Phyllis Reed of Florence, Ky., passed away Wednesday, January 3, 2018, at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Florence. Phyllis was born Aug. 17, 1939, to the late Victor and Mary Osborn.
She married former B&O General Committee General Chairman J.T. “Terry” Reed in 1962, he preceded Phyllis in death on March 5, 2013. Phyllis was self taught and a very motivated person. She enjoyed cooking, crafts and the occasional political debate with her husband.
A visitation is at Floral Hills Funeral Home on Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, from noon until time of the Funeral Service at 2 p.m. Burial will immediately follow in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens. Phyllis is survived by her daughter Melody and and son in law Alex Warner; grandson Dave and his wife Tracy Warner; granddaughter and Shelby and her husband Greg Turner; granddaughter Alison Warner; great-grandchildren Joshua, Tristan and Gavin Warner. Please visit www.floralhillsmemorialgardens.com to leave online condolences.
Tag: obituary
Gregory Gabriel Meehan, 87, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, surrounded by his family.
Visitation was at Buckley Funeral Home, 509 Second Ave., Asbury Park, N.J., Dec. 3. Funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 4 at Holy Spirit Church, 705 Second Ave., Asbury Park, N.J.
Born to Joseph and Helen Meehan on May 30, 1930, in Jersey City, Greg lived most of his life in North Arlington before spending his last years in Asbury Park, N.J.
Greg started his career with the Intercity Bus Company which became part of New Jersey Transit and worked as a bus driver for 37 years, many of them out of the Madison Avenue garage in Paterson, N.J. With great pride, he represented his fellow drivers in contract negotiations, grievances and arbitration issues as the chairman of his United Transportation Union local for more than 20 years until his retirement in 1992.
“Serving the UTU as a local chairman was a source of great pride for him,” his daughter, Kerry Dorio, said in an email. “He relished the opportunities at the conventions every four years.”
“We will always remember him tapping away at the typewriter via single finger, during his split to work on his union business.”
Greg was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Constance Meehan, and leaves five children and five grandchildren.
Clyde Larson, 62, described as “an absolute pillar” of the railroad labor community in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, died on Nov. 8.
“Brother Clyde was a tremendously generous person and assisted all crafts,” said SMART TD Minnesota Legislative Director Phillip Qualy. “Clyde helped an untold number of railroad workers and our families with railroad and non-railroad matters.”
Larson, of Hermantown, Minn., was a member of UTU Local 1292 and worked as a conductor on the Duluth Missabe and Iron Range, later CN Railway, first hiring out in 1974 at age 19 as a brakeman.
He also served as Local 1292’s Local and General Chairperson from the late 1980s to 2010, protecting one of the most lucrative steel road contracts in the United States.
He also served as legislative representative on the Minnesota Legislative Board from 2003 to 2009.
Brother Larson had served as a field investigator for the designated counsel law firm Hunegs, LeNeave and Kvas since 2010.
Clyde was serving our members in the union hall (Local 832/1175) to his final day. His ongoing dedication to his brothers and sisters of railroad labor was truly remarkable.
Brother Larson is survived by his wife, Anne, three sons, Scott, Eric, and Corey, two grandchildren and his father, Dexter Larson.
Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., with a wake prayer at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Dougherty Funeral Home in Duluth. Visitation will continue from 10-11 a.m., followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 15, at St. Lawrence Church in Duluth. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.
SMART TD extends its condolences to Clyde’s family and friends.
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Retired UTU Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) David B. Kiker, 70, died Saturday, Sept. 2. An attorney for the law firm Rossi, Cox, Kiker & Inderwish in Aurora, Colo., Kiker served as DLC until his retirement in 2003.
Kiker is survived by his wife of 45 years, Pamela Seale; three natural children, John (Jennifer) Kiker, Chris (Kate) Kiker and Polly (Spencer) Gilligan; embraced children, Ashley (Roy) Sakker and Turner (Angela) Lang; mother, Dorothy Kiker; sister, Kelly (Keith) Beitler; sister, Emily Kiker; 11 grandchildren and many other family and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, George Kiker; birth mother, Shirley Kiker; grandmother, Alma Webb; and his aunt, Jane Webb.
