Joan Rice in hospital cardiac care unit




Joan Rice & next-desk neighbor John Olesky

Joan Rice was my next-desk neighborhood at the BJ for 16 years in the Features Department.

When I was having a bad day, Joan was good to me and for me, chasing the gloomies away.

I think we were good for each other, too. We helped each other deal with management stupidity, or so it seemed to us at the time, and with our workloads.

Mary Beth Nord Breckenridge posted this:

“Please keep Joan Rice in your thoughts. She is hospitalized at Akron General for bone cancer and had a setback over the weekend that put her in the cardiac unit. She was able to have visitors before that, but I'm not sure about now.”

Joan’s identical twin, Marie, told me that Joan had been hospitalized three weeks before I went to the calling hours for Joan’s husband, Larry, on the Kent State campus Newman Center chapel on Friday. I decided not to post the information here till it became public elsewhere.

When I first came to Ol’ Blue Walls in 1969, I looked around and saw Joan Rice and Janis Froelich and said to myself, “Damn! Those are the two hottest women in the newsroom.” I know, that isn’t PC today, but Joan just stood out from the crowd. Not just in lucks. But in smarts. And being a good person.

The love of her life was “the cop that married Joan,” as I called Larry Momchilov. I would see Joan and Larry at Ravenna’s Guido’s Restaurant, a hole in the wall on Main Street with fabulous Italian food. They were married 36 years.

It was Joan who tipped me off to Guido’s when I asked her for an outstanding restaurant in the Rootstown area, where Joan spent her entire life. As usual, she didn't steer me wrong.

Larry passed away Sunday, November 6. Joan wasn’t at Larry’s calling hours because her breast cancer had metastasized into her bones.

Joan’s brother, Michelin executive vice president John Rice, passed away in 2012. Her other siblings are her twin, Marie Rice, and Nancy Rice Crouch. They are the children of Nancy and John Rice and grew up in Rootstown.

Larry was born in Barberton and was a Norton High graduate.

Joan is a Kent State graduate who began at the BJ February 14, 1966 and stayed for 35 years till the 2001 buyout that saw 501 years of Ol’ Blue Walls experience walk out the door forever, the beginning of inexorable staff cutbacks at the BJ that also decimated newspapers around America.

My prayers are with you, Joan. You helped me out more during my bad days at the BJ than anyone else. May God help you now.

Obituary for Hugh Downing

Published in Galion, where Hugh was born and first worked

This is the obituary for retired BJ printer Hugh Downing, who passed away Wednesday, November 9 in The Villages, Florida.  It appeared in the Galion Inquirer, where Hugh – born in Galion -- began as a paperboy at age 14 and became a typesetter at the newspaper before leaving Galion for the Pensacola, Florida News Journal until he began his BJ career (1964-2000).

He will be cremated. There will be a Celebration of Life on the Downing driveway, 17900 S.E. 87th Bourne Avenue, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 16. A potluck meal will be part of the event.

The obituary in Hugh’s first hometown newspaper, in Galion, which also appeared in The Villages Daily Sun, his final hometown newspaper:

In loving memory of Hugh Downing, 1938-2016

Hugh Dennison Downing, 77, of The Villages, Florida passed away on Nov. 9, 2016. Hugh was born in Galion, Ohio in 1938 to Loretta and Paul. He graduated from Galion High School.

Spending his life working in the newspaper business, Hugh started working for the Galion Inquirer at age 14 as a paperboy and worked his way to typesetter before leaving the Inquirer in 1962. After a move to Florida, Hugh worked for the Pensacola News Journal until 1964 before "heading home" to The Akron Beacon Journal, the newspaper from which he would retire after 37 years, in 2000.

In 1980, Hugh was named Master of the Medina District (No. 58) Masonic Lodge – a designation he was both honored and proud to receive. Hugh loved his wife, boys and their families, cars, card games, biking and of course, golf. It was that love of golf that motivated Hugh and Sharon to move to The Villages in 2001 to enjoy their retirement.

Hugh is survived by his wife of 56 years, Sharon Downing. He is also survived by six siblings – Barbara Roelle (Homer), Bert Downing (Mary), Colleen Elliker (Bernard), James Downing (Carol), Judy Johnston (Bill) and Karen Yochem (Dan) – his children – Marshall Downing (Terri), Ben Downing (Lindsey), Chris Downing (Karen) and Jonathan Downing (Megan) – and son Dennis Downing – nine grandchildren and 23 nieces and nephews.

