Paula Kay (Bourff) Couture, Michelle Renee McClure, Linda Bivens, Jorge Lopez Gonzalez, Dallas T. Jackson, Schuyler Townsend, Steven Joseph Barton, Charles Milton "Milt" Brown, Loretta Sue Rinkenberg
Paula Kay (Bourff) Couture
Mrs. Paula Kay (Bourff) Couture passed away at her home on March 3, 2025, in Peru, Indiana, at the age of 79.
Born on February 10, 1946, in Kokomo, Indiana, Paula dedicated her life to caring for others. Paula graduated from the St. Mary’s College School of Nursing (1964-1967). She worked for 40 years as a registered nurse, most notably serving as an Oncology Nursing Supervisor at Saint Joseph Hospital in Kokomo, IN. Her commitment to the field of nursing left a lasting impact on both colleagues and patients alike.
Beyond her professional life, Paula had a deep passion for genealogy and was a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Her dedication to tracing family history and preserving the heritage of our country was a source of great joy and fulfillment. In her later years, she received comfort from her kitty Mozart.
Paula is survived by her spouse Donald J. Couture Sr., their children Donald J. and wife Tracye Couture Jr. and Ashley Couture, their grandchildren Madeline Couture and Zander Hargens, and her siblings David E. Bourff, John G. and wife Jennifer Bourff, Patrick J. and wife Jacqueline Bourff, Regina A. and husband Herman Pickett, Cecilia R. Jackson and Lisa M. Speight. She was preceded in death by her son Christopher A. Couture and parents Edgbert "Eddie" and Mary "Mitzi" Bourff.
A graveside service will be held on March 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM at Galveston Cemetery, located at 12445 County Rd. 1000 E, Galveston, Indiana, 46932. Flowers may be sent to Ellers Mortuary and Cremation Center, 3400 S. Webster Street, Kokomo.
Paula’s memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew her.
Michelle Renee McClure
Michelle Renee McClure, 53, of Kokomo, passed away on Monday, March 3, 2025, at her home. She was born on July 1, 1971, in Kokomo, IN, the daughter of Douglas R. McClure and Beth (Porter) Montgomery.
Michelle graduated from Western High School. She worked as a receptionist at Eye Physicians – Kokomo. Michelle was a member of the Mt. Pisgah Missionary Baptist Church.
Michelle is survived by her mother Beth (Monty) Montgomery, children Aaron (Monica) Workman, Ashleigh (Kevin) Harris, and Jake Workman, grandchildren Kayden, Kyomi, Zaveah, Oliver, Sadie, and Livy, aunt Valorie (Ed) Stone, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Along with her father Douglas R. McClure, Michelle was preceded in death by her brother Douglas A. McClure, maternal grandparents Jack & Margaret Porter, and paternal grandparents Howard & Louise McClure.
A funeral service celebrating Michelle’s life will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, March 10, 2025, at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home, 1315 W. Lincoln Rd., Kokomo. Friends are invited to visit with the family from 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Monday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shirley & Stout Funeral Home to assist the family with final expenses. Messages of condolence may be left at www.shirleyandstout.com.
Linda Bivens
Linda Bivens, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend to all, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. She was surrounded by her family and the memories of a life well-lived.
She was born on February 17, 1944, in Tipton County, Indiana, to Fred and Violet (Stroup) VanBibber. Linda was a woman of warmth, kindness, and quiet strength. She had a deep love for animals, always finding joy in the company of her beloved pets and the simple beauty of nature. Whether it was feeding the birds or tending to her garden, she had a way of making the world around her feel more alive. Linda worked at the General Motors plant in Kokomo for several years.
Her kitchen was a place of comfort and love, where the smell of homemade chicken and noodles, biscuits and gravy, or sugar cream pies meant family and friends were nearby. She believed in the power of a good meal to bring people together, and no one ever left her table hungry.
