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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.