Obituary
SOURCE: Marietta Times . . December 2000Virginia Mae Smithberger, 76, of Woodsfield, died Friday (Dec. 22, 2000) at home.
She was born Jan. 20, 1924, in Stanleyville, Washington County, daughter of the late George H. Miller and Wava Virginia Zimmer Miller.
She was a member of St. Sylvester Catholic Church, Woodsfield; former 4-H adviser and a member of the St. Sylvester Church Women’s Club.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Ellis Smithberger, who died Oct. 1999; and an infant daughter, Andrea Ellen Smithberger.
She leaves two sons, Donald Smithberger of St. Clairsville and Delbert (Nancy) Smithberger of Woodfield; two daughters, Mrs. David (Mary) Tubaugh of Columbus and Mrs. Jerry (Susan) Cunion of Woodsfield; four brothers, Bemon Miller and Lewis Miller, both of Marietta, Paul Miller of Parkersburg, W.Va. and Dale Miller of Colorado.; a sister, Irma Jean Poole of Marietta; seven grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Friends and family may call 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Bauer-Turner Funeral Home, Woodsfield. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Sylvester Catholic Church with the Rev. Fr. David Gaydosik officiating. A vigil service will be 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Burial will be in St. Sylvester Catholic Church Cemetery.
Living in St. Clairsville, Belmont Co., OH in 2000.
Living in Woodfield, OH in 2000.
Living in Columbus, OH in 2000.
Living in Woodsfield, OH in 2000.
On June 5, 1917,28 year old self-employed farmer Clemence Paul Smthberger filled out a U.S. military draft registration card. Clemence was a resident of Lower Salem R.F.D. 1 at the time. He indicated that he was born on 22 Oct 1889 in Harriettsville, Ohio. When asked about his dependents, he listed only "wife" (without naming her). Clemence stated that he had rheumatism. He was described as being tall and slender with blue eyes and light brown hair.
Andrew Arnold’s obituary was published on 11 Nov 1968 in the Zanesville Times Recorder:
BEVERLY - Andrew Leonard Arnold, 72, of Beverly, a retired farmer,
died at 2 p.m. Saturday (Nov 9) in Marietta Memorial Hospital following
an illness.
He was born Sept. 19 1896 in Watertown, Washington County, a son
of the late John and Ann DeTemple Arnold. Mr. Arnold was a member
of St. John’s Catholic Church at Churchtown and its Holy Name Society.
Surviving are a sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Smithberger of Woodsfield; three
nephews, Harold Smithberger of Woodsfield, Paul Smithberger of Canton,
and Ralph Smithberger of Columbus. A twin brother is deceased.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at McCurdy funeral
home in Beverly where Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. today.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday in St. John’s Church with Rev.
Fr. Charles Highland officiating. Burial will be in Churchtown Cemetery.
The following article appeared in the Zanesville Times Recorder on 17 Dec 1943:
WOODSFIELD MAN GETS SILVER WINGS
Another link in the chain of growing U.S. air power
was forged recently as navigation schools of the AAF
Training Command awarded silver wings to a host of
newly qualified combat navigators.
After successful completion of 18 weeks of compre-
hensive air and ground training, these young Americans
from every state in the Union are ready to lead AAF
bombers to the crumbling defense of Axis-held Europe,
and to the uneasy strongholds of Japan.
“We’ll find the Way” is the slogan of the AAF’s skilled
“compass men.” Bombers guided by American navigators
have delivered tons of death and destruction to the enemy,
and more will follow.
Some of the new graduates were officers before en-
tering navigation training. Those who trained as cadets
received with their wings their commissions as flight
officers or second lieutenants.
Each of them is an aerial export, trained to find the
target by day or by night, in fair or inclement weather.
Team work is their forte and the Axis their common
objective.
Graduating from Ellington Army Air Field is 2nd Lt.
Ralph W. Smithberger, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Smith-
berger, of Woodsfield, whose picture is shown here.
Also graduating from Ellington Field was 2nd Lt.
Joseph T. Smith, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clifford A. Smith,
of Clarington.
Ralph Smithberger's obituary appeared in the Marietta Times: COLUMBUS - Ralph Smithberger, 84, of Columbus
died Thursday (Sept. 26, 2002). He was born Nov. 8, 1917, in Bethel Township, Mon-
roe County, to Clemens Paul and Elizabeth Theresa
Arnold Smithberger. He graduated from Bethel Township
High School in Monroe County in 1935, and attended
Marietta Business College.
He enlisted July 2, 1941, in the U.S. Army Air Corps
at Patterson Field in Dayton, and served for five years,
including one year overseas during World War II in
aerial combat as a second lieutenant and B-17 naviga-
tor in the U.S. 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb Group, 334
Squadron, Horsham, England. He was shot down by
German FW-190s on his fifth bombing run to Leipzig,
Germany, and crash landed on May 29, 1944, near
Wittenberg, Germany. He was imprisoned for eight
months in Stalag Luft III at Sagan, and in Stalag 7A
at Moosburg and liberated by troops of the 3rd Army,
14th Armored Division, under the command of Gen.
George S. Patton on April 29, 1945. He was awarded
the Purple Heart and European African Middle Eastern
Campaign medals. He served in the Air Force Reserves
from November 1945 to May 1949, and Ohio National
Guard from May 1949 to May 1951, during the Korean
War. He was featured in an article in The Columbus
Dispatch on April 29, 1995. He was employed for 40 years with Franklin County
Engineering Department, U.S. Veterans Administration
and Farm Bureau Cooperative Association. He was a member of Our Lady of Victory Parish and
recipient of the Columbus Diocese Catholic Bishop's
Award. He was co-author of "A History of the Smithberger
Family in America, 1840-1982," and president of the
annual Smithberger reunion for 18 years. He is survived by his former wife, Lucille Handley
Smithberger of Columbus; three daughters, Karen
(Daniel) Royer of Columbus, Mary Smithberger of
Sacramento, Calif., and Rita (Thomas) Heiby of Upper
Arlington; two sons, Joseph (Linda) Smithberger of
Pickerington and Thomas (Janis) Smithberger of Falls
Church, Va.; one brother, Paul Smithberger of Marion;
10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother,
Harold Smithberger; one sister-in-law, Melba Blowers
Smithberger; and one son-in-law, Donald Barringer. A funeral Mass was celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at
Our Lady of Victory Church. Burial was in Resurrection
Cemetery in Columbus. Egan-Ryan Funeral Home, 403
E. Broad St., Columbus, handled the arrangements.