Linda is survived by children Tammy Watson and Rick & Raquel Bivens, grandchildren Patrick Ray, Kyle Ray, Kayla & Ross Ellenberger, Reese Bivens, Reagan Bivens, and Remy Bivens, great-grandchildren Ava and Owen Ellenberger, and Brayden Ray. She is also survived by her niece and nephew Michelle Morgan and Bill Van Bibber and friend Robert Olsen. We will forever cherish the love, laughter, and wisdom she shared. She is now reunited with those who passed before her, including her mother and father Violet and Fred Van Bibber, her brother Bill Van Bibber, and Richard T. Bivens.
Her life was a testament to kindness, resilience, and the beauty of simple joys. Though she may be gone, her spirit will live on in the hearts of her family and all those who loved her.
The family will receive friends from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday, March 11, at Young-Nichols Funeral Home. No formal services are planned.
Memorial donations may be made to the Kokomo Humane Society, 729 E Hoffer St., Kokomo, IN, 46902.
Jorge Lopez Gonzalez
Jorge Lopez Gonzalez, 68, of Kokomo, passed away at 6:27 p.m. at Community Howard Hospital in Kokomo on March 1, 2025. He was born on November 15, 1956, son of Aniceto Lopez and Catalina Gonzalez. On March 10, 1997, he married Dana Lynn (Downs) Lopez Gonzalez, and she preceded him in death on March 17, 2016.
Jorge spent 60 years working as a sub-contractor at Lopez Construction. He was a business owner, construction worker, worked in the restaurant service, and was a handyman. Jorge enjoyed horseback riding, spending time with family and friends, and loved animals.
He is survived by his children Kathleen Cole and Caleb Cole, mother Catalina Gonzalez, grandchildren Camdyn Cole and Adyleigh Cole, brothers-in-law, Placido Quezada Cruz, Daniel Bitner, and Andrew Woods, sisters-in-law Misty Quezada Cruz, April Bitner, and Dawn Woods, loved like his own Misty (Cole) Cox and Shannara Fife, extended family Jeffrey Moore, and many nieces and nephews.
Along with his wife Dana, he was preceded in death by his father Aniceto Lopez.
A funeral service celebrating Jorge’s life will be held at 12:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home – Jefferson Street, 414 W. Jefferson St, Kokomo. Burial will follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Peru. Friends may visit with the family from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the service at the funeral home. Contributions may be made to Shirley & Stout Funeral Home to help with funeral expenses. Messages of condolence may be left at www.shirleyandstout.com.
Dallas T. Jackson
Dallas T. Jackson, 77, of Kokomo, died peacefully at his residence on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, with his family by his side. He was born in Thompkinsville, Kentucky, on June 14, 1947, to Ozzie and Ada (Pickering) Jackson. Dallas married Lorinda Evans on March 13, 2009.
Dallas was proud to serve his country in the U.S. Army, serving two deployments in Vietnam; the first time from 1965-1967, and his second deployment was from 1973-1976, where he received debilitating injuries, eventually rendering him disabled. Dallas also served in the Indiana National Guard from 1976-1980. He did have an opportunity to work at the General Motors plant in Marion as a supervisor in the security department, retiring in 2004.
His memberships included the Disabled American Veterans in Kokomo, the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kokomo, and the American Legion in Tipton. He was an avid fisherman, enjoyed watching western movies, football games, and also played many games on his computer. He often played board games like Yahtzee and Aggravation with his sister.
He is survived by his wife Lorinda of Kokomo, children Lorynn Rae Crownover and husband Derek of Tipton, Christine Power and husband Tommy of Kokomo, and Brian Baugher, Jr. of Kokomo. Grandchildren include Kyndal, Aaliyah and Thomas Power, and Finley Crownover and a granddaughter arriving in June. Dallas has several nieces and nephews and a sister-in-law Connie Jackson
He was preceded in death by all of his siblings: Opal Blythe, Geraldine Ogden, Jewel Murray, Alice Tubbs, Joyce Miller, and James Jackson.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 13, at 1:30 P.M. at Brookside Free Methodist Church, 190 East, 400 South, Kokomo, with burial to follow at Fairview Cemetery in Tipton. Pastor Jeff Bradley will preside. Visitation will be at Young-Nichols Funeral Home in Tipton Wednesday, March 12, from 4:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. and at the church on Thursday beginning at 12:30.
