Reunion
2001 Pictures
Where
in the World is...
News
Memories
Messages
The
'Rightmire Report'
|
Section
3. Winfield Scott Rightmire and Mary Alice Colopy
(Winfield Scott3 Rightmire, Harrison2, James1, Sr.)
(3) Winfield Scott Rightmire was born on August
31, 1852. Winfield married Mary Alice Colopy ("Grandma")
in Knox County, Ohio on July 3, 1886. Mary Alice was born on May 3, 1864.
Winfield Scott and Mary Alice are my grandparents. I don't
remember much about my grandfather even though we lived with him and Grandma
in the early 30s - after my father lost his job. I was only four when
he died. I do remember him lying in bed in their "parlor" just
before he died. They lived on the Granville Rd. just on the outskirts
of Mt. Vernon, heading south. They had a rail track right behind their
house. Dad used to take us across the railroad tracks to a small farm
where I believe Winfield used to farm. I think the rail tracks were built
right across their property.
Winfield died on February 18, 1935. He is buried in the
Moundview Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Mary Alice lived several years after
Winfield. She remained in her home on the Granville, Rd. Our family would
drive to Mt. Vernon every other weekend to see her and Mom's sisters and
brothers. One day, in 1947, she was shopping in downtown Mt. Vernon when
a young child ran into her, knocking her down. She broke her hip. In the
operation to restore her hip, her heart greatly weakened. She spent the
next year and a half in Mercy Hospital in Mt. Vernon and finally died
on January 19, 1949. She is buried alongside Winfield in the Moundview
Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
Winfield Scott and Mary Alice were not wealthy, but they
were not poor. It never was clear where they got their income. We were
well cared for during the depression - at least I do not recall any hard
times.
Religion was an interesting part of our culture. Clearly,
religion was important to the Rightmire families and they were Protestant.
Yet, Mary Alice Colopy was a Catholic. She used to tell us that her family
formed the first Catholic Church in Central Ohio.
My grandfather (Winfield) told Dad that he was an agnostic.
He said no one could be an aetheist, since no one knew for sure, but he
had a lot of doubts about religion. My father's and Edwin's religious
beliefs were not strong - but they were not agnostic. They saw little
difference between the Catholic and Protestant Religions. That culture
has passed down to us. Even though my mother was born into a Catholic
family, we were raised Protestant. This is not nearly as an important
issue, now, as it was in the 1800s, but during Winfield Scott's life,
a Protestant marrying a Catholic was very rare.
We don't know anything about Harrison and Amy's religion.
But I suspect religion played a bigger role in the way the Rightmire families
related to each other than we may have previously imagined.
Winfield and Mary Alice had two sons: Edwin R. Rightmire,
born August 24, 1890 and (John) Duane Rightmire, born January
17, 1899.
(4) Edwin Rightmire was our only uncle on
my father's side. I knew him fairly well. My brothers and I were pall
bearers at his funeral, although I don't remember exactly when that
was. Edwin was a bachelor all his life. He always said that he planned
to live to the age of 150. But he died about 1960 in Jersey City, New
Jersey at about 70 years of age. He was quite a good marathon runner.
He had several medals for marathon runs. When he visited Mt. Vernon,
he would always take a morning run to Gambier and back. He was nine
years older than my Dad. He was rather "stiff" in is interactions
with people. He talked with "clipped" words. He was an interesting
person, but I do not remember him with great fondness.
He was a shipping executive with Malincrodt Chemicals.
He lived in a small apartment in Jersey City. I visited him there in
1958 with my Dad. He appeared to be sick then, and died about two years,
later. I do not believe he ever retired. There was no social security
report in the Social Security Death Index, 1937-1998. He probably never
claimed his social security benefits.
(4) (John) Duane Rightmire is my Dad. Although
Dad's name was John Duane, he never went by the name John. He was always
"Duane". Dad attended Law School at Ohio State, then after
receiving his law degree, moved to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1926, he joined
the "Land Title Guarantee Trust Company" as a title examiner.
