September 2024

GLORIA L. HIGHWARDEN

PAULDING, OH: Gloria L. Highwarden, age 65, passed away on Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Parkview Regional Medical Center, Fort Wayne. Gloria was born on February 6, 1959 in Paulding, OH to the late Raymond and Mary (Almaraz) Delgado. On December 31, 1988 she married Donald Highwarden, who survives. For 20 years, Gloria worked for North American Stamping Group in Paulding, OH as part of the production team. In her spare time, she loved crossword puzzles, watching her TV shows, sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine. Along with her loving husband, Donald, Gloria is survived by her sons: Eric (Jeremy Zumwalt) Highwarden, Fort Wayne, IN; David Highwarden, Paulding, OH; daughter, Courtney (Chris) Rusk, Galena, OH; sisters: Rosa (James) Orthman, Fort Wayne, IN; Mary (Charles) Bruce, Rome City, IN; Ofelia Morr, Kendalville, IN; Sylvia (Mark) Delgado Stickroth, Oro Valley, AZ; grandchildren: Connor and Camryn Rusk. Gloria is also preceded in death by her infant son, Shane Delgado. Funeral service was held at 12:00 P.M. on Friday, September 6, 2024 at Den Herder Funeral Home with Pastor Tony Echols. officiating. Burial will follow in Paulding Memorial Cemetery, Paulding. Visitation was from 10:00 A.M. until time of services on Friday at the funeral home. Online condolences may be shared at www. denherderfh.com.

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MARY J. DONLEY

PAULDING, OH: Mary J. Donley, age 90, passed away on Monday, September 2, 2024 at the Gardens of Paulding. Mary was born on September 21, 1933 in Paulding, OH to the late Harry W. and Inez (Allen) Mobley. She married Paul G. Donley, who preceded her in death on September 1, 1999. Mary worked as a nurse’s aide at Paulding County Hospital for 17 years. She was the assistant leader of the Girl Scouts. Mary loved crafting, gardening, and camping. She attended First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Paulding. Mary is survived by her daughter, Kim Marie Donley, Paulding, OH; brother, Harry W. “Butch” (Marge) Mobley, Paulding, OH; many loving nieces and nephews. Mary is also preceded in death by her sisters, Loretta Crawford and Helen Gunderman; a nephew, Sid Crawford. Funeral service was held at 1:30 P.M. on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at Den Herder Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Blakeslee Cemetery, Brown Township. Visitation was from 12:00 P.M. - 1:00 P.M. on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at Den Herder Funeral Home. The family requests no flowers or funeral memorabilia, please direct any memorial contributions in Mary’s memory to the Paulding County Dog Shelter. Online condolences may be shared at www. denherderfh.com.

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Panthers stay unbeaten

PAULDING – The Paulding Panthers returned to Keysor Field Friday night to host North Central from Williams County and the game was dominated by the maroon and white, scoring early and often in a 58-0 blanking of the visiting Eagles. Also in Paulding County Friday night, Wayne Trace saw a late lead disappear in the final minute as the Raiders fell to Spencerville 28-27 while Antwerp dropped a 55-6 decision to Edon.

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Oakwood Homecoming

The weather cooperated for a Labor Day that was significantly cooler than the week before. The holiday weekend marks the annual Oakwood Homecoming celebration. The event culminates with a parade down 1st Street past local landmarks Cooper Community Library and the Landing Strip.

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Soybean murder mystery

Solving murder mysteries is a popular game but when it affects your crops, it is serious business! Soybean yields have been stagnating for years. Some farmers get great yields (70-90 bushel/ acre), but many farmers average 50-65 bushel/ acre.

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To bee or not to bee

Being allergic to honeybee stings has made me very respectful of bees of all kinds, as well as wasps. I do not have the reaction to wasp stings that I do those of honeybees, but one thing is the same of both – they hurt.

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Thank you, McDonald’s

On behalf of Paulding EMS, we want to say a special “Thank You” to McDonald’s for generously donating breakfast sandwiches to all of us who were working at the fire in Paulding on Sunday, September 1st. That act of kindness was appreciated by our Paulding Firefighters, Antwerp Firefighters, Payne Firefighters, Paulding EMS, Deputies and Police on scene, and our Dispatchers working at the Sheriff’s Office. The extra boost of nutrition and kindness is what we all needed to keep working until the job was done. There are many benefits to living in a small community and this is certainly one of them!

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It’s a nerd thing, you wouldn’t understand

So we were shopping and my loving wife found herself suddenly outnumbered. The two employees that just took our money revealed that they both collected comics. We were bonding, these two, myself, and my daughter that I’m doing my best to carry on the traditions of nerdom. My wife related how I used to own enough boxes of comics to build furniture with them. She then related that she finds it absurd that I’ll buy bagged and boarded comic books and proceed to immediately rebag and board them with my preferred supplies. The two employees completely understood... why I would do that.

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