Memorial donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas, 66675-8516.
Online condolences may be made on his obituary page at www.young-nichols.com.
Schuyler Townsend
Schuyler Townsend, age 81, of Kokomo, Indiana, passed away on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. Schuyler was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Schuyler is survived by his wife Karen Townsend, his son Mitch Townsend (Shannon), his daughter Becca McDole (Dave), his son Joshua Keller (Christal), his son Derrick Keller (Jessica), his daughter Ashley Keller (fiancé, Jonathan Winterrowd), his daughter Haleigh McDole, and his daughter Zoe Underwood, his grandchild Madaleine Niemi (Michael), his grandchild Camryn Manfred (Ryan), his grandchild Ava Townsend, his grandchild Keighan McDole, his grandchild Ayden McDole, his grandchild Morgan Schmitt, his grandchild Ethan Keller (Kayla), his grandchild Olivia Woolf (Cole), his grandchild Cobee Rice, his grandchild Colt Craig, his grandchild Amelia Keller, his grandchild Owen Keller, his grandchild Austin Davis, his grandchild Brandon Davis (Javier Torres), his grandchild Carleigh Davis, his grandchild Jaxon Underwood, his grandchild Claire Underwood, his grandchild Kendall Cottrell, and his great-grandchild Theodore Schuyler Green.
Schuyler was preceded in death by his father Stockton Woodward Townsend (Ruth Barbara Muench).
A gathering of family & friends for Schuyler will be held Friday, March 14, 2025, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Ellers Mortuary & Crematory Center, 3400 S. Webster Street, Kokomo, Indiana 46902, followed by a funeral service with military honors at 6:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Schuyler's memory may be made to Indy Honor Flight, PO Box 10, Plainfield, Indiana 46168 US, https://www.indyhonorflight.org/.
Steven Joseph Barton
Steven Joseph Barton, 43, of Greenfield, passed away at 11:26 a.m. at his home on Monday, March 3, 2025. He was born on November 16, 1981, son of Cliff Barton and Deborah (Dennis) Oberdorf, in Canandaigua, New York.
Steven attended Kokomo High School and received an HVAC certification at Ivy Tech. He worked as a Service Technician with Excel Group for 16 years. Steve went to Fuel Church in Kokomo. He loved to golf in the spring and summer as well as spending time outdoors and time with his kids and family. He enjoyed attending family cookouts and firing up the grill. He spent a lot of time being involved with travel softball with his daughter Adilynn.
Along with his parents Deborah and Bruce Oberdorf, he is survived by his children Gracie Barton, Adilynn Barton, and Garrett Barton, mother of his children Amber Barton, siblings Jennifer Barton, Matt Barton, Danielle Hendricks, Bruce Oberdorf, Suellen Oberdorf, and Carter Oberdorf, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A funeral service celebrating Steve’s life will be held at 12:00 p.m., Saturday, March 15, 2025, at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home, 1315 W Lincoln Road, Kokomo. Burial will follow in Albright Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the service at the funeral home. Contributions may be made to Shirley & Stout Funeral Home to help assist the family with funeral expenses. Messages of condolence may be left at www.shirleyandstout.com.
Charles Milton "Milt" Brown
Charles Milton "Milt" Brown of Kokomo died at age 98 on February 27, 2025. He was born in Chicago, IL, on January 17, 1927. He married his beloved wife Helen L. (Seitz) Brown on December 19, 1948, and she passed away on May 21, 2012. He lived in Kokomo, IN, from 1951 until the present and was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Kokomo for more than 65 years. He volunteered for Meals on Wheels and The Samaritan Caregivers. He was a long-time member of Club Kokomo Roadrunners and a member of the Club Kokomo Hall of Fame.