A memorial open house celebrating Hugh's life will be held at his home in The Villages on Wednesday, Nov.16 from 4-6 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Hugh's name to the American Heart Association or the National Kidney Foundation .

 

Published in The Galion Inquirer on Nov. 12, 2016

Regina Brett’s mom passes away

Mary and Regina Brett

Mary Brett, who included two-time Pulitzer finalist PD and former BJ columnist Regina Brett among her 11 children, passed away on Sunday, November 6.

Kent State graduate Regina came to the BJ from the Lorain Journal. She was inducted into the Cleveland Press Club of Hall of Fame in 2009.

In 2005, PD’s Connie Schultz won the Pulitzer in commentary that barely eluded Regina.

To read Regina’s remarkable column about her mother, who had Alzheimer’s, click on http://www.cleveland.com/brett/blog/index.ssf/2016/11/mother_of_11_is_finally_in_hea.html

BJ obituary/article about Joan Rice’s husband

Obituary

Retired sheriff’s detective dies at 79

Capt. Larry Momchilov most noted for work on murder-for-hire case

By Marilyn Miller

Beacon Journal staff writer

Retired Summit County Sheriff’s Capt. Larry Momchilov was described by his peers as a top-notch investigator who had passion for the job and compassion for the criminals he arrested.

Capt. Momchilov, 79, died Sunday. Calling hours will be 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Kent State University Parish Newman Center in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, 1424 Horning Road. A burial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Capt. Momchilov worked on countless cases, but is most noted for his work on the Dean Milo murder-for-hire case of a prominent businessman found shot to death inside his Bath Township home on Aug. 10, 1980. The case was solved after nearly two years. Eleven people were convicted, including the brother of the victim. The case holds the record for the most arrests and convictions in the United States for a single murder for which Capt. Momchilov was inducted into the police officer’s hall of fame.

He is also known for his work in the conviction of James D. Bell II, a former Akron industrialist, socialite and child sex offender.

Capt. Momchilov worked in the sheriff’s department for 42 years under six sheriffs from Robert Campbell to Drew Alexander. He organized and led an all-volunteer Search and Recovery Dive Team to aid in gathering evidence. He also trained at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va.

“Most of his service was investigations. He was the detective bureau commander. He was a great teacher. He really enjoyed teaching young deputies how to get out and develop leads. He was old school. He liked to get out from behind the desk and beat the bushes, talking to people and looking for clues,” said current Summit County Sheriff Steve Barry, who was one of Capt. Momchilov’s students. “He’d even get out there with us.”

His expertise was relied on by other police agencies and outside investigators.

Rich Munsey of the Bath Township Police Department said he took a homicide class from Capt. Momchilov and learned a lot when he worked with him on the Milo case.

“He was a great teacher and mentor. I was the only guy in the detective bureau in Bath at the time and he was the No. 1 guy in the sheriff’s department for murder investigations,” he said. “He was a great supervisor when we worked together. He was not a micromanager, always fair and was always very calm.”

Former Summit County Chief Prosecutor Fred Zuch said Capt. Momchilov was easy to work with and well respected. “He had the ability to put together very solid cases, organizing very complex cases and not missing any details. He knew what prosecutors needed. He had the respect of probably everybody in the criminal justice system, he was a class act,” said Zuch.

“He was a good communicator, people respected him for his skills and passion for the job and there were even times where the defendants even respected him. I know I talked to defendants that we prosecuted.”

Capt. Momchilov welcomed added forces if it would help solve a case.

William Dear, a flamboyant private detective from Dallas known for taking high-profile cases around the country, was attracted to the Milo case. While there were three principal investigators on the case, Capt. Momchilov was the lead, Dear recalled.

“When I arrived they weren’t even going to speak to me,” Dear said. “I made a statement that I could work on the case with or without them, but I’d rather do it with them. They had a meeting with sheriff [David] Troutman for a couple of hours, then came back and said they agreed we could work as a team. I know it was because of Larry and that developed a friendship from day one. He and I teamed up to work together. The other team was Munsey and Bill Lewis, also a detective in the sheriff’s department.”

