 2006, at Chamberlain-Huckeriede Funeral Home, Lima.
Memorial is St, Lukes Lutheran Church Youth Group.
Dorothy Webb Mohr 1911 To 2006
Dorothy Webb Mohr was born in Union Township, 1/2 mile south of Grandpa and Grandma Webb's place. Henry and
Rosella were building a new set of buildings west across the road. George N. and Ina Webb, with Dorothy, moved in
with Henry, Rosella, Chloe, Estella and Paul until the new home was built.
Henry was a gardener. He had a great garden and many fruit trees. Paul Vincent bought that place when the estate
was sold. He said that he cut down 18 trees, from Henry's orchard, the first winter so he could farm the fields. Dorothy
remembers the wonderful apples from those trees.
Henry and Rosella moved into their new home in 1915 and Henry died 6 months later. Darrell and Chloe had married
in 1913 and lived north of Henry and Rosella for a while. Dorothy remembers staying overnight with Grandma Rosella,
and Darryl and Chloe Prior came down for a visit. Estella married in 1915.
Dorothy would sleep upstairs with Rosella. There was a bedroom downstairs but Rosella slept upstairs. There were
four bedrooms upstairs. There was a root cellar built under the back porch, one could enter this root cellar without
going outside. Here was stored all the produce from their gardens and orchards. The kitchen had two windows but
would get very warm with the cook stove going, so sliding doors could be opened to the porch to allow more
ventilation.
Cousin Erma lived with Grandma Rosella after her mother, Faye, had died in 1917. Paul graduated from Union High
School and moved away. Dorothy remembers sitting on the front porch of Grandma's house during a thunder storm.
Dorothy wanted to go inside. Rosella said we have always had thunder and lightening and it is just God's Work up
there. Myron was born to George and Ina in February 1915, while they lived in this Webb home place.
Erma was a couple years older and wiser than Dorothy, the two girls played, quarreled and got in trouble together.
One of their chores was to milk the cows. Erma always got more milk than Dorothy - and touted her with the fact. One
time, Dorothy started milking with a half pail of water so she would have more milk. When they took the milk to the
separator, George discovered the watery milk. Dorothy does not remember the consequences but did not try that trick
again.
Erma and Dorothy had, as one of their chores, to gather eggs. Ina kept a neat home and that included the weekly
washing down of the front porch. This was Dorothy's job. Erma would tease her while she worked so Dorothy got a
pail of water and stood around the corner of the house to douse Erma when she came around. Ina was the first to
show up and she got the dousing. Ina took Dorothy to the pump, held the offender's head under the pump and
doused her!
Anita was born to George and Ina in July 1921.
In Rosella's last years she remained in bed. She could not live alone so moved across the road to George and Ina's.
Of course, Erma moved over too. George hired Hazel Fox, a neighbor, to help care for Rosella. Later, Willie and Ora
came and stayed at Rosella's house and cared for her until her death in 1922.
Dorothy started to school at the Union School, just one and a half miles south of the home. She rode the horse-drawn
school wagon, which had a stove in the center and benches on each side of the wagon. Dorothy never went to a one
room school, and never had to walk to school.
Dorothy remembers that George always had a car, "we will take the Brisco/Busco". (Not sure of the word.) Though,
Grandpa and Grandma Reed always came to visit in their horse-drawn buggy.
When the Webb families would come to visit Mother Rosella, they would come to George's. George lived in the home
place the family had always called home. Ina served many meals to relatives. Dorothy remembers killing chickens for
dinners, and lots of baking.
Dorothy remembers once when the gypsies came, a wagon load of them. The women and girls came in the house
and the men and boys went to the barn and out buildings. Some would ask questions, "What is this? What is this?"
while the others looted. Everyone dreaded a visit from the gypsies.
Dorothy remembers the home of George W and Charlotte Webb, her great grandparents, but does not remember
them. George W died in 1908 and Charlotte in 1912, Dorothy was born in 1911. She remembers their house was
covered with stucco and had a wide front porch. Aunt Annie Bowers lived on south of the Webb home.
Rosella McClure Webb is the only grandparent Dorothy knew of the Webbs and McClures, but the family stayed close
even though their occupations took them away from Union Township. The hard work and strength of character have
been a standard held high before their descendants.
DOROTHY L WEBB MOHR
Dorothy Webb Erma Smith Dorothy Webb Mohr Erma Smith Weis
abt 1915
DAHLKE Vera R. (nee Webb). Beloved wife of the late Albin G. Dahlke. Loving mother of
Robert J. Dahlke and Deborah E. (David) Bontoft. Devoted grandmother of Anna M. Dahlke.
Special friend of Norman Hittinger and family. Also survived by numerous nieces and
nephews. Passed away Saturday, May 10, 2008 at the age of 84 years. Mrs. Dahlke was a
retired Norwood City school teacher, an active member of Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian
Church and member of DAR and DAC. Memorial service on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 7:00
PM at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church, 5950 Montgomery Road. Memorials may be
made to the church.
This is the single person that taught me how to do things I hated to do like math. Each
Summer for a couple years when I was 7 and 8 I would spend a week with her. Vera Rae
taught me how to work out Mathematical problems, She taught me how to research, how to
find the things I wondered about. We did it the hard way there was no Internet or home
computers in 1951 We had to do it the old fashion we actually had to think.
She was a patient and great teacher. She was also the one that started me on my quest to
find my roots. That quest led to building this web site years later. She was the daughter of
Alvie and Wanda Webb. Her Sister was Virginia Webb Shields. They lived in the small
farming community of Paulding, Ohio Near Fort Wayne Indiana. Vera Rae was a teacher of
man and you couldn't have had a better person to call family.
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