OBITUARIES

Northeast Ohio obituaries, life stories and death notices

Michael P. Ahrens Sr.: Former police chief in Cleveland and Walton Hills

by Alana Baranick, Plain Dealer reporter

Monday December 01, 2008, 6:16 PM

NORTH ROYALTON -- Michael P. Ahrens Sr., who died Friday at age 81, jumped from the rank of Cleveland police lieutenant to police chief on Aug. 25, 1977.

Then-Mayor Ralph Perk chose the former Sagamore Hills Township resident for the city's top law enforcement job over 38 higher-ranking officers.

Four months later, Ahrens learned from a reporter that newly elected Mayor Dennis Kucinich had appointed Richard Hongisto, sheriff of San Francisco County, Calif., to replace him as head of the police force.

Ahrens resigned from the department and retired as chief a few days later, rather than return to the rank of lieutenant.

His successor was fired after 101 days on the job -- about a month before Ahrens was named chief of the Walton Hills Police Department.

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Lois M. Latina: A pioneer among women home builders

by April McClellan-Copeland/Plain Dealer Reporter

Sunday November 30, 2008, 7:10 PM

WESTLAKE -- When Lois M. Latina died on Thanksgiving morning at the age of 72, she left behind the legacy of a pioneer who blazed trails for women in the home building industry.

Latina, co-founder of Latina & Latina Builders Inc., was a pioneer and innovator in a field that saw few, if any, women, when she began her professional career in residential construction in 1970.

After 10 years leading the industry in sales and marketing, Latina and her husband Tony, who died in 1997, created Latina & Latina Builders Corp.

Latina passed away at her home in Westlake after a battle with abdominal cancer. Despite developing breast and pancreatic cancer in 2000 and lung cancer in 2006, Latina's drive and her colorful, vibrant personality continued to shine through, said her son, Anthony, of Westlake.

Latina always had a "smile on her face, spiked hair, killer heels and a style that rivaled the stars," said her daughter, Lanee Lucarelli of Westlake.

She had been known to say, "It is better to look great, smile and say there is nothing wrong, and just keep moving forward."

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Notable Local Deaths: Frank Olech and Robert D. Cable

by Alana Baranick, Plain Dealer reporter

Sunday November 30, 2008, 2:27 PM

Frank Olech, helped bring
yacht races to city in '88

PARMA -- Frank Olech, who died Nov. 9 at age 76, served as commodore of the Inter-Lake Yachting Association in 1992 and of the Bay Point Yacht Club twice.

The Parma resident helped found the Bay Point club in 1969.

In 1988, Olech brought the Richardson Cup races to Cleveland with financial assistance from his employer, Paine-Webber, and was named Mid-American Boating Skipper of the year. The Inter-Lake group honored him as its man of the year in 1999.

Olech chaired regattas, promoted powerboat training programs for young people and belonged to the Rocky River Power Squadron and Put-in-Bay Yacht Club.

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The Rev. Alexander Campbell: wrote Pilgrim Prayers for Mealtime

by Alana Baranick, Plain Dealer reporter

Wednesday November 26, 2008, 5:13 PM

WESTLAKE -- The Rev. Alexander Campbell, a retired United Church of Christ minister, wrote several Christian education curriculums and two books since the 1960s.

The Westlake resident, who died Nov. 8 at age 83, geared his first book, "The Covenant Story of the Bible," toward young readers. It became a mainstay in UCC confirmation classes.

His last book, "Pilgrim Prayers for Mealtime," was published by Pilgrim Press in 2003.

Campbell penned the prayer book after he was diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease. Although he was already losing his ability to speak clearly, his writing skills remained relatively strong much longer, his family said.

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Charles E. Ziegler: Owned Ziegler's Department Store in Medina

by Alana Baranick, Plain Dealer reporter

Tuesday November 25, 2008, 5:49 PM

COLUMBUS -- For 40 years, Charles E. Ziegler owned Ziegler's Department Store, a Medina square landmark that gave shoppers the feeling they had stepped back in time.

Ziegler, who died Nov. 17 at Wesley Glen Retirement Community in Columbus, ran the retail operation on the square from 1952 until retiring in 1992.

The store, which his grandfather, Edward C., founded in 1904, retained its old-fashioned, small-town flavor over the years while keeping up with the latest styles in clothing and accessories.

Edward's son, Harold, took over the business in 1928. Twenty-four years later, he turned it over to his son, Charles, a Medina native who graduated from Medina High School and Ohio Wesleyan University.

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Anthony "Tony" Badalamenti: decorated inaugural balls and state dinners with partner Don Vanderbrook

by Alana Baranick, Plain Dealer reporter

Monday November 24, 2008, 5:48 PM

NEWBURY TOWNSHIP -- Tony Badalamenti and his partner, internationally known florist Don Vanderbrook, decorated inaugural balls for President George H. W. Bush, parties at the British Embassy for visits from the royal family and many international events, state dinners and social functions in Washington, D.C., in the 1980s and '90s.

The Cleveland native, who died Thursday at age 87, was working as a carpenter in 1961, when Vanderbrook hired him to renovate a gas station that became the Gray Squirrel Shop in Gates Mills.

Badalamenti ended up managing the small shop, learning the florist business and forging a professional and personal partnership with Vanderbrook.

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Basket company matriarch dies: Bonnie Jean Gist Longaberger, 100

by Associated Press

Monday November 24, 2008, 9:40 AM

NEWARK, Ohio -- Bonnie Jean Gist Longaberger, the 100-year-old matriarch of the family behind Ohio's Longaberger basket company, has died, the company said.

"Grandma Bonnie," as she was known within the company, died Sunday at a nursing home in Coshocton, said Tom Matthews, a Longaberger Co. spokesman. No cause of death was immediately given.

In a letter on the company's Web site, chief executive and president Tami Longaberger said her grandmother had remained active in the company and the community until recent years and was a resilient, loving woman with a zest for life.

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Nancy Atamanec, 67, schoolteacher and friend to many

by Alana Baranick, Plain Dealer reporter

Monday November 24, 2008, 12:00 AM

Nancy Atamanec made a point of getting to know the families of the children who passed through her kindergarten classrooms at various Cleveland schools.

"The kids came from all sorts of backgrounds," said Kathy Petrovich, who met Atamanec through mutual friend Fran Wolf. "She was very concerned and interested in their welfare."

The lifelong Clevelander, who died of complications from a brain tumor Oct. 15 at age 67, fostered lasting friendships with parents, students and teachers, fellow West Technical High School and Bowling Green State University alumni and anyone who, like her, had a son, a husband and/or a pet.

"She made friends at the speed of light," said Jane Yanesh, who met her through a childhood education group. "You knew her for 10 minutes, and she was your friend."

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