Dear said even after the Milo case, they would call and check on each other.

“I’d call him up about a case and pick his brain. He’s one of the greatest guys you’ll ever know. He was super intelligent. He really cared about what he was doing. He was also a great family man and was devoted to his wife.”

He said he last talked to Capt. Momchilov the night before he died.

Dan Moldea, of Akron, a crime reporter for 42 years, also said the captain was a good friend. They met 35 years ago during the Milo case, a story Moldea retold in his book, The Hunting of Cain: A True Story of Money, Greed and Fratricide.

“I’ve known a lot of legendary homicide detectives and Larry was as good as any of them. He was thorough and as a person he was a decent person, he was a man you could trust. So many cops become hardened after so many cases and bitter and cynical but Larry never got that way,” Moldea said.

“He saw the humanity in people, even criminals, even murderers. I don’t think I ever saw that in detectives where he saw the humanity in people, especially those he investigated and put in jail. They appreciated the kind of person he was.”

Capt. Momchilov is survived by wife of 36 years, former Beacon Journal assistant features editor and reporter Joan Rice, and his children, a son, Lawrence Momchilov Jr., and daughters, Diane (Dennis) Bueker, Christine (Richard) Klempay and Susan (John) Yonkin.

 

Former BJ State Desk reporter Bob Page (1968-73), who escaped the cursing in the newsroom and Composing by becoming a minister, has moved into a new home in the Tall Trees Village of The Villages, Florida with his new wife, Vickie.

They were married last New Year’s Eve. Both sold their homes in The Villages and had one constructed.

Their home is 10 minutes by golf cart from the new church his congregation is building and a Bob Evans. The best of both worlds.

Tall Trees Village isn’t far from the marvelous Villages Charter Schools, which rank at or near the top among Florida schools in most testing and which has a fantastic music program for band and choral groups.

Bob is associate pastor at Live Oaks Community Church, which is in The Villages although its mailing address is 5600 Heritage Boulevard, Wildwood, FL 34785.

Vickie was a member of Bob’s congregation when Bob’s wife, Linda, passed away in 2009 after 41 years of marriage that including living in Cuyahoga Falls and Barberton.

Bob and Linda had three children and five grandchildren. Their children are Michelle Page McQuarrie, University of Minnesota-Morris professor; Gayle Page Schanou, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where husband Mark is a children's and family ministries pastor; and Rob Page, in Vernon Hills, Illinois, who works for Zurich Insurance in Schaumburg, Illinois.
Bob and Linda met when both were living in Ashtabula, Ohio.

Bob came to Live Oaks Community Church in 2013 after 37 years in pastoral ministry in the Evangelical Free Church, where he was senior pastor for 20 years at the Evangelical Free Church in Crystal Lake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He also was a pastor in Stromsburg, Nebraska (surrounded by Swedes), Fargo, North Dakota and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was Evangelical’s district superintendent in Kansas and Nebraska for five years.

The Kent State University journalism graduate has both a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministries degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Bob and one-time State Desk assistant editor John Olesky played golf every Thursday during John's winter stays in The Villages at Paula’s house. Former BJ printer Hugh Downing, who passed away Wednesday, November 9, arranged the tee times and played with us.

If you want to re-connect with Bob, his cellphone number is (847) 917-0551.

Hugh Downing setting type at his first job, in Galion, Ohio

Retired BJ printer Hugh Downing passes away

Retired BJ printer Hugh Downing, a little man with a big heart, passed away Wednesday, November 9 in The Villages, Florida. 

He will be cremated. There will be a Celebration of Life on the Downing driveway, 17900 S.E. 87th Bourne Avenue, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 16. A potluck meal will be part of the event.

Hugh Downing

Hugh and Sharon were a big help to Paula and me since we first showed up in 2013 in The Villages, Florida, where every day is playday for 119,000 residents who are 55 or older (the minimum age to buy a home there). They showed us the ropes, where to find this, where to do that. When Paula came south without me, they visited her and went to dinner with her.

When I was there for the winter, Hugh arranged our weekly Thursday golf tee times with former BJ State Desk reporter Bob Page, who is an associate pastor at the Live Oaks Community Church in The Villages. Bob’s first wife, Linda, was with him on Sackett Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls and their Barberton home before he left the BJ (1968-73) to study for the ministry. Bob met his current wife, Vicky, through his congregation.