Funeral services will be held Friday, Sept. 8, at 11 a.m. at the Littleton Church of Christ, 6495 South Colorado Blvd., Centennial, CO 80121.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Adoption Exchange, 14232 East Evans Ave., Aurora, CO 80014; The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, 1775 Aurora Ct., Aurora, CO 80045; or to any animal cause of your choice.
Click here to read Kiker’s full obituary or to leave condolences for the family.
Retired Alternate Vice President and General Chairperson Edward Yule Jr., 81, died August 10.
As general chairperson of GCA 505, Yule was instrumental in working on agreements with Long Island Rail Road and even led UTU members in a 45-hour strike in 1994 in an effort to get the members an equitable agreement. Yule was a member of Local 645 in Babylon, N.Y., and a member of the Alumni Association. He was also a veteran of the U.S. Army.
Yule is survived by hi wife, Beatrice; sons, Kenneth (Donna) Yule and Gregory (Tracey) Yule; sisters, Carole (JK) Murray and Pamela (William) Blank; and many grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Edward (Victoria) Yule.
Memorial contributions may be made to V.N.S. Hospice “Hospice House”, 505 Main St., Northport, NY 11768. Click here to leave condolences for the family.
Hilton Durward “Dur” Masters, 86, of Newark, Ohio, unexpectedly died July 6, 2017, at his home.
Masters was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force where he served in occupied Germany following WWII. Before his retirement, he worked in the railroad industry for 42 years. He hired out with B&O Railroad as a conductor/brakeman. Before the former UTU was formed, Masters served as a local chairperson for the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (one of the four UTU predecessor unions). He was a member of UTU Local 404 located in Newark, Ohio. Under the UTU, he served as general chairperson for B&O/CSX GO 49. After serving as general chairperson, Masters was elected to the executive board, before he was elected to the position of international vice president at the 1983 and 1987 conventions.
Masters was also a member of the UTU/SMART TD Alumni Association, American Legion Post #85 and VFW Post #1060. An avid sports fan, he was a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians.
Masters is survived by his daughter, Susan (Tim) Moore; grandsons, Brian Moore, Tyler (Natasha) Moore; great grandson, Jackson Moore; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hilton Masters and Dorothy (Corder) Masters-Zipperer; wife, Ruth Marie (Stough) Masters; and brothers, William Dwayne Masters and Fred Zipperer.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, Great Rivers Affiliate, P.O. Box 15120, Chicago, IL 60693.
Click here to leave condolences for the family.
Retired General Chairperson Carlton Leon Graves, 87, died Tuesday, June 27 at the Franklin County Rehab Center in St. Albans, Vt.
Before hiring out on the railroad, Graves served in the Vermont National Guard. He also owned and operated his own dairy farm while employed by the Central Vermont Railway. He hired out in 1952 as a fireman on steam engines and retired as an engineer on Amtrak. Graves was a 50-year member of Local 256 of the former United Transportation Union (now SMART Transportation Division). He held office as general chairperson for many years.
Graves was a member of the First Baptist Church of St. Albans, where he served on the Board of Deacons and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was also a member of the Fairfield Historical Society and served as a Lister and tax collector for the town of Fairfield, Vt. He was also know for his collection of antique tractors.
Graves is survived by his wife, Joyce; children, Leon (Amy) Graves, Lisa (Kerry) Griswold, Reverend Larry (Kathy) Graves, and Jeffrey (Carla) Graves; as well as 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren; brother, Alvin Graves and many nieces and nephews.
Graves was preceded in death by his parents Guy and Louise (Gould) Graves; sons, Stephen and David; one brother and three sisters.
Family and friends will be received by the family Friday, June 30 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Heald Funeral Home, 87 South Main St., St. Albans, VT 05478. A funeral service will be held Saturday, July 1 at 1 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of St. Albans, 29 Congress St., St. Albans, VT 05478. Interment will follow at the St. Albans Bay Cemetery.
The family requests that donations be made in Graves’ memory to the Franklin County Home Health Agency, 3 Home Health Circle, St. Albans, VT 05478 or to the First Baptist Church of St. Albans, 29 Congress St., St. Albans, VT 05478, in lieu of flowers.
Click here to leave condolences for the family.
