NOBLE COUNTY WOLFPACK HAS BIG GAME SATURDAY AT EAST NOBLE: SEE PAGE 6.
The
Advance An edition of THE NEWS SUN
THURSDAY AUGUST 8, 2013
Leader
75 cents Ligonier, Indiana, USA On the web at: kpcnews.com Vol. 129, No. 32
Tragic week for WN area Ligonier man killed
GOSHEN — A Ligonier man was killed when the car he was driving struck a utility pole support cable near Millersbug late Saturday night, Elkhart County police said. Michael Strammer, 51, was driving a 2001 Pontiac Sunfire east on C.R 52, east of C.R. 37, when his car left the south side of the road and struck the cable. Strammer was ejected from the car, which came to rest Mr. Strammer against the utility pole. Strammer suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, Melissa Gamblin, 52, of Ligonier, was taken to IU Health Goshen Hospital for precautionary medical treatment and was later released. She and Mr. Strammer were longtime companions. A 1980 graduate of Goshen High School, Mr. Strammer worked at Kinro Inc. He enjoyed cars, motorcycles, nature and working on his home. His favorite quote was “Don’t mistake kindness for weakness.” Viewing will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Yoder-Culp Funeral Home, Goshen. A formal time of sharing by family and friends will take place at 7 p.m.
Beloved youth pastor dies WN grad BY BOB BUTTGEN leader@kpcmedia.com
LIGONIER — Shock and disbelief made way for grieving and remembering this week in the West Noble area, as news spread of the untimely death of Shannon Kathary, 38. Shannon was the youth pastor at Ligonier United Methodist Church, where he served many roles. Most importantly, he helped many young people strengthen their Mr. Kathary relationship with Jesus Christ. Mr. Kathary was felled by a stroke on Saturday, July 20, and was a patient at Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne until he died on Saturday, Aug. 2, with his family at his bedside. A measure of his impact on the community, his church and especially its young people was shown by the huge turnout of mourners at his viewing and funeral. Both were held in The CrossWalk facility at the church, where Shannon kept his office and served as worship leader for the contemporary service every Sunday. It’s also where he led the youth progams on Wednesday evenings. Approximately 450 people came to his funeral,
dies in industrial accident
held Monday. Many more than that came to his viewing on Sunday. Shannon is survived by his wife, Candy (Swank) and five children. (His obituary appears on page 2.) Mr. Kathary led many mission trips for LUMC and served on other working mission trips to places such as Henryville, Ind. He had just returned from a mission trip to Kentucky a week before he suffered his stroke. The community continues to pull together, even after his funeral. A major fundraising event will be held Sunday, Aug. 25, in The CrossWalk from 1-4 p.m. Proceeds will benefit his family. More details on that event will be in next week’s paper. Anyone wishing to donate an items for the silent auction, or help with underwriting other portions of the event, can contact Deb Imbody at the Ligonier Chamber of Commerce, at 894-9909. The fundraiser includes a hog roast, silent auction, games and other events. Admission is free but donations will be accepted for the family. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the family, but can’t make it to the Aug. 25 event, can mail checks to Yeager Funeral Home, 1589 Lincolnway S, Ligonier, IN 46767. Make checks payable to Yeager with Kathary in the memo line.
BY BOB BRALEY bbraley@kpcmedia.com
Peddlers in the park Saturday LIGONIER — The Peddlers in the Park event, set for Saturday in Ligonier, is still accepting yard sale and craft vendors. The event is sponsored by the Ligonier Parks and Recreation Department and will take place at Pettit Park, located on S.R. 5 (Cavin Street) at the north edge of downtown Ligonier. Hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. At the Parks Department booth there will be a silent auction featuring three new purses that contain a special surprise gift of either a 1 month, 6 month or 1 year membership along with other items. Youth and adult t-shirts from past sports programs will also be available at reduced prices. Adults sizes are $1, or two for $1.50; youth sizes are 75 cents for one or two for $1. There is also going to be a lot of good food along with special music by Emily Thomas and the New Life Church. This event is a fundraiser for the Park Department’s youth programs and activities. To reserve a booth call 894-7344.
The Advance Leader P.O. Box 30 Ligonier, IN 46767 Phone: 894-3102 • Fax: 894-3102
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Lowell Farrand of rural Ligonier stands in front of airplanes at the Goshen Municipal Airport. Farrand, 80, is one of the nation’s top experts in aviation safety, specializing in small, experi-
mental aircraft. He was honored Thursday by the Experimental Aircraft Association at the group’s annual convention at Oshkosh, Wis.