My late wife, Monnie Turkette Olesky of Cinderella, West Virginia, and I got together with Hugh and Sharon on Siesta Key, adjacent to Sarasota, Florida, when Hugh and Sharon were staying in the late printer Bill Gorrell’s former Poor Bill’s rentals just across the street from the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. Before that, of course, Hugh and I exchanged pleasantries at Ol’ Blue Walls, including when he was working in the APS-4 computer room in Composing.

Sometimes Hugh would come tooling to 1970s State Desk reporter Paula Stone Tucker’s home in Lady Lake, Florida in Sharon’s 1995 Honda del Sol convertible. With a big smile on his face, of course.  “It’s been a good car,” Hugh said, “and quite fast.” Hugh said he once got it up to 90 or 95 mph, “then I got scared.” Again, another smile.

Hugh kept plugging away during rehabilitation therapy for his right shoulder, which was injured when a limb he was trimming from their tree knocked him off the ladder. He also had two heart attacks and a stroke over the years. And cataract surgery in both eyes. Always with a smile.

The photo that Sharon provided of Hugh was taken at his first job, with the Galion (Ohio) Inquirer. Even though Hugh knew of the Gal from Galion, Sharon, in high school, they were three years apart so nothing happened there. Sharon’s mother worked at a Galion factory and, after mom retired and Sharon’s parents moved to Florida, four guys from the Galion factory, who called Sharon’s mother “Mom,” showed up at the Florida home.

That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and marriage. They were wed in 1960.

Hugh and Sharon’s children are Mark Downing, who lives in Erie, Pennsylvania; Chris, who lives in Hudson; Ben and Jonathan, who live in Toledo and Vienna, Virginia. The gang showed up for Christmas among the palm trees. The four sons and their wives provided Hugh and Sharon with seven grandchildren, which ties them with me (although I think I have the tie-breaker, two great-grandsons).

Hugh and Sharon moved to The Villages in 2000. The Downings lived in the city of Medina during Hugh’s BJ days. They had three houses there, one at a time, including one they built on three-fourths of an acre.

Then came the lure of The Villages, where you have to be 55 years old to buy a house, and where every day is playday – golf, free concerts and dancing in several town squares every night of the year, card games, pickleball (ping pong paddles on a tennis court), 2,200 clubs for every hobby imaginable and more than 300 activities every day of the year.

It is Disneyland for senior citizens. There are 119,000 residents with 50,000 golf carts that are used to get around the town and around the 47 golf courses. I’ve been to 55 countries and 44 states and I’ve never seen anything like it.

Sharon is active in several sports in The Villages.

Hugh was among the 45 retired printers who won the 2012 health care lawsuit against the Beacon Journal that restored their prescription co-pay benefits. Five Guild retirees, including me who filed the lawsuit on their behalf, also piggybacked on the lawsuit that the late Composing foreman Dave White started in 2009.
 

Condolence cards may be sent to Sharon at

17900 S.E. 87th Bourne Ave.
The Villages, FL 32159

Sharon's email address is McDow404@gmail.com 

With the passing of retired BJ printer Hugh Downing Wednesday, November 9 in The Villages, Florida, I guess that leaves BJ Composing retiree Gina White and me as the last persons standing among the BJ Florida reunion bunch.

Dave White, former BJ Composing foreman who started the successful healthcare lawsuit against BJ management that restored coverage to retirement-day status for 45 printers and 5 Guild retirees, passed away December 3, 2012 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. He lived in Venice, Florida after spending decades in his Sarasota home.

When editors would complain in the Composing Room, Dave would say: “Here’s a dime; call someone who cares.” Every year that I visited Dave, I handed him a dime and said: “Here’s a dime; call someone who cares.” Dave would laugh. And he collected the dimes (about 9 of them, I think) and kept them on a shelf as a reminder of his BJ days. Well, Dave, I’m someone who still cares about BJ folks.

Gina White, Dave’s widow, is recovering from her recent triple bypass heart surgery.

Terry Dray, superb retired BJ printer, passed away October 25, 2009 in the Avon Park, Florida home he shared with his wife, Cecily. Terry played golf 9 times a week (twice on Saturdays and Sundays, once each with Cecily and once each with the guys) and was a whiz on the links.