Local 1570 member and former General Chairperson Norman J. Lucas, 67, died suddenly June 19, 2017. A lifelong resident of Sacramento, Calif., he leaves behind his loving wife of 35 years, Sheila Lucas as well as two children, two grandchildren and extended family.
Lucas hired out as a brakeman in 1971 on the Sacramento Northern Railroad and soon became involved in labor-management relations. He held a variety of positions in Local 1798 eventually being elected to the position of general chairperson.
During his career as a general chairperson he represented brakemen, conductors and switchmen and represented those members through three separate mergers, Sacramento Northern and Tidewater Southern RR with Western Pacific RR, Western Pacific with Union Pacific and Union Pacific with Southern Pacific. In between all of that, he also was the general chairperson for Central California Traction RR, Modesto and Empire Traction RR, Stockton Terminal and Eastern and Alameda Belt Line RR.
Lucas was also a local delegate, local president and local legislative representative. After the merger between the UPRR and SPTCo, Lucas left the general committee to work as a switchman in Sacramento in the very same territory that he first started working on when he hired out on Sacramento Northern so long ago, eventually “pulling the pin” to retire.
Lucas was deeply involved in the California State Railroad Museum since 1984, and was one of the first volunteers to operate on the museum’s railroad, the Sacramento Southern RR. Lucas rose to become trainmaster and thereafter assistant general manager of the Sacramento Southern. He later taught GCOR and rail safety courses at Sacramento City College for students interested in railroad careers.
He was a lifelong Ham Radio Operator which the U.S. Army discovered when he was drafted and thus he was yanked out of basic training and spent two years at Ft. Ord teaching radio classes. Lucas had a multitude of hobbies from dressing up as a pirate for Renaissance Fairs where he would juggle burning batons while sporting his black powder pistol, to constructing several remote control model boats, ever tinkering with his and friends’ ham radios, campouts in the fifth wheel trailer, always helping family and friends with a variety of projects, and doting over his grandchildren.
Lucas was a hard worker and never put anything off until tomorrow that he could do today. He was blessed with many friends and will be missed by all. His wit, humor and compassion for others will never be forgotten. He stood out as a one of a kind colorful character in an industry known for its characters.
A memorial mass will be held June 30, 2017, at 11 a.m. at the Sacred Heart Church, 1040 39th St., Sacramento, CA 95816. The family requests that memorial contributions be made in lieu of flowers to the Prostate Cancer Foundation or the Sacramento Food Bank.
Click here to leave condolences for the Lucas family.
Bruce Robert Wigent, 73, of Prescott, Wis., died Wednesday, May 25 at United Hospital.
A member of Local 1709 in Pontiac, Mich., Wigent hired out as a switchman on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad in December 1964. He was first elected as a local officer in 1970 and then served as general chairperson of GO 377. Wigent was elected as a UTU International Vice President at the 1987 UTU quadrennial convention. He was re-elected to the position at the 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003 conventions. Wigent retired from the position in 2007.
As a vice president, he was instrumental in contract negotiations with SEPTA and also led a strike on the Soo Line in 1994. Wigent wholeheartedly believed in the power of unions and the right of the worker to organize, as evidenced in this 2009 video Wigent made supporting the Employee Free Choice Act.
A time of remembrance and Masonic Service is being held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 31 at the Old Ptacek’s Store Event Center, 1449 Orrin Road, Prescott, WI 54021. A visitation will be held one hour prior to services. Interment will be at Pine Glen Cemetery in Prescott.
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Seymour Kramer, 70, retired alternate vice president, bus – west, died January 20, 2017. Kramer began his career as a bus operator for Laidlaw Transit in San Francisco in 1970. As a member of Local 1741, he served as president, vice general chairperson, general chairperson and delegate.
In 1991, he was elected to the UTU’s executive board and in 1994, Kramer was appointed to the position of alternate vice president, bus – west by the UTU board of directors. He was elected to that position at the 1995 UTU convention. During his time as general chairperson and alt. vice president, Kramer assisted with many contract negotiations and assisted in organizing properties that are still part of the bus department today.
In 1996, Kramer left his post as alt. vice president and later served as a mediator for the California State Mediation and Conciliation Service.
Kramer is survived by his wife, Laurie Goldsmith; daughters Hannah and Sasha Kramer; sister Karen Florman and many friends.
Click here to leave condolences for the family.