slideshow 1 slideshow 2 slideshow 3

Hicksville 478 Officer Installation for 2018

Congratulations to Ron Farnsworth (WM), Dick Altman (SW), Hanson Lilly (JW), Rick Evans (SD), Stan Sailer (JD), Jim Kline (Tyler), Tim Betts (Tres), Ken Crouch (Sect), and Lee Kallsen (LEO)

Camp Masonry Set for August 9-12, 2018

DEO Installation


Congratulations to W.B. Marty Lawrence of Sycamore Lodge on his installation as District Education Officer for the 5th Masonic District.  From left to right, R.W.B. Doug Eis (installing marshal), R.W.B. Matthew Gloor (installing officer), W.B. Marty Lawrence (District Education Officer), R.W.B. Paul Kelly (installing chaplain), and R.W.B. Joe Stotler (installing secretary). 

Grand Lodge Communications 2017 - Eric R. Schau new Grand Master

Most Worshipful Brother Eric R. Schau (aka Rick) was born in Marietta, Ohio on February 2, 1947 to the late Betty Jean (Abicht) and Lester B. Schau. He lived in Marietta until age 9 when his family moved to Elyria.  He graduated from Elyria High School in 1965.  He worked at Ford Motor Company until joining the Navy in June of 1966.  Rick married Linda Gayle Alley on April 5, 1969.   He received his BA from Columbia College in 1976 and a Master of Education from Cleveland State University in 1983.  Rick completed a 36 year career in education in 2014 having served as Director with Vanguard-Sentinel Career Centers.  He proudly served in the Navy and Naval Reserve having completed 20 years of service.  Linda is a homemaker, having raised their two daughters, Lisa (Judd) Patterson and Amy (Jim) Kelly.  They are blessed with five grandchildren: Alexandra (Dylan) Baker, Jackson, Molly, Mitchell and Avery.  Linda and Rick are members of Calvary Baptist Church in Elyria.  They enjoy traveling, playing golf and spending time with their family and friends.  Rick and Linda currently make their home in Wakeman.
 
Most Worshipful Brother Schau is a member of Elyria Lodge No. 787 in the 22nd District and Gibson Lodge No. 301 in the 16th District, serving Elyria Lodge as Worshipful Master in 1982, 1994 & 1995 and also was Treasurer, Trustee and a member and president of the Temple Board Committee.  He is an Honorary Member of Columbus Lodge No. 30, Mid-Century Lodge No. 725, Stonington Lodge No. 503, Wellington Lodge No. 127, Pleasant Valley No. 531 and The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Ohio. 
 
Most Worshipful Brother Schau is a Thirty-Third Degree Mason of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Valley of Cleveland, having been coroneted in 2006 and a plural member of the Valley of The Firelands serving as Commander-in-Chief, of Lake Erie Consistory from 2004-2006.  He has served as President of the Lorain County Scottish Rite Society and as a member of the Valley of Cleveland Children's Learning Center Board of Governors since its inception serving as Chairman for four years.  He was recently awarded Emeritus by the Learning Center Board. Rick also currently serves as the 1st Vice President of the Cleveland Masonic Library and Museum Board.
 
He is a member of Marshal Chapter No. 47 Royal Arch Masons, Elyria Council No. 86 Royal & Select Masons, Elyria Commandery No. 60, Al Koran Shrine, ROJ Court 14, El Rey Grotto, and National Sojourners Chapter No. 23.  He and Linda are members of Stone City Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.  Rick is a Past Sovereign Master of North Central Council No. 223 Allied Masonic Degrees, Knight Companion of St. Benedict Conclave, Red Cross of Constantine, Ohio College of the SRICF and is a recipient of the Honorary Legion of Honor, Order of DeMolay.
 
Rick is a life member of VFW, Post 1079 in Elyria and AMVETS, Post 22 in Vermilion.  He is also a member of The American Legion, Post 11 in Elyria, and The Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie 4354 in Wakeman.
 