Terry was the guy who helped saved my job at the BJ. When BJ honchos Bob Giles and Al Fitzpatrick "encouraged" me to leave the Beacon and I became the makeup man for the copy desk, Terry and fellow printer Red Reeves came to me and said simply, "We'll take care of you." And they did.

Whenever I was the makeup man for the Sunday BJ, the paper rarely went in late for the editions we put out on Saturday nights. When I was not the makeup man, the BJ often went in late. After a few years of that, Giles and Fitzpatrick decided that I had been "a round peg in a square hole" and my rehabilitation was considered complete. Every time I saw Terry, I told him: “I owe you.” I don’t forget those who help me when I need it the most.

Don Bandy, the BJ’s super rewrite man who made cub reporters look like experienced writers, passed away March 20, 2011 in Bradenton, Florida. His wife, Judy, predeceased him. With deadline fast approaching, Don was quiet and wrote concise, clear stories for those who phoned him.

Don Pack, retired BJ printer who cleaned the Sea Castle pool on Siesta Key when he wasn’t taking trips to South and Central America with his girlfriend, passed away February 17, 2015. He fell and his head struck the ship deck on a cruise to Mexico. He was put on life support and flown to Fort Lauderdale, where he died.

When my late wife Monnie Turkette Olesky or current significant other Paula Tucker, 1970s BJ State Desk reporter, were on Siesta Key (adjacent to Sarasota, Florida), we got together with Dave, Don and Don, Terry and Gina. And, also in The Villages, Florida, with Hugh and wife Sharon.

Paula and I had reunions several times with former BJ religion writer/reporter Pete Geiger in Florida, too. The last one was in Leesburg, Florida 10 days before Pete passed away. Pete was there with his wife, Sandy, and son, Bill Geiger, who lives in a suburb of Detroit.

Pete and Sandy lived in the Penney Farms, Florida Christian retirement community. Pete was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania.

Somewhere in Heaven, there’s a rowdy poker game and furious golf outings. St. Peter must be in, well, Heaven with this gang.

God, I’m going to miss the BJ Florida gang. At least, till we meet again in The Hereafter.

Larry Momchilov

Joan Rice’s husband passes away

Larry Momchilov, husband of BJ newsroom retiree Joan Rice, passed away Sunday, November 6.


Joan’s brother, Michelin executive vice president John Rice, passed away in 2012. Her other siblings are her twin, Marie Rice, and Nancy Rice Crouch. They are the children of Nancy of John Rice and grew up in Rootstown.

Larry’s obituary:

