The Derrick, July 3, 2007: Gregory T. Ausel, St. Cloud, Fla., formerly of Knox Robert S. Bittinger, Parker Delores Christine Cain, Titusville, formerly of Salem, W.Va. Idamae E. Hammer, Brookville, formerly of Knox Theodosia E. "Theda" Kenemuth, Cranberry (Fern) Dorothy D. Kessler, Custer City Robert A. "Bob" Miller, Kennerdell Dr. George Leslie Nicklin Jr., Shelter Island and Medford, N.J., formerly of Franklin Jewell I. Daly, getting it right Gregory T. Ausel Gregory T. Ausel, 42, of St. Cloud, Fla., formerly of Knox, died unexpectedly Friday, June 29, 2007, in St. Cloud. Born March 27, 1965, in Oil City, he was the son of W. Edwin and E. Jean Ritts Ausel, who survive in Knox. Mr. Ausel was a lifetime member of St. Paul United Church of Christ at Knox RD 2. He was a graduate of Keystone High School, Knox, and Vale Tech Institute in Blairsville. He was an auto body technician. He and his brother operated a body shop in the Knox area at one time. In 1988, Mr. Ausel moved to Florida where he was employed as the body shop manager for Poffenbaugh Ford-Mercury-Lincoln in St. Cloud. Surviving, in addition to his parents of Knox, are a brother, Jeffrey Ausel and wife, Darla, and two nieces, Allyson and Rebecca Ausel, all of Cranberry; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Mr. Ausel was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, John and Edna Ausel; his maternal grandparents, Charles and Florence Ritts; five uncles and two aunts. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday and from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday in the David C. McEntire Funeral Home Inc., 504 E. Penn Ave., Knox. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday in the funeral home with the Rev. Rick Osberg, pastor of the Grace Evangelical Congregational Church in Ninevah, officiating. Interment will follow in St. Paul Union Cemetery, Twin Church Road, Knox. The family suggests memorials be made to St. Paul United Church of Christ, 937 Twin Church Road, Knox, 16232, or to the Grace Evangelical Congregational Church, 2561 Grace Church Road, Knox, 16232. Robert S. Bittinger Robert S. Bittinger, 75, of Parker, died at 4:25 a.m. Monday, July 2, 2007, in Clarview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Sligo following an illness. Born Oct. 31, 1931, in North Washington, he was the son of the late Robert W. and Helen Stewart Bittinger. He was a graduate of the former Concord High School in Hooker and attended Edinboro State College (now university) for several semesters. Mr. Bittinger was a retired employee of Witco Chemical Co. in Petrolia where he served as foreman of the tank yards for many years. He was initiated into the IOOF Lodge, formerly located at Parker, where he participated in the annual minstrel shows as a lead singer for many years. Following the closing of the Parker Lodge, he became a member of Connoquenessing Lodge IOOF in Butler. He received his 50-year membership pin as a member of the IOOF a number of years ago. A longtime member of the Parker City Volunteer Fire Company, he served many terms as president and he spearheaded the building of the present day Parker Community Building-Fire Hall. Mr. Bittinger was recognized as "Man of the Year" in the 1980s by the Parker City Volunteer Fire Company. He was a social member of VFW Post 7073 in Parker. Mr. Bittinger was Presbyterian by faith. Surviving are one son, William "Bill" Bittinger and wife, Ruth, of Pittsburgh; four daughters, Roberta Alworth and husband, Dennis "Butch," and Bonnie Bittinger, all of Parker; Beth Gardner and husband, Mike, and Barb Ritts and husband, Ken, all of Emlenton; 12 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He also is survived by a brother, Gale "Butch" Bittinger and wife, Ruth Ann, of Garner, N.C.; a stepbrother, Richard "Dick" Madison and wife, Donna, of Butler; and a number of nieces and nephews. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the H. Jack Buzard Funeral Home Inc., Wayne Street, Parker. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday in the funeral home. Interment will be in North Washington Union Cemetery, Butler County. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the Parker City Volunteer Fire Department, Parker, 16049. Delores Christine Cain Delores Christine Cain, 78, formerly of Salem, W.Va., died at 5:40 a.m. Saturday, June 30, 2007, in Country Acres Personal Care Home, Titusville, where she had been a resident for the past three years. Born Sept. 15, 1928, in Bristol, W.Va., she was the daughter of Arthur P. and Chloe McGill Wilson. Mrs. Cain was married to Sylvester "Dusty" Cain, who preceded her in death in 1993. She was of the Protestant faith. Surviving are her one son, Ronald D. Cain and wife, Linda, of Titusville; one grandson, Shannon Ray Cain and wife, Kristi, of Phoenix, Ariz.; three step-great-grandchildren, Ashley, Alisha and Alan of Phoenix, Ariz.; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Cain was preceded in death by three brothers, Ralph, Orlan and Dale Wilson; and one sister, Mabel Simmons. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday in the Davis Funeral Home, One Olen Thomas Drive, Route 98, Clarksburg, W.Va. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday in the funeral home. Interment will be in the K of P Cemetery in Salem, W.Va. Idamae E. Hammer, 86, formerly of East Penn Avenue, Knox, died at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30, 2007, in McKinley Health Center, Brookville, where she had resided. Born May 12, 1921, in Queenstown, she was the daughter of Francis and Sarah Jones. Mrs. Hammer spent her earlier years in East Brady where she worked at the Ben Franklin Store and the St. Cloud Hotel. After moving to Knox, she was an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church. Mrs. Hammer enjoyed crafts, painting, sewing, flower gardening and reading. Her Knox Library card was her prized possession. She especially liked dogs. On March 8, 1961, she married Philip G. Hammer who preceded her in death. Surviving are two good friends, Mitzi Shultz of East Brady and Anna Mae Peck of Knox. In addition to her husband and parents, Mrs. Hammer was preceded in death by three sisters. Marjory Coppock, Eleanor Linsley and Frances Jones. Friends will be received from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday and from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday in the David C. McEntire Funeral Home Inc., 504 E. Penn Ave., Knox. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in the funeral home with the Rev. Karen Parsh, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Twin Church Road, Knox, officiating. Interment will follow in St. Paul Union Cemetery, Twin Church Road, Knox. Thedosia E. "Theda" Kenemuth, 100, of Cranberry (Fern), died at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 30, 2007, in the Clarion Hospital. Born Dec. 27, 1907, in Cranberry Township, she was the daughter of William Vernon and Sarah Jane Standley Perry She was a graduate of Oil City High School and received her teaching certificate from Edinboro College. Mrs. Kenemuth began her career in the one-room Reid School, teaching all eight grades and then taught at various schools within Cranberry Township. She was married Dec. 26, 1931, to Kermit N. Kenemuth, who died Nov. 26, 1978. After taking leave to raise her family, Mrs. Kenemuth returned to teaching in 1961. She was a teacher and principal of the Ashland School in the Keystone School District and later taught in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District until her retirement. Mrs. Kenemuth was a member of Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church in Fern. In addition to teaching and church activities, she devoted her time to her family and her interests of knitting, quilting, flowers and gardening. She also had a great love of literature and poetry. Living her entire life in Venango and Clarion counties, she was an active participant within the community, serving in the PTA, Prosperity Grange and taking the census. In 2002, Mrs. Kenemuth moved from the Kenemuth family farm in Fern to Highland Oaks Assisted Living in Shippenville. At Highland Oaks, Mrs. Kenemuth enjoyed her status as the oldest resident and developed many loving friendships with the staff. She enjoyed frequent visits from relatives, church members and friends and the caring support of longtime neighbors, Shirley Smith and Frank and Betty Shick. Surviving are two sons, John R. Kenemuth and wife, Barbara, of Albuquerque, N.M., and Dale K. Kenemuth and wife, Marjorie, of Potomac, Md.; two daughters, Sarah Jane Zaidi of Amherst, Mass., and Kay Jean Gray and husband, Edward, of Sanibel, Fla.; 11 grandchildren, James Kenemuth, Sarah Kenemuth, Paul Kenemuth, Ruth Kenemuth, Lisa Zaidi Blumstein, Selma Zaidi, Jamie Zaidi, Christine Gray, Catherine Gray, Lori Kenemuth and Brad Kenemuth; five great-grandchildren, Katherine Blumstein, Benjamin Blumstein, Gabrielle Mouton-Kenemuth, David Kenemuth and Megan Kenemuth; and numerous nieces and nephews. Mrs. Kenemuth was the last surviving member of her immediate family, In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by four brothers, Andrew V. Perry, Todd S. Perry, William R. Perry and Donald W. Perry; three brothers who died in early childhood, Robert, Wilmer and Lloyd; and two sisters, Edna E. Barkas and Jennie M. Craig. Friends will be received from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in the William. N. Rupert Mortuary Inc. in Knox. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church in Fern with the Rev. Mark Micklos, pastor, officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Highland Oaks Charitable Endowment Fund. Dorothy D. Kessler, 66, of Shep Run Road, Custer City, died at 9:35 a.m. Monday, July 2, 2007, at UPMC Northwest, Seneca, in the Hospice Unit. Born April 30, 1941, in Bradford, she was a daughter of Archie and Betty Gates LeBoeuf. Mrs. Kessler was a graduate of St. Bernard High School in Bradford and attended Humboldt Institute in Minnesota for airline booking. She had worked in the office of Rosen Furniture in Bradford and spent 20 years as receptionist at the DeSoto Motel in East Bradford . Mrs. Kessler enjoyed reading and was well known by her friends as being a wonderful listener. She also enjoyed going shopping and eating out. Surviving are her husband Daniel; a son, Mark Taylor and his wife Tina; three grandchildren, Paul, Christine and Molly; a sister, Sister Emilie Rose LeBoeuf, a sister of St. Joseph; and several cousins. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Marjorie Marie; and several aunts and uncles. The family will receive friends from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday in St. Stephen Church, Oil City. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church. Interment will be in St. Bernard Cemetery, Bradford . In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to the St. Stephen Second Century Fund, the Humane Society or to a charity of choice. The Morrison Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Robert A. "Bob" Miller, 62, of South Tunnel Road, Kennerdell, Rockland Township, Venango County, died at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, July 1, 2007, in Butler Memorial Hospital following an extended illness. Born Aug. 16, 1944, in Pittsburgh, he was the son of Robert and Mary Virostek Miller. He was a graduate of Shaler High School. Mr. Miller was a U.S. Army veteran and served during the Vietnam War. He was of the Roman Catholic faith. Mr. Miller enjoyed hunting and carpentry. Following his retirement is 1998, he especially enjoyed his home along the Allegheny River. He was a member of the V.F.W. and the Clarion Rod and Gun Club. Surviving are his wife, Mary L. Miller, whom he married April 16, 1966, in Heidelberg, Germany; four children, Robert G. Miller and Deanna L. Miller, both of Kennerdell, Mary I. Young and husband, Joseph, of Emlenton and Matthew F. Miller of Kennerdell; a granddaughter, Haven Hughes (Miller) of Rocky Grove; and a brother, Daniel E. Miller, Pensacola, Fla. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Michael Roman Catholic Church, Emlenton, with the Rev. Conrad Kraus, pastor, presiding. Interment will be in St. Michael Cemetery in Emlenton. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kennerdell Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 107, Kennerdell, 16374. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Hile Funeral Home Inc., 1204 Kerr Ave., Emlenton. Dr. George Leslie Nicklin Jr., 81, Quaker psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and educator who helped found numerous educational and professional institutions, including Friends World College, the Westbury Friends School and the Long Island Psychoanalytic Institute, died Tuesday, June 26, 2007, in Medford, N.J. His death, resulting from a stroke, was confirmed by his wife of 57 years, Kate Nicklin. Dr. Nicklin was known for his capacity to envision and energetically implement innovative programs to meet needs that he encountered in his personal and professional communities. From the establishment of a program of swimming lessons for children in the community on Shelter Island, N.Y, where he summered with his family for 50 years, to the creation of the Friends World College experiential education program with campuses on five continents, Dr. Nicklin brought his creative vision and his energy to hundreds of worthwhile projects, large and small, throughout his life. He was born in 1925 in Franklin and was the only surviving child of George Leslie Nicklin, an oil industry engineer, and Emma Reed Nicklin, a teacher. Although Dr. Nicklin has many Nicklin, McAlevy and Reed relatives still in the area of Oil City, Franklin, and Titusville, his family relocated to Haverford, in the Philadelphia suburbs, when the oil industry in western Pennsylvania declined during the Depression. Dr. Nicklin graduated in 1943 from Haverford High School. After a single term at Haverford College, he was drafted and qualified for the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). When the end of World War II appeared imminent, the ASTP was discontinued and he was given a regular infantry assignment, serving in the Ninth Infantry Division (Old Reliables), initially as a mortar gunner and later as a medic. After fighting for several months in Germany and through the Battle of the Bulge, Dr. Nicklin was severely wounded in the Second Battle of the Rhineland while performing his duties as a medic. He spent 100 days in a British military hospital, followed by a year in a VA hospital on Staten Island, N.Y. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for meritorious service, in addition to his Purple Hearts. Dr. Nicklin's experience of surviving severe injury and carrying 55 pieces of shrapnel throughout his body for the remainder of his life helped to form one of the key tenets of his life philosophy: that adversity is an opportunity for personal growth. Upon his return to civilian life, Dr. Nicklin completed his undergraduate degree in 1947 at Haverford College. He then pursued his lifelong ambition to become a physician, graduating in 1951 from Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Nicklin pursued a two-year rotating internship in medicine and surgery at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, in Cooperstown, N.Y. Subsequently, he completed a residency in psychiatry at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, followed by psychoanalytic training and certification as a Fellow of the William Alanson White Institute. Dr. Nicklin maintained his professional relationship with Bellevue Hospital and as Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at New York University through the remainder of his life. Dr. Nicklin's professional life was defined by his wish to use his skills and energy to help others find joy and success in their lives and relationships. He established a private practice in psychiatry and psychoanalysis in Manhattan and in Garden City on Long Island, through which he assisted thousands of patients until he retired from active practice in 2004. Dr. Nicklin's wish to be of service to colleagues and patients on Long Island led him to form the Long Island Psychoanalytic Institute in affiliation with the Nassau County Medical Center. For many years, while also teaching as clinical professor at New York University, Dr. Nicklin worked with the Institute to support the training of residents, psychologists, and other mental health professionals on Long Island. He was honored in May 2005 by the American Psychiatric Association for 50 years of distinguished service. In addition to his professional pursuits, Dr. Nicklin was active in his religious community. Having entered military service as an agnostic, Dr. Nicklin had a mystical spiritual experience during battle which led him later to become a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). He met his future wife, Katherine Aronson, on a bicycle trip to Martha's Vineyard and they were married in 1950 under the care of Fifteenth Street Friends' Meeting in New York City. As members of Westbury Friends Meeting on Long Island, George and Kate Nicklin were instrumental in founding the Westbury Friends School, which their four young children then attended. In 1958, Dr. Nicklin became interested in creating a college program that would address the increasing globalization of every aspect of modern life, while incorporating the Quaker ideal of valuing "that of God" in every individual. Friends World College, which used an educational model that combined practical experience with personal reflection, set up campuses on five continents where students pursued internship-like work and study experiences under the guidance of faculty members. Dr. Nicklin served as a trustee and advocate for the College from its founding until it was absorbed under the umbrella of Long Island University as the "Friends World Program." Dr. Nicklin and his family began spending summer vacations in 1957 on Shelter Island. In 1963 they built a house on the beach where he and his wife spent summers with their children and later, their grandchildren. Dr. Nicklin believed there should be a Quaker Meeting on the island, particularly since there is a history of a Quaker presence on Shelter Island dating back to the days of the founding of the Society of Friends. He obtained permission for a Friends Meeting to be held by the Quaker Cemetery there, and Shelter Island Friends Meeting continues to meet weekly in those woods during the summer months, and in the Shelter Island Historical Society Havens House during the winter. Dr. Nicklin retired from active practice in 2004. In recent years, he published two books, "Doctors in Peril", based on the experiences of physicians facing life-threatening circumstances, and "War Stories" a collection of reminiscences from World War II veterans. Since his retirement, Dr. Nicklin and his wife had divided their time between their home on Shelter Island and a Quaker retirement community, Medford Leas, in southern New Jersey. After decades of robust good health, in the final six months of his life Dr. Nicklin was assailed by a series of severe and debilitating illnesses, which he faced with valor and grace. He rejoiced particularly in the love and support of his lively extended family. He is survived by his wife, Kate Nicklin of Shelter Island and Medford, N.J.; four children, Emily Nicklin of Chicago, David Nicklin, M.D, of Philadelphia, Jane Nicklin Olsen of Ridgefield, Conn., and Sarah Nicklin, M.D. of Zionsville, Pa.; and 12 grandchildren, Max, Luke, and Anna Schleusener, Kate, Megan, and Sarafina Kietzman-Nicklin, Emma, Molly, and Elizabeth Olsen, and Graham, Clara, and Olivia Moreno. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 12, at Purchase Friends Meeting, Purchase and Lake Streets, Purchase N.Y. Contributions in his memory would be welcomed by Westbury Friends School, 550 Post Ave., Westbury, N.Y., 11590. Getting it right - Jewell I. Daly Jewell I. Daly, 76, of 2112 Cooperstown Road, Oakland Township, died at 9:45 p.m. Friday, June 29, 2007, in UPMC Northwest, Seneca.. Among her survivors are a son, Scott Monroe Daly and his wife, Wendy, of Oil City.