He worked there until he retired at about 70 years old. Dad married
Marguerite Eloise Arck on December 6, 1927 in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Marguerite
was born on August 28, 1906 in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Dad met Mom through
Mom's brother Bill Arck. Dad and Bill were very good friends.
Below is a picture, taken in 1928, of the Winfield Scott
family. This was taken shortly after Mom and Dad married and a few months
before Duane, Jr. was born. From left to right is: (John) Duane Rightmire,
Marguerite (Arck) Rightmire, Edwin Rightmire, Mary Alice (Colopy) Rightmire,
and Winfield Scott Rightmire.
Picture from Marguerite Rightmire Estate.
When Dad and Mom married, they moved to Bedford, Ohio.
But in 1931, shortly after I was born, the great depression hit and
Dad lost his job. We moved back to Mt. Vernon and lived with Winfield
Scott and Mary Alice, Dad's mother and father. In 1933, shortly after
President Roosevelt took office and stabilized the banks, Dad got his
job back, and we moved back to Bedford, Ohio. Then, in 1937, we moved
to Northfield, Ohio. They lived there the rest of their lives, in the
same house in Northfield.
Duane and Marguerite had six children: Duane Scott Rightmire,
born Sept. 12, 1928 in Bedford, Ohio; Robert A. Rightmire, born Sept.
28, 1931 in Bedford, Ohio; David Edwin Rightmire, born on Dec. 14, 1932
in Bedford, Ohio; Carole Ann Rightmire, born on July 14, 1937 in Bedford,
Ohio; Roger Alan Rightmire, born on Oct. 2, 1944 in Bedford, Ohio; and
Cynthia Lou Rightmire, born on April 18, 1950 in Bedford, Ohio
John Duane Rightmire (Dad) died in June 1985 of complications
from an operation for prostate cancer. He died at home in Northfield,
Ohio. He is buried in the Macedonia-Northfield Cemetery in Northfield,
Ohio. Marguerite (Arck) Rightmire (Mom) died several years later, on
April 11, 1997, also at home in Northfield, Ohio. She is buried beside
Dad in the Macedonia-Northfield Cemetery.
(5) Duane Scott Rightmire started school
in Bedford, Ohio, but transferred to the Northfield, Ohio Schools
in the fifth grade. Duane served in the Army just prior to the Korean
war. He spent one year in Korea with the Army but was discharged about
a year before the war started.
After being discharged, Duane returned to Northfield
and married Louise Peterson on April 25, 1953 at the
United Presbyterian Church, Northfield, Ohio. Duane worked for the
Great A&P Tea Company as a meat cutter, until they closed down
all of their Ohio stores. He then worked for the Nordonia Hills Schools
as a janitor and maintenance person his last few years.
When Duane was about 58 years old, he got kidney cancer.
His first operation was successful and he lived with one kidney for
three more years. But the cancer returned, and Duane died in the Cleveland
Clinic on March 6, 1990, at age 61. He is also buried in the Macedonia-Northfield
Cemetery close to Mom and Dad. His wife, Louise, is still alive, living
in their same house in Northfield. Duane and Louise had two daughters
Judy Kaye Rightmire, born on July 15, 1954 and Karen
Marie Rightmire, born October 7, 1956.
(6) Judy Rightmire's first few years were difficult
for Duane and Louise, and indeed, all of us. Judy was diagnosed
as having Cystic Fibrosis. At the time, it was almost 100% fatal.
But Louise worked with Judy every day, pounding her back and chest
to remove the mucous, helping her get through the serious bouts
of bronchitis and other chest infections, managing her diets and
many other things, keeping her alive. Then, almost miraculously
one summer, Judy started to gain weight, her breathing got better,
she became a very healthy child. And to this day, she remains very
healthy. Judy married Brett McKay, and have two children:
Christine McKay and Katie McKay
(6) Karen Rightmire was a nurse for
several years at Akron General Hospital. She married Robin
Malone and they now live in Valparaiso, Indiana. They have
four children: Molly Malone, Ryan Malone, Nathon Malone, and
Ben Malone.