Lawrence John Momchilov December 6, 1936 - November 6, 2016 Lawrence J. Momchilov traveled his earthly journey with grit and unbelievable determination. After undergoing four open-heart surgeries over the past 8 years and with the Lord and the Angels at his side, Larry announced he was going to Heaven today. And that day was November 6, 2016. Momchilov was born in Barberton, Ohio on December 6, 1936, the feast day of St. Nicholas. He graduated from Norton High School in 1955. Momchilov's life's work was the perfect match for his impassioned view of justice. Larry retired from the Summit County Sheriff's Department in 2006 with the rank of Captain after 42 years of devoted service. Momchilov... Lawrence J. Momchilov traveled his earthly journey with grit and unbelievable determination. After undergoing four open-heart surgeries over the past 8 years and with the Lord and the Angels at his side, Larry announced he was going to Heaven today. And that day was November 6, 2016. Momchilov was born in Barberton, Ohio on December 6, 1936, the feast day of St. Nicholas. He graduated from Norton High School in 1955. Momchilov's life's work was the perfect match for his impassioned view of justice. Larry retired from the Summit County Sheriff's Department in 2006 with the rank of Captain after 42 years of devoted service.   Momchilov spent most of his career in the Detective Bureau and he was often interviewed by the media for his keen insights on his latest case. Larry organized and led an all-volunteer Search and Recovery Dive Team to aid in gathering evidence. He trained at the F.B.I. Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He will be remembered most for his dogged work on the Dean Milo murder case in Bath which led to the arrest and conviction of eleven defendants. The contract killing was retold in a book, "The Hunting of Cain," and countless documentaries.   You would never guess it, but the cop enjoyed classical music as well as polkas, a tribute to his Serbian and Slovenian heritage. The former altar boy was a devoted Catholic and member of the University Parish Newman Center in Kent. Always giving more than taking, his generosity and kindness often showed itself through his extemporaneous donations to total strangers, the college student behind the sandwich counter, someone standing in line at the pharmacy, picking up a check for a family at the next table at a restaurant. Every Christmas he truly enjoyed picking out a unique gift for every member of his staff. Until his heart surgeries, Momchilov enjoyed playing golf, metal detecting and touring the beautiful northeast Ohio countryside. He proudly served his country in the United States Navy and Navy Reserves. Larry is survived by Joan Rice, his devoted wife of 36 years who lovingly cared for him. Rice was a long-time member of the Akron Beacon Journal newsroom.   Larry is also survived by his son Lawrence "Butch" Momchilov Jr., daughters Diane (Dennis) Bueker, Christine ( Richard) Klempay, Susan (John) Yonkin, grandchildren Jodie (Chris), Kelly (Matt), Kyle, Cameron, Carolyn (Andrew), Lauren, step grandchildren Tres ( Emily), Daniel, Lauren (Eddy), Michael, great grandchildren Lily, Caleb, Luke, Louie, and Blake Lynn. He is also survived by sisters Bernadine (Jim) Irwin and Donna (Louie) Sukie, and his sisters-in-law Marie Rice and Nancy (Bill) Crouch, along with many favorite nieces and nephews and longtime friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eli and Frances Momchilov, mother and father-in-law Nancy B. and John B. Rice, and brother-in-law John B. Rice Jr. In memory of his beloved father Eli Momchilov and in lieu of flowers tribute donations may be made to the ALS Association, 6155 Rockside Rd. #403, Independence, OH 44131 or donations can be made at http://www.ALSAOHIO.org . God bestows countless blessings on us throughout our lives. Larry was one of those special blessings. We see him now in a brilliant array of eternal colors reminiscing with his many loved ones. May the good Lord keep Larry safe in glorious surroundings until we all meet up again. Calling hours will be Friday, November 11, 2016, from 5 to 8 PM at the Kent State University Parish Newman Center, Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel, 1424 Horning Rd., Kent, OH 44240. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 12, 2016, at 10 AM at the Parish Newman Center with Rev. Steve Agostino officiating. Graveside services will take place at Homeland Cemetery in Rootstown. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at www.wood-kortright-borkoski.com .

Triple bypass for Gina White

Gina White with John Olesky in 2013

BJ Composing retiree Rita Fay Stapleton reports that BJ Composing retiree Regina White is recovering after her triple bypass heart surgery.

Gina, who lives in Venice, Florida, is the widow of former BJ Composing foreman Dave White, who passed away in 2012.

Paula and I had lunch with Gina at Turtle’s Restaurant on Siesta Key, adjacent to Sarasota, in 2013.

A lot of hurricanes caused nervous times for Dave and Gina.

In January a tornado touched down a mile from Gina’s Venice home, where she moved after a few decades of living in Sarasota.

Hurricane Charley hit to the west of their home and Hurricane Frances to the east of their home in the same hurricane season several years ago.

In 2004 they watched apprehensively when four hurricanes worked their way north along Florida, including three that hit Punta Gorda, which is 28 miles from Venice.

Maybe I should add a BJ Knee Wall to accompany the BJ In Memorial Wall.

In the 1920s “the bees knees” was an expression that Flappers used for the equivalent of today’s “cool.” 

BJ retirees don’t have bees knees. They have store-bought ones.

Jane Snow, the best food writer in BJ history in my opinion, had a knee replaced in August. She reports today that “my knee is going great. I am getting around without a cane and my strength is coming back rapidly. Some days I barely limp. My exercise bike is helping. I add a minute a week. Yesterday marked Week 10.”

 

Retired BJ librarian Sandy Bee Lynn, who lives in Doylestown, may or may not join the Charge of the Knee Brigade. Sandy reports that her doctor “isn’t 100% sure that my kneecap is broken.” He put a walking hinge brace to help her knee.

The fall while entering the main library in downtown Akron sent Sandy to her doctor, who has handled THREE rotator cuff surgeries for Sandy.

