LINDA McELROY, HAROLD'S WIDOW, PASSES AWAY

 

                 Linda and Harold McElroy

Linda McElroy passes away

 

BJ Accounting retiree Linda Spoon McElroy, who married BJ Finance retiree Harold McElroy of Finance (both worked at BJ), passed away June 25.

 

The McElroys moved to Pawley’s Island, South Carolina.

 

Cheryl Sheinin, who was was at the BJ 45 years, informed me of Linda’s passing. Husband Neil Sheinin spent 42 years at the BJ, where Cheryl and Neil first met. They were married in 1957.

 

Debbie Fox and Janet Hall were best friends of  the McElroys at the BJ.

 Debbie posted to me:

“I was blessed to have her as a boss, she dedicated her life to the Beacon and her family. She was certainly one of a kind, I will forever remember our trip to Denver to watch the Browns in an AFC championship game. She loved the Browns.”

 

After Harold passed away in 2011, Linda visited Akron a year or so later and was greeted at the Golden Corral on South Arlington Street by her Circulation friends

Bob Craiglow and wife Pat, Mike Jewell, Susan Lindeman, Janet Hall, Cheryl Sheinin, Martha (Cookie) Lipford, Noreen Dimmerling, Mickey Dimeff and Carol Eubank.

Linda lived a block away from the late BJ printer Dick Latshaw and wife Pat in Pawley’s Island, where retired BJ printer Sid Sprague lived before moving to Loveland, Colorado with his second wife.

In 2018 Linda drove Pat Latshaw, Dick Latshaw’s widow, from Pawleys Island to a Celebration of Life service for Dick at the Allenside Athletic Club on Manchester Road in Akron. Former BJ printer Mike Kerchan also attended.

 

Linda’s stepchildren and Harold’s daughter are Colleen Sweazy, Maureen Anderson. There's also Michele, Jamie and John Scott. There are 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

 

Michelle wrote a tribute to her mom that was so perfect that I’m repeating it here verbatim:

 

My Mom passed away after a short battle with a third occurrence of cancer. She was diagnosed about two months ago and her doctor was pretty optimistic that they had a good treatment plan in place, but it turned out to be more widespread than initially thought.

She started feeling bad a little over 2 weeks ago and declined fairly quickly. She decided to transition to comfort care after she was told she wouldn’t be able to come back from it and have any quality of life, which was so important to her.

She told me she didn’t want to go but she knew it was her time. She died a little under 36 hours later.

She was a great Mom, daughter, sister, wife to our stepdad Harold, aunt, great-aunt and cousin, and friend to many. But where she really excelled was as a grandmother and great-grandmother. It was the biggest joy of her life and she loved them all so much.

When she made her decision to stop fighting the cancer, she most regretted that she wouldn’t get to see the littlest ones again.

I miss her terribly but I have felt her at my back, pushing me to get through handling many of her affairs and her family knows her spirit will always be with us.

 

Akron native Harold’s obituary:

Harold Ray McElroy
Pawleys Island
Harold Ray McElroy, 74, beloved husband of Linda, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 5, 2011 at Waccamaw Community Hospital.
Born in Akron, Ohio, he was the son of the late Charles William and Elva McElroy. His great-granddaughter, Reagan Lacole Edwards, also preceded him in death. Harold retired from the Akron Beacon Journal after forty two years of service. He was the treasurer of the F.O.P.A. #6 for several years.
Surviving are his wife, Linda; children, Colleen Sweazy (Denny), Maureen Anderson, Michele, Jamie and John Scott; brother, Jim (Debby) of Burke, Va.; nephew, Jeff; ten grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Services will be held 3 p.m. Monday, September 12, 2011 at Goldfinch Funeral Home, Litchfield-Pawleys Chapel with visitation one hour prior to services.
In lieu of flowers or donation, the family requests that a tree be planted in Harold's memory.
Sign a guest book at www.goldfinchfuneralhome.com.
Goldfinch Funeral Home, Litchfield-Pawleys Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

TIM SMITH HOME AFTER HOSPITAL & REHAB OVER EATING PROBLEM

 

Tim Smith home after eating problem

Former Beacon Journal managing editor and Kent State professor Tim Smith spent several weeks in hospital and rehab because a “corkscrew” esophagus blocked his food.