(5) Robert A. Rightmire (that's me) is the second child
of Duane and Marguerite. I was born in the Bedford Hospital on September
28, 1931. I spent all my twelve school years in Northfield Schools
(later Nordonia Hills). After graduating from Nordonia, I attended
Hiram College, graduating in 1953; then Carnegie-Mellon University
(Carnegie Tech then), graduating in 1957. I married Sandra Phipps
on April 4, 1959. We were married in the Grace Methodist Church
in Clintonville, Pennsylvania. Sandra was born in Grove City, Pennsylvania
on September 6, 1935. I joined Standard Oil of Ohio's Research Department
in 1959 and worked there all of my professional career. SOHIO, as
Standard Oil was called, was taken over by BP in 1986. Just prior
to that, I retired at age 54 (in November, 1985). Although we still
keep a summer home in Ohio, we have become residents of Sanibel, Florida.
We have four children: Debra Louise Rightmire, born
on December 16, 1955; Jill Lyn Rightmire, born on December
22, 1959; Patrica Jayne Rightmire, born on January 25,
1961, and Stacy Lee Rightmire, born on April 26, 1967.
(6) Debra Rightmire obtained a BS degree
in Math and now works in computers systems. She married Dale
Hassing on January 23, 1982. They have two children, Lisa
Hassing, born on December 12, 1983 and Robby Hassing,
born on October 2, 1985.
(6) Jill Rightmire, married Tom
Stockle and they have three children, Jennifer Lynn
Stockle, born on December 29, 1983; Thomas Stockle,
Jr., born on December 12, 1985; and Rachel Lynn Stockle,
born on March 13, 1991.
(6) Patricia Rightmire recently completed
her BA degree in historical restoration from Ursuline College. She
married Frank Keleman (now divorced) and they had
three children, Michael Keleman, born on October 16,
1985, Brittany Keleman, born on October 16, 1989,
and Lauren Keleman, born on December 7, 1991.
(6) Stacy Rightmire received her BA
degree from Hiram College, Ohio and her MBA from Case-Western Reserve
University in Cleveland. She worked several yearss at Cleveland
Opera. Stacy married Steve Bowles and she and her
husband own the Buckeye Dive shop in Bedford, Ohio.
(5) David Edwin Rightmire, the third son
of Marguerite and Duane Rightmire, was born in our house in Bedford.
David also attended Northfield, then Nordonia Hills schools, graduating
in 1950. Dave then join the Navy and was in a Submarine command. He
was in the service in peacetime; however, he had one particularly
bad incident. His submarine had some type of accident that caused
it to rapidly flood. All the sailors had to crowd into a very small
area near the hatch, just to get air, before the sub could get to
the surface. It was a very close call.
After completing his tour of duty, Dave returned to
the Northfield area. He married his high school girl friend, Elizabeth
(Betty) Charron, August 25, 1951. Dave had his own cement
finishing business. In the mid-1960s, Dave and his family moved to
Melbourne, Florida. Dave continued to run his own cement business,
trying to benefit from the rapid building boom in the area as a result
of our space program at Cape Kennedy. Betty died in 1989. This was
a terrible shock to Dave, since he and Betty had been inseparable
since childhood. Dave lived in a small house, he built himself, in
Vero Beach, Florida. Dave just passed away on May 31, 2001.
Dave and Betty had three children:
(6) David Scott Rightmire was born August
11, 1952. He married Laurie Ann McReynolds. Laurie
was born on July 1, 1957. Scotty and Laurie have three children:
(7) Jennifer Ann Rightmire, born on
August 5, 1977. She and her husband (last name, Williams) have
two children, Tyler Michael Williams, born on April
18, 1996 and Brook Elizabeth Williams, born on August
3, 2000.
