The Derrick, January 3, 2008: John C. Dinger, Oak Ridge Willis E. Huff, Titusville Evelyn A. Osman, Lancaster, formerly of Oil City Cpl. Alexander Ben Owens, Camp Pendleton, Calif., son of Grand Valley residents John C. Dinger, 84, of 697 Oak Ridge Road, Box, 31, Oak Ridge, died Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008, in Armstrong County Memorial Hospital. Born May 8, 1923, in Oak Ridge, he was the son of John H. and Irene Hollobaugh Dinger. Mr. Dinger was a heavy equipment operator for the Reddinger Coal Co. He was a member of the Springside Baptist Church. Mr. Dinger enjoyed hunting, fishing, wood carving and reading. He was married Sept. 3, 1944, to Helen Smith, who survives. Also surviving are four children and their spouses, Barry and Debra Dinger of Goheenville, Randy and Stacey Dinger of New Bethlehem, Carol and Larry Lane of Waterloo, N.Y., and Linda and Norm Schreckengost of Oak Ridge; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He also is survived by one sister, Ruth Herrin and husband, Gene, of Distant; and two brothers, James Dinger of Warren and Keith Dinger and wife, Paula, of California. In addition to his parents, Mr. Dinger was preceded in death by a sister, Helen Shoemaker, and a brother, Gerald Dinger. Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday in the Alcorn Funeral Home, Hawthorn. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home with pastor Timothy Tucker and Pastor Don Wells of the Springside Baptist Church, officiating. Interment will be in Mount Zion Cemetery, Mahoning Township, Armstrong County. Memorial contributions may be made to the Springside Baptist Church Memorial Fund. Willis E. Huff, 83, of Titusville, died at 8:48 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008, in Sugar Creek Station, Franklin. Born May 3, 1924, in Dempseytown, he was the son of Francis and Sarah Cauvel Huff. He was a 1942 graduate of Rocky Grove High School. Mr. Huff was a glass worker in the Foster Forbes Glass Plant in Oil City for 40 years. He was a member of the Oakland United Methodist Church in Dempseytown. He was a lifelong member of the Oil City Odd Fellows Lodge. Mr. Huff was an avid hunter and enjoyed spending time with his family, friends and neighbors. He first was married in April 1942 to Alice Heckathorn, who preceded him in death in August 1945. He then was married in March 1983 to Carolyn F. Bertges, who survives. Also surviving are three daughters, Virginia McClelland and husband, Brian, of Meadville, Kay Beck and husband, William, of State College and Pamela Freeman and husband, Tim, of Muncie, Ind.; three stepchildren, Carol Fox and husband, George, and Gayle Barger and husband, Harry, all of Dempseytown, and Curtis Hollabaugh and wife, Janice, of Cedartown, Ga.; five grandchildren, Garrett Beck and Michael Beck, both of State College, Casey McClelland and Michael McClellend, both of Meadville, and Pammy Freeman of Muncie, Ind.; four stepgrandchildren, John Barger of Meadville, Robert Barger and wife, Lorry, of Erie, George Fox and wife, Jennifer, and Carrie Haber and husband, William, all of Dempseytown; one great-grandson, Braydon Gemmill-Beck of State College; five step-great-grandchildren, Brett Haber and Erin Haber of Dempseytown, Megan White and Garrison White of Cedartown, Ga., and Sean Barger of Erie. He also is survived by one sister, Audrey Henderson and husband, Ray, of Oil City; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents and first wife, Mr. Huff was preceded in death by a son, Gary Huff; three brothers, Francis Huff, John Huff and Charles Huff; and two sisters, Ruth Nichole and Irene Roche. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Osenider Funeral Home, Oil City. Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. Friday in the funeral home with the Rev. Edward Clark, a retired Methodist minister associated with the Oakland United Methodist Church, officiating. Interment will take place in the Lamey Cemetery, Oakland Township. The family suggests memorial donations be made to the Oakland United Methodist Church. Evelyn A. Osman Evelyn A. Osman, 89, of 675 Willow Valley Square, Lancaster, formerly of Oil City, died Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008, at the Glen. Born in Oil City, she was the daughter of William Trube and Lolla M. Foy Allen. She was a graduate of Oil City High School. Mrs. Osman was married to Jack E. Osman, who died April 6, 1993. They had been residents of Lancaster since 1978 and had resided at Willow Valley Manor since 1984, the year the facility opened. