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.
Tag: obituary
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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SMART TD member and former railroad conductor, William “Butch” E. Young III died at the age of 74 on Feb. 15, 2017, in Chino, Calif. Family was his main priority, and Butch was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
He is survived by his wife Carol; son Mike, daughter-in-law Lisa and their boys Nathan and Garrett; son Danny and daughter-in-law Julie; and his sister Dianne Howard and brother-in-law Jim Howard.
Young served his country in the Vietnam War as a tank commander and rose to the level of sergeant. After his military service, he spent the rest of his life devoted to helping others in both his personal life and in his professional life. Most knew Young as a dedicated union man who loved his job and the people that he worked with.
He served as the UTU local chairperson for Local 113 in Winslow, Ariz., for 15 years and finished his career as the Coastlines general chairperson. He will be missed by his many friends and his family who held him so dearly, and he will be remembered always.
Memorial Services were private. Click here to leave condolences for the family.
Richard P. “DG” De Genova, 67, died Tuesday, February 14 surrounded by his family.
De Genova hired out with the Youngstown and Southern (Y&S) Railway while attending Youngstown State University (YSU). After receiving his BA in History/Secondary Education in 1972, he was a substitute teacher for the Struthers, Lowellville and Campbell, Ohio, high schools.
De Genova realized that his true passion was the railroad and hired out as a brakeman with the then B&O Railroad (now CSX) in August of 1973. Throughout his career, he held the positions of brakeman, road conductor and yardmaster. A member of Local 1948 in Youngstown, Ohio, De Genova served the union as general chairperson for CSX B&O Yardmasters (GCA 247) for 24 years. He settled countless claims for the membership and worked tirelessly to defend the rights of the membership.
In his free time, De Genova was a history buff who enjoyed reading historical books and watching documentaries. He was also a fan of the Cleveland Indians and other local baseball teams.
De Genova is survived by his wife of 38 years, Phyllis (Gallas); two daughters, Angela (Jonathan) Bellack and Natalie De Genova; parents, Mary K. and Joseph De Genova; and sister, Barb (Gary) Roberts. He was preceded in death by an infant son, Patrick.
Visiting hours are Friday, Feb. 17 from 5-8 p.m. at the Higgins-Reardon Funeral Home, 2726 Center Rd., Poland, OH 44514. A prayer service will be held Saturday, Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home. A mass of Christian burial will follow at 10 a.m. at the Holy Family Parish, 2729 Center Rd., Youngstown, OH 44514.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Beatitude House, 238 Tod Lane, Youngstown, OH 44504-1714, or online at www.beatitudehouse.com.
Click here to read De Genova’s official obituary and to leave condolences.
SMART TD extends their condolences to the De Genova family, friends and all who knew De Genova.
SMART TD retired General Chairperson Cory Mayberry (Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway GCA 329) was fatally injured in a motorcycle crash at 2:30 p.m. November 4, 2015. Mayberry served as general chairperson for 13 years representing switchmen, hostlers and yardmasters on the former Elgin, Joliet and Eastern and Gary Railway.
He is survived by his wife Helen (Vorgias) Mayberry; sons, Justin Mayberry of Valparaiso, Frank (Kira) Quarles, Cory (Tylar Fiscus) Mayberry II; mother, Anna Ross and step father, Ben Ross; brother, Eric (Karen) Mayberry; sister, Debi Krall; grandchildren, Annah Mayberry and Tyler Peek and one granddaughter on the way; and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Mayberry; sisters, Lorrie Boyd and Kimberly Duncan.
SMART TD Vice President David Wier said, “Mayberry was one-of-a-kind and represented his members with everything he had. He was the consummate general chairperson and will be sorely missed by his SMART TD brothers and sisters.”
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Edmonds & Evans Funeral Home, 6941 Central Avenue, Portage, Ind. Visitation for friends and family will be November 8 from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held November 9 at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Graceland Cemetery, Valparaiso, Ind.
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