Tim joined Kent State in 1986 after 19 years at the BJ. His other media stops were the Columbus Dispatch, the Painesville Telegraph and United Press International.

Tim has a bachelor’s degree and master’s in journalism from Ohio State and a law degree from the University of Akron. In 1991, became a law clerk for now-retired Ohio Supreme Court Justice Craig Wright. In June 1991, he was named acting director of the School, a post he held until June 1994, when he returned to the faculty and resumed his service as adviser to the Daily Kent Stater.

I’ll let former BJ reporter Charlene Nevada, who reported Tim’s situation, tell the story in more detail:

 

Good news. Tim Smith - former Beacon Journal honcho, Kent State journalism professor and lawyer — is back home after several weeks in hospitals and rehab. 

Long story short, Tim started having problems eating several months ago. Actually, he says he pretty much stopped eating at all. He lost a lot of weight, which caused his blood pressure to drop, and he nearly had a stroke. That’s what put him in the hospital originally. 

Walking became difficult because he was so weak, so then he needed rehab. Doctors finally figured out Tim has what they described as a “corkscrew” esophagus, which kind of blocks food.

Surgery to repair it is set for late July at the Cleveland Clinic (in Cleveland). In the meantime, Tim is back at his lake home and on his feet with the help of a walker.

His address is 4770 Sundown Trail in Ravenna, 44266. His cell phone is 330-283-4676 and he said he would welcome calls.

26th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY FOR KERRY CLAWSON

 

   Kerry Clawson in BJ's Main Street newsroom

26^th wedding anniversary for Kerry Clawson

BJ arts writer and critic Kerry Coughlin Clawson and Steve Clawson celebrated their 26^th wedding anniversary.

Kerry began at the BJ in 1991. She also was the BJ’s Mad Shopper, succeeding Mary Ethridge in that position in 2006, and retail business writer.

She has won Cleveland Press Club awards for her writing at the BJ.

DAVE ADAMS TO MARRY NORTHEAST OHIO WOMAN

 

  Dave Adams, future wife Alexis Lyn Calatrello

Dave Adams to wed Northeast Ohio woman 

David Adams, a Beacon Journal reporter from 1986 until 2004, will marry Alexis Lyn Calatrello in less than a week.

 

Dave posted:

“Happy birthday to the coolest, most beautifucl, most fun, big-hearted woman any guy could ask for! I cannot wait to get married to you and spend the rest of my years with you.”

 

Dave became Ernst & Young’s Global Risk Advisory Services director at lives in Bay Village. He been in PR and accounting, too.

Alexis previously lived in Shaker Heights and Cleveland.

Dave remembers fondly his BJ days with Pat Englehart, State Desk chief when the late Harry Liggett and I were Nobil-smoking Pat’s 2 assistant editors.

And Bill O’Connor, Michelle LeComte, Glenn Proctor, Kathy Fraze, Larry Pantages and Bob Paynter. Quite a collection of talent at 44 E. Exchange Street.

Melanie Payne's 'Color Blind" play world premiere June 23 in Detroit

 

       Melanie Payne with father 

       Melanie Payne reunion with Gloria Irwin 

      Melanie Payne doing cat walk to celebrate cancer cure

Melanie Payne’s play has world premiere June 23

 

Playwright Melanie Payne’s “Color Blind” play will have its world premiere at 8 p.m. Friday, June 23 in Detroit’s Boll Family Theater. It’s part of the 3^rd annual Obsidian Festival.

 

Melanie was a 1996-2000 BJ reporter. Her career also includes the Fort Myers, Florida News-Press and ABC’s Tampa Bay WTFS-TV.

 

Melanie began her life in Wickliffe, Ohio and studied at Wellesley College, a women’s liberal art college in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

 

She survived a bout with cancer.

 

PHIL TREXLER NAMED MARSHALL PROJECT'S CLEVELAND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

 

Trexler gets high post in Cleveland’s Marshall Project

Phil Trexler, who spent 16 years covering crime for the BJ, has been named editor-in-chief for The Marshall Project – Cleveland.

The Marshall Project is a Pulitzer-winning non-profit media organization.

After the BJ, Trexler spent 8 years with WKYC-TV in Cleveland.