Obituary furnished by Raymond Bechtel, Class of 1957
Coach "Boag" Johnson
David Ralph "Boag" Johnson, 83, of Warsaw, beloved husband of MaryEllen for the past 61 years, died on Monday, July 11, 2005. Born in Huntington on Dec. 6, 1921, a son of David and Flora Johnson, he graduated in 1939 from Union Center.
After serving in the U.S. Army, he graduated from Huntington College in 1947. He played professional basketball for the Anderson Packers and the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons from 1948 to 1952. In 1964, he was nominated for the Silver Anniversary Basketball Team and was Huntington College Alumnus of the Year. He was elected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
"Boag" coached varsity basketball at Columbia City High School from 1952 to 1957, and was athletic director from 1958 to 1960. He moved to Warsaw and coached the Tigers from 1961 to 1971. He taught physical education, health & safety, driver's training, and served as a guidance counselor. He initiated the buildings trade program at Warsaw Community High School. He retired in 1985.
His hobby was carpentry. He built all the homes he lived in since 1968, plus assisted family and friends with their projects.
He is survived by his wife, MaryEllen (Robinson) Johnson; three daughters, Jorie (James) Webster of Warsaw; Kristine (Larry) Ummel of Kimmell, and Leslie (Ray) Barna of Vandalia, Mich.; a son, Greg Johnson of Warsaw; two sisters, Martha Burnau and Dorothy Tuggle, both of Warsaw; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, a brother, and his oldest son, David Johnson.
"Boag" loved his family and his country. He served in Europe during World War II and was a member of American Legion Post 49 of Warsaw. He was known to say that he had lived a great life and would not change a thing.
To celebrate his life, a tribute service is at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 16, at Titus Funeral Home in Warsaw, with Dick Kehoe officiating. Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial is at Oakwood Cemetery, with military graveside service conducted by American Legion Post 49 and V.F.W. 1126.
For those who prefer, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, Midwest Affiliate Memorial & Tributes, Lockbox 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL 60674.
Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Biography
Graphic by Richard A. Waugh, Class of 1960:
The CCHS Alumni Association hosted a registration booth for its first CCHS Alumni Days during Old Settler's Day, June 21~25. Several hundred alumni submitted their profiles on laptop computers for the new website and received CCHS Alumni Association stickers. Steve Beck, owner of B.E. Computers, provided internet connections for the booth.
Deb E. Bowie McClurg (1976) won CCHSAA's 50-50 raffle. Ted Gruver (1957) Founder & President, and Board of Directors member Dick Phend (1951) presented Deb with $185.00 on June 25th.
The first CCHS Alumni Days was notable for its heat, with temperatures hitting 97 degrees at least two days. A special thanks to the booth volunteers, who reported as scheduled & did a great job in spite of the heat, and to officers & board members who rode in the parade
L-R: Dick Phend (1951), Vernon Trier (1943), Ruth Ann Bowie Davis (1957), Sue Gruver, Tom Felger (1957). Picture taken by Ted Gruver (1957), CCHSAA Founder & President, who also participated in the parade.
The Columbia City High School Class of 1946 held a reunion on April 29, 2005, in the back room of Old Country Buffet, 5507 Coldwater Road in Fort Wayne. It was an all-you-can eat buffet dinner with a variety of food for $6.79 plus tax & tip. All members of the class for any of the four years, whether graduating or not, along with spouses & guests were welcomed.
Berneice (Sutton) Herr and Martha Long were in charge of the reunion. Contact Long at 260-244-6801.
Robert E. Brittain
1945 ~ 2010
Robert E. Brittain, 64, of Columbia City passed away at 3:44 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at his residence. Born on September 27, 1945, in Columbia City, he was the son of Ernest and Velma E. (Paulus) Brittain.
He has spent his entire lifetime in the Columbia City area graduating from Columbia City High School with the Class of 1964. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Indiana University with the Class of 1968 and a Masters Degree from Indiana University in 1971.
Mr. Brittain has spent his career teaching English and as a Speech and Debate coach at Columbia City High School since 1968, retiring in 2004; however, he continued a very close professional relationship with the high school, fellow teachers and his beloved students.
Mr. Brittain's memberships included, Blue River Community Church, where he faithfully served on the Board of Elders at the church, National Council of Teachers of English, Past President of Columbia City Kiwanis Club, a member of local, state and national Teachers Association and Indiana University Alumni, National Forensic League both the State and National Chapters, Peabody Library Board of Directors, Whitley County Literacy Council Board of Directors, Bowen Center for Human Services Board of Directors, Columbia City High School Alumni Association Board President and others too numerous to mention over the years.
Survivors include his brother, Richard D. (Anna) Brittain of Powell, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his parents and an aunt, Edna Vance.
Visitation will be held on Friday, April 23, 2010 from 4-8 p.m. at DeMoney-Grimes Countryside Park Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 24, 2010 at the funeral home with Pastor Brett Sauders of the Blue River Community Church officiating.
Mr. Brittain will be sadly laid to rest beside his beloved parents at Blue River Cemetery, Columbia City.
At the request of the family and in lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in memory of Mr. Brittain to Blue River Community Church, Whitley County Community Foundation, Columbia City High School Speech and Debate Department or the Columbia City High School Alumni Association Scholarship Fund. (Send to Whitley County Community Foundation; click here for instructions on how to make donations)
Please visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send family condolences or sign the guest register book. Additionally, several pages have been created on Facebook and can be accessed by clicking here (http://www.facebook.com/pages/IN-LOVING-MEMORY-OF-BOB-BRITTAIN/103968289647158?ref=ts)
Above L-R: Caitlyn Harris & Bryce Shepherd, CCHS 2016
Above L-R: Miranda Eber & Taylor Duncan, CCHS 2016
Above L-R: Matt Benedict, Cameron Slavich, Luke Schrader, Drew Lamle & Ryan Mosher, CCHS 2016
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