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Lancaster and held membership in numerous social and charitable organizations. Mrs. Osman's interests included bridge where she was a master duplicate bridge player, playing the piano, entertaining, cooking, interior decorating, collecting and refinishing antiques, gardening and travel. Surviving are a daughter, Joanne Osman, wife of Arthur A. Haberberger of Reading; two grandchildren, Jon C., husband of Laura Osman, and Todd J., husband of Lisa Osman, both of Pittsburgh; two grandsons; and four great-granddaughters. She also is survived by three sisters, Geraldine Bish of Erie, Emogene Trucic of Greenville and Bernice Rinehart of Golden, Colo. In addition to her parents and husband, Mrs. Osman was preceded in death by a son, Jack W. Osman. Services will be private and held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 140 E. Orange St., Lancaster, 17602. The Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home Inc., 414 E. King St., Lancaster, is in charge of arrangements. Cpl. Alexander Ben Owens, 20, died Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2007, while serving his country as a U.S. Marine at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Alexander was the son of Ben H. and Leslee A. Owens of Grand Valley, both of whom were military veterans. He enlisted at the Warren, Pa., recruiting station. Alex's grandfather, the Rev. John P. Benson, a United Methodist minister, was born in Warren, Pa., and also was a military veteran, having been wounded in World War II during his service in the Army. Alex was preceded in death by his grandmother, Thelma E. Miller-Jones Benson of Rocky Grove. A preliminary autopsy indicated Alex died of natural causes although more tests are being done to pinpoint the exact cause. Alex was unresponsive when a roommate tried to rouse him Christmas morning so they wouldn't be late for celebrations with Alex's brother' s family in San Diego. An ambulance arrived within minutes and he was given CPR. He died at the hospital after resuscitation attempts failed. Born Feb. 27, 1987, in Cherry Point, N.C., Alex was inquisitive and resourceful throughout his life, constantly striving to understand both mechanical and social structures. "I've never seen such intelligence in anyone," said his mother, Leslee. "He was always thinking, always trying to figure things out." Even as a baby, she said Alex liked to experiment, once putting a key into an electrical socket. The electricity went in a loop around the ring and the power surge tripped the circuit breaker, leaving Alex unscathed. He never stopped experimenting, she said. Alex was fascinated by the science behind pharmacology and was taking classes online to prepare himself for a future degree in medicine, hoping to become a doctor upon leaving the Marines. His good service record and his General Technical test score of 145 put him in the top running for a military-sponsored scholarship to Stanford University. "Alex was a good, hard working mechanic and one of the most intelligent Marines I have ever known," said Commanding Officer Raymond H. Jones, Jr. of A Company, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion. "My last memory of Alex was on Friday, Dec. 21, 2007, when we had a battalion run and Alex was calling cadence for our company. In normal conversation Alex was very soft spoken, but in this instance he was boisterous, loud and motivating - which was an inspiration for all of the Marines running alongside of him." Alex served in the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion under the 1st Marine Division with merit. He was honored at the Marine Corps Ball in 2005 as the youngest Marine at 17 years old. Among Alex's honors, he earned the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. "He was proud to be a Marine even when things got tough," said his father, Ben. "He would have been proud to die while in service of his country." Alex will be remembered by his friends and family for being very generous and loving. He spent until 2 a.m. Christmas morning shopping for toys for his nephews and testing them in the aisles until Wal-Mart employees asked him to check out so they could close. He and his roommate then disassembled a bicycle Alex had bought so he could teach his 3-year-old nephew, Vincent, how to use tools to put the bike back together. Alex also invited his roommate to join him for Christmas so his roommate wouldn't be alone for the holiday and he set both men's alarms so they wouldn't sleep in. "Alexander's untimely passing is a tremendous loss to everyone in the 1st Marine Division family," said Major General T.D. Waldhauser, the Commanding General of 1st Marine Division. "Alexander and his noble character and service will not be forgotten." Among his other interests, Alex felt a deep connection with animals, keeping a dog and a miniature donkey for pets. He loved horseback riding and fancied an anthropomorphic cougar as his alter ego. He also collected shot glasses and sound equipment for mixing music. Alex is survived by his parents, Ben and Leslee of Grand Valley; three sisters, Jamie D. Owens of New York City, Brandy Q. Owens of Grand Valley and Samantha D. Owens of Eden Prairie, Minn.; a brother, Daniel M.A. Owens and sister-in-law, Yvonne Bazan of San Diego, Calif.; a grandmother, Louise L. Owens of Mason City, Iowa; a grandfather, Rev. Benson of Austintown, Ohio; four nephews, Vincent, Alek, Nathan and Kenji Owens; eight aunts; eight uncles; and 17 cousins. Visitation will be held from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the Huff Chapel, 312 W. Park St., Franklin. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home with Alex's grandfather, the Rev. John P. Benson, presiding, and Pastor Steve Tiffany of the Enterprise United Methodist Church conducting the services. Interment with military honors will follow in the Franklin Cemetery, 203 Rocky Grove Ave., Franklin. Donations may be sent to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation (MC-LEF), P.O. Box 37, Mountain Lakes, N.J., 07046.