He lived in South Bend, IN, from 1931 until 1951, was an Eagle Scout, and graduated from Washington-Clay High School in 1944, where he played basketball and ran track. He held the St. Joseph County half-mile running record. Milt was in the U.S. Navy from 1944-46 as a Signalman and served on the USS Argonne for four months and the captured Japanese battleship Nagato, in the Pacific for seven months after the end of WWII, and sailed on the Nagato from Tokyo Bay to Bikini Atoll in the Pacific for the atomic bomb tests in 1946.
He attended Ball State Teachers College from 1946-49 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 1950 and a Master of Arts degree in Education in 1960. He ran track and cross-country at Ball State, earned seven major letters, and held the mile and two-mile records. He was a licensed Indiana High School track starter and official for 25 years and volunteered for more than 50 years at the Kokomo Relays, Sectional and Regional, and other high school track meets.
His hobbies were vegetable gardening, running, walking, traveling, and woodworking. He made many pieces of furniture for their home and for other family members and friends. He taught and coached sports at Ervin School in the Northwestern School System from 1951-1960 and taught and coached basketball, track, softball, and cross- country in elementary and middle grades at Bon Air School in Kokomo from 1960-1989.
He was a member of the Howard County Retired Teachers, the Indiana State Retired Teachers, and the Garden Wall Garden Club and was an insurance agent for Columbus Life for about 44 years.
Surviving are a son and daughter-in-law Dr. Gregory Brown and Dr. Sandy Brown, a daughter and son-in-law Jill and Bob Cooke, a sister Donna Clapp, grandchildren Emily Varin, (Matt), Zack (Nicolette) Cooke, Jason Brown, and Anne (Stefan) Houff, great-granddaughters Isabel Cooke and Kaija Houff, and great-grandsons Max Cooke and Boden Houff.
Preceding him in death were his parents Charles A. Brown and Hallie Marie Brown, brother and sister-in-law Richard Brown and Trudy Brown, brother-in- law and sister-in-law Robert Osborn and Dorothy Osborn, brother-in-law Robert Clapp, brother Jim Brown and sister-in-law Becky Brown, brother Don Brown, brother-in-law Eugene Seitz and sister-in-law Jean Seitz, and very close friend and loving companion for five years Myrna Tappan, who passed away on Feb.12, 2018.
A ceremony celebrating Milt’s life will be held at Grace United Methodist Church at 219 W. Mulberry Street, Kokomo IN 46901 on Sunday, March 23, 2025. Visitation will be at 2 p.m. and the memorial service at 3 p.m.
Loretta Sue Rinkenberg
Loretta Sue Rinkenberg, 63, of Kokomo, passed away at 8:00 p.m., Monday, March 3, 2025, in Kokomo. She was born in Kokomo, IN, on November 18, 1961, the daughter of Jimmy Rutherford and Kathryn (Atkinson) Unger. On November 22, 1981, she married Buddy Rinkenberg in Kokomo, and he survives.
Sue was a 1980 graduate of Haworth High School. She spent her years in the service industry working at Ponderosa, Scotty’s as a manager, and as a nail tech for 27 years. She was a member of the Upper Deer Creek Church in Galveston where she sang in the church choir and helped prepare funeral dinners. Sue had tremendous love for her family, grandkids, and friends. She was a caregiver to her dad with her younger sister Airhy.
Along with her husband Buddy, she is survived by her daughters Tiffany (Josh) Boyle and Samantha (Kyle Byrd) Rios, grandchildren Degan Boyle, Malia Shellnut, Amelia Rios, and Roman Byrd, siblings Ed (Susan) Rutherford, Mary Kay Taskey, Angie (Lance) Calvert, and Airhy Newcome, mother Kathryn, and bonus dad Randy Unger.
Sue is preceded in death by her father Jimmy Rutherford, daughter Kathryn Pauline Rinkenberg, and in-laws Robert and Phyllis Rinkenberg.
A celebration of Sue’s life will be from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Cross America, 840 Daniel Dr, Kokomo. Contributions may be made in Sue’s memory to donor’s favorite charity or to Kokomo Great Banquet. Messages of condolence may be left at www.shirleyandstout.com.