 

Sandy’s a real trouper. She voted Tuesday before heading to another doctor appointment.

Retired newsroom copy desk chief Kathy Fraze may be in line for knee arthroplasty someday. She tore her meniscus in her left knee and is in physical therapy.

That’s how I progressed to a store-bought right knee in 2006. I dug up and removed five half-century-old evergreen trees from the front of my Cuyahoga Falls home … solo, stupidly. Digging under the roots and then lifting each tree 2 or 3 feet out of the hole to the lawn altitude did a number on my knee. So the doctor replaced the painful knee that my parents gave me at birth.

It works fine, except that I have to sit at concerts and on airplanes so that I can stick my right leg out into the aisle. If I don’t flex that sucker every 10 to 15 minutes, it stiffens up and makes me wince.

 

But I can and have walked up to three miles a day on my trips around the world with Paula and I am averaging 47 strokes for 9 holes in the 120 times I’ve played golf in 2016.

In February retired BJ reporter and all-round nice guy Jim Carney had his right knee replaced. 15 months earlier, Jim got a store-bought left knee. So he has a matched set.

Jim may be going for the world record when it comes to variety. He has had two back surgeries, broke his hip on a skateboard and did a header into a street sign on East Exchange Street returning to the BJ that required 21 stitches.

George Davis, retired BJ copy editor and Stark County reporter, has his left knee replaced THREE times. Just to keep things interesting, he had Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) staph bacteria infections that his doctors battled for three years, and nine surgeries.

Former BJ all-everything Stuart Warner, basking in retirement in the Arizona sunshine, chimes in with "Hey, I've got two knee replacements and a shoulder replacement. I get a lot of friskin' at airports."

The late Dick McLinden, copy desk whiz who wasn’t as curmudgeonly as some thought when he worked in Scouting, endured both knees replaced, triple heart bypass, carpal tunnel surgery, cataract surgery, heart failure, a Pacemaker and defibrillator.

Modern knee replacement surgery began in the early 1970s. In 1996, there were 245,000 knee replacements. In 2011, there were 718,000 knee arthroplasty surgeries.

 

There have been about seven million knee replacements in America, with women more than twice as likely as men to get store-bought knees, at a cost of $4 billion a year.

Ol’ Blue Walls escapees are doing their part to keep that number climbing.

Akron Legal News’ Charlie Beringer passes away

Charlie Beringer, a 1943 Buchtel High and 1950 Kent State graduate who published Akron Legal News, passed away Wednesday, November 2 at the age of 92.

Charlie also published legal news in Ravenna, Dayton, Youngstown and Buffalo.

Charlie was in the Army in the Pacific during World War II.

He was a licensed pilot and sailed his 18-foot sloop on the Portage Lakes.

Charlie’s obituary:

Charles A. Beringer, Jr.

Charles A. Beringer, Jr. of Akron, age 92, passed away on November 2nd after a brief illness.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, November 12, 1923, he was publisher of the Akron Legal News and similar newspapers in Buffalo, Dayton, Youngstown and Ravenna.

Charlie was a 1943 graduate of Buchtel High School and was drafted soon after. A two-year veteran of The Asiatic Pacific Campaign of World War II, he served on the islands of Oahu and Saipan and was awarded the Bronze Service Star for his valor with the Army. After the war he returned to Akron and received his BA degree from Kent State University in 1950.

He was a member of the VFW, the American Court and Commercial Newspaper Association, the Optimist Club, Akron City Club, and Portage Country Club.

Charlie enjoyed all types of outdoor activities. He loved to travel, hike and hunt, especially out west where he had a cabin in Story, Wyoming; he was a licensed pilot and flew planes in Alaska and the Virgin Islands, and he sailed his 18-foot sloop Valhalla on the Portage Lakes. In his basement workshop he designed and built many electronic devices including radar and sonar.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Kathryn Loftus Beringer; father, Charles A. Beringer, Sr.; his wife, Rita McGinnis; siblings, William, James, and Jane Crawford; and son, Charles III. He is survived by sons, Robert, and Daniel; siblings, John, Kathleen Buehrle and Marjorie Dettling; grandchildren, Karson, Chessie and Rona, and many friends.

There will be no calling hours. Funeral services will be held at the convenience of the family. Visit www.hummelcares. com to sign the online guestbook.