(7) Jillian Margarite Rightmire, born on September
23, 1986
(7) Jason Scott Rightmire, born on
September 23, 1986.
(6) Pamela Jean Rightmire was born
January 26, 1954. She and her first husband (last name, Smith) have
one child: David Eugene Smith, born on February 28,
1980. Pam and her second husband, Paul Martini, lived
next door to her father, Dave, in Vero Beach, Florida.
(6) Wilfred Charron Rightmire, was born
March 23, 1956. He married Donna Marie Russell. Donna
was born on February 28, 1956. Bill continued in the cement business
started by Dave and developed that into a very successful, ornamental
cement surface treatment business in Florida. Bill and Donna have
four children:
(7) Brandi Ann Rightmire, born on
July 9, 1975.
(7) Christie Dawn Rightmire was born
on July 2, 1978. She and her husband (last name, Anastasio) have
two children, Lacie Marie Anastasio, born on August
6, 1997 and Brody John Anastasio, born on February
28, 2000.
(7) William Arck Rightmire, born on
October 12, 1982
(7) Matthew David Rightmire, born
on March 8, 1984
(5) Carole Ann (Rightmire) Smith is the
fourth child of Marguerite and Duane, but the first daughter. Carole
was born July 14, 1937 at Bedford Hospital. However, we had moved
to Northfield by then, so that was Carole's home until she left for
college eighteen years, later. Carole graduated from Ohio University
in June, 1958, then married Earl James Smith on August
23, 1958. They were married in the United Presbyterian Church in Northfield,
Ohio. Jim Smith was an architect, so they moved to Toledo, Ohio where
Jim established his business. They are now divorced. Carole has specialized
in education and developmental programs for problem children. She
recently published an article on this subject.
Jim and Carole had three daughters: Wendy Lee
Smith, born on December 4, 1959, Tamara Sue Smith,
born on December 26, 1961, and Kelly Dawn Smith, born
on January 3, 1963.
(6)Wendy Smith and her husband (last
name, Cavender) had two children: Brenden Cavender,
born on January 10, 1989, and Carly Cavender, born
on September 28, 1991
(6) Kelly Smith and her husband, Brian
Brooks, have two children, Jake Brooks, born
on August 6, 1989 and Alex Brooks, born on May 7,
1992.
(5) Roger Alan Rightmire is the fifth
child of Marguerite and Duane Rightmire. Roger was born on October
2, 1944, also in Bedford Hospital. Roger attended Nordonia Hills Schools
in Northfield, Ohio, graduating in 1962. He joined the Military and
was assigned to Mississippi, where he met his future wife, Glenda
Stringer. They were married while he was in the service, on
April 6, 1968. He was then sent overseas, to Thailand. Glenda, as
a new bride, traveled by herself all the way over to Thailand to join
Roger. This was quite an experience for both of them. When Roger was
discharged, Glenda and Roger returned to Northfield, Ohio and have
lived there ever since. They have two sons:
(6) Glen David Rightmire, born on August
4, 1972, married Heidi Laubinger and they live in
Northfield, Ohio.
(6) Paul Michael Rightmire, born on
November 9, 1977.
(5) Cynthia Lou Rightmire is the sixth and last child
of Marguerite and Duane Rightmire. Cindy was born at Bedford Hospital
on April 18, 1950. She also attended Nordonia Hills Schools in Northfield,
graduating in June, 1968. She married Michael Brown on
December 7, 1968. Mike and Cindy live in Northfield. Ohio.
Mike and Cindy have two children, Shawn Michael
Brown, born on December 13, 1977 and Sarah Brown, born
in 1981. Shawn just graduated from Hiram College in Ohio and is now
with the Hiram College Staff. Sarah just graduated from Nordonia Hills
High School, Northfield, Ohio this June and is attending Kent State
University in Ohio.
|