Most Worshipful Brother Schau has served the Grand Lodge of Ohio as District Education Officer, a District Deputy Grand Master and Chairman of the Grand Lodge Committee for Education and Information.  He was appointed Junior Grand Deacon of the Grand Lodge of Ohio by MWB Bradford A. Goebel for the 2010-2011 Masonic year.   He was subsequently appointed as Senior Grand Deacon, Grand Marshal, Grand Orator and was elected Junior Grand Warden in Cincinnati in 2014, Senior Grand Warden in Columbus in 2015, Deputy Grand Master in Sandusky in 2016 and he was elected to serve the Brethren of the Great State of Ohio as Grand Master, being Installed in Dayton on October 21, 2017.

Obituary for John Opdyke

John Russell Opdycke, age 91, of rural Stryker, passed away on Friday, October 13, 2017, at Genesis Health Care in Bryan. Prior to his retirement he had been a lifelong area farmer. Russ was also a gunsmith and specialized in making muzzle loading rifle barrels. He had also worked at the ARO Corporation in Bryan as a machinist and welder, and helped design and build the Bryan Canning Factory. As a teenager, he worked for the railroad that went through Stryker, breaking ice off the pans for the steam locomotives.
 
He was born on a homestead farm in Williams County on March 9, 1926, the son of John and Clara (Garver) Opdycke. On July 2, 1950, he married Roberta Miller, and she preceded him in death in 2007. Russ was an Army Veteran of World War II, having served in the Pacific Theater. He was a member of the Stryker American Legion Post #60 and the Bryan VFW Post #2489. He had been active in many Masonic organizations, including the Blue Lodge in Bryan, F & AM #215, where he had also served as a past Master, the Scottish Rite in Toledo, the York Rite in Toledo, and the High Twelve. He was a life member of the NRA, a member of the Ohio Gun Collectors Association. Russ was also a mechanic on stock cars for the Bryan Raceway for many years, and built and raced go-karts with his son, Ken. He was a member of the Tiffin River Association, and was a Civil War Reenactor with the 38th OVVI.
 
Surviving are two sons, Edward (Shirley) Opdycke of Stryker, Kenneth Opdycke of Mason, OH; one daughter, Linda (Bruce) Bernath of Stryker; 16 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife; parents; two brothers, Emerson and George; sister, Jean; and infant sister, Mildred.
 
Visitation for Russ will be held from 2:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. on Monday, October 16, 2017, at the Grisier Funeral Home in Stryker, where Masonic Services will be held at 7:00 P.M. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, also in the funeral home, with Pastor Bruce Irwin, officiating. Interment will follow in the Shiffler Cemetery, near Bryan, where Military Rites will be accorded by members of the Stryker American Legion Post #60. The family requests that memorial contributions be given to the Shriners Hospitals. Online condolences may be offered to the family at www.grisierfh.com. 

Funeral Services for Lloyd E. Herrington

Lloyd E. Herrington, age 83, of Colon, Michigan, and a longtime resident of the Bryan, Ohio, area, died at 2:50 P.M. on Thursday, September 21, 2017, at Laurels of Coldwater in Coldwater, Michigan, after an extended illness. Mr. Herrington was a 1953 graduate of Edgerton High School and saw the world during his eight years of service in the United States Navy Seabees, six months of which were served in the Antarctic. He became a police officer and served on the Bryan City Police Department for eighteen years, rising to the rank of sergeant with an expertise in fingerprint identification. From there he was employed by Strydel in Stryker, Ohio, as maintenance manager, retiring with twenty years of service. In retirement he continued to stay busy in real estate sales with Carlin Company and working at the Montpelier auto auction. He also taught machining at Four County Career Center for six years. Lloyd was active in his community, serving as a Williams County Sheriff Department Special Deputy for many years, and as an assistant Boy Scout leader in Bryan. He was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, where he served as an usher, Bryan Moose Lodge #1064, Bryan Eagles Aerie #2233, the Williams County Conservation League and Trapshooters, the NRA, where he was a Life and Endowment member, and assisted his wife with the Division of Wildlife Hunter Education courses for many years. He and his wife also enjoyed working at Camp Perry during the National Small Bore Rifle matches for fifteen years. Lloyd began his sixty-year Masonic life with Edgerton Masonic Lodge #357 F&AM and would later transfer to Bryan Lodge #215 F&AM, serving as Master of the Lodge six times; was a member and Past High Priest of Northwest Chapter #45, R.A.M,; was a member and Past Illustrious Master of Bryan Council#101, R. & S.M. of Ohio; was a member and Past Commander of Bryan Commandery #74 Knights Templer, and the Knight York Cross of Honor for twenty years, the Bryan Commandery Drill Team; was a member of Zenobia Shrine in Toledo, Ohio, the Zenobia Hillbillies and Zenobia Shrine Legion of Honor, of which he was a past Commander, and had served as personal assistant to Potentate Robert Secoy in 2011; was a member of he Ancient Scottish Rite, Valley of Toledo, and the Northwest Shrine Club in Williams County, where he Past President. He was also a member and Past Patron of Bryan Chapter #284 Order of the Eastern Star and had served as Grand Aide to the Worthy Grand Matron and Bryan American Legion Post #284 and the American Legion Riders. He also enjoyed playing golf, with memberships at Riverside Greens in Stryker and Suburban Golf Course in Bryan.