Ligonier man is top flight
COLUMBIA CITY — An Albion man was killed in an industrial accident in Whitley County late Monday, the Whitley County coroner’s office said. Jeffery A. Flory, 44, of Albion died as the result of an accident at the Steel Mr. Flory Dynamics Inc. plant at 2800 S. C.R. 800E, the coroner’s office said. An autopsy determined that Flory died of blunt force trauma with multiple internal injuries, Whitley County Coroner Frederick R. Dellinger said. He ruled the death to be accidental. Emergency personnel were called to SDI shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, according to dispatch records. The coroner’s office began its investigation at about 10:30 p.m., a news release said. The autopsy will be performed at the Allen County coroner’s office, but the Whitley County coroner will remain officially in charge of the investigation. SDI is working in cooperation with the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration to determine the cause of the accident, said Ben Eisbart, SDI ice president of human resources. An OSHA press release said it has up to six mon ths to complete an investigation, but this type of investigation usually takes about two months. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Flory family and to Jeff’s co-workers,” Eisbart said. Flory was a graduate of West Noble High School in the class of 1987. Assisting at the scene were the Indiana State Police, Whitley County Sheriff’s Department and Union Township Fire Department. Mr. Flory’s viewing will be held this Saturday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Brazzell Funeral Home in Albion. His funeral will also be held there on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Farrand one of nation’s leading aviation Save the BY BOB BUTTGEN
leader@kpcmedia.com
LIGONIER — Lowell Farrand of Ligonier has lived a life of quiet satisfaction, concentrating on the activity that makes him the happiest: flying. Now at age 80, Farrand has been honored by the aviation industry for his many decades of dedication to aviation safety and research. He flew last week to Oshkosh, Wis., where Thursday night he received the 2013 Tony Bingelis Award, recognizing his involvement in the homebuilt aviation community. It was presented by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) at the group’s annual convention. “I’ve been flying since 1946. Back in those days, we would just fly for fun,” he said. “I was 14 when I first started, and took lessons at 17, just to make it legal. Since then, I’ve logged 5,280 hours in the air.” The rural Ligonier home of Farrand and Gaylia, his wife and navigator of 61 years, opens up onto a flying strip in their
The fast just got Faster...
backyard, making it convenient to fly whenever the feeling hits. As a youngster, Farrand built model airplanes. “And as soon as I got old enough, I would ride my bike to the Goshen airport and wash the bugs off the planes for the pilots,” he said. “Finally, they let me start taxiing and putting them away in the hangar, and I flew my first flight when I was 14.” Farrand soon will be 81 and says he still flies at least once a week. All those flying hours have not been solely for recreation. Farrand is one of the nation’s foremost experts in making sure experimental aircraft are safe. He is an innovator in that field — that’s one of the reasons he was honored by the EAA. Farrand was a part of the original EAA designee program in the 1960s. In addition to helping others ensure safety in building and flying, he has achieved major accomplishments in the aviation community, including co-designing and piloting the first powered parachute in the
United States and building and demonstrating some of the first gyroplanes in the U.S. He has served as an FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative since 2004. Thousands of pilots and airplane owners have benefited from his expertise. “I’m a flight adviser and a tech counselor,” he said. “I’ve built and restored many planes, including some old ones. I like to help people who are building their own planes with their problems.” Farrand worked close with Bingelis, one of the EAA’s founders, in the 1960s and ’70s. “He wrote books on airplanes and was way ahead of the game than anyone else, when it came to small aircraft,” Farrand said. Farrand is a founding chapter member and the Young Eagles coordinator of EAA Chapter 132, based in Elkhart, which since its inception has been known as “the builders unit.” He previously received the “Man and Machine” prize from the EAA in 1972 for his efforts at the Oshkosh air show,
SEE FARRAND, PAGE 2
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dates for United Way kickoffs LIGONIER — The United Way of Noble County has set the dates for three kick-off events for its 2013 campaign. In Ligonier, a free lunch will be served on Sept. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in front of the Ligonier Police Station and City Hall on South Cavin Street. Similar events are planned for Albion on Aug. 29 and Kendallville on Aug. 22. The public is invited to learn more about how it can support the United Way and its fundrasing efforts for nonprofit groups in Noble County. Call the United Way office at 347-6822, or visit its website at www.uwnoble.org.
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