Lloyd E. Herrington was born on May 20, 1934, in Montpelier, Ohio, the son of Howard and Dessa I. (Harrington ) Herrington. He married his wife of nearly sixty years, Phyllis M. Moore, on February 1958, and she survives.

Surviving in addition to his wife are one daughter, Helen (Lester) Quimby, of Colon, Michigan; five grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; one sister, Rita Jean Anderson, of Auburn, Indiana; and a daughter-in-law, Janice Herrington, of Sherwood, Michigan. He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Harold Herrington and Alden (Skeeter) Harvey; and a son, Harry Allen Herrington, in 2009.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 26, 2017, from 3:00-8:00 P.M. in the Krill Funeral Home, 860 West Mulberry Street, Bryan, Ohio. Masonic services will be conducted at 7:30 P.M. in the funeral home, followed by Eastern Star services at 8:00 P..M. Services will be held on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, at 11:00 A.M. in the Krill Funeral Home, Bryan, with Pastor Dwight Bowers officiating. Interment will follow in Maple Grove Cemetery, Edgerton, with grave side military rites conducted by Bryan American Legion Post #284.

Memorials are requested to Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Masonic Services: Timothy L. Hornish

Timothy L. Hornish, 64, of Defiance, passed away surrounded by his family in the home he was born and raised in on Saturday, August 26, 2017.   


He was born on September 25, 1952 to Virgil and Helen (Lero) Hornish in Defiance. Tim was a 1970 graduate of Defiance High School. On May 29, 1971 he married Deborah Gahagan, who resides in Defiance. Tim was a truck driver  for 45 years. He and his wife formed Hornish & Hornish Inc. as small fleet owners.


His top priority was first and foremost, his family. Tim was so very proud of each and every one of them, and loved them "To the Moon and Back."  He love all types of gaming, especially going to Fire Keepers Casino with his wife and friends. Tim was a member of Poplar Ridge Church of the Brethren. He was proud of his office as a Past Master of Omega Lodge #564. He was a member of Blue Lodge Defiance, Ohio, Sherwood Lodge Council #55, Comrade #30, Scottish Rite Toledo Valley, and Zenobia Shriner, Toledo. He was also a member of Elks #147, Eagles #372, Moose #2094 and AMVETS.

Tim was a great man who fought for his life for three years, a very courageous man who never gave up.  R.I.P.

 Tim will be sadly missed by his wife of 46 years, Deborah Hornish of Defiance, children; Erin (Lisa) Ryan of Napoleon, Tiffanni (Jason) Leatherman of Defiance, and Trisha (Phil) Hetrick of Ney, grandchildren; Courtney, Mackecknie, and Erin Ryan, Keir and Kali Leatherman, Logan and Lorelle Hetrick, brother Samuel (JoEllen) Hornish of Defiance, sisters Nancy (Don) Vier of Brentwood, CA, Mary (Don) Shisler of Littleton, CO, Linda (John) Briggs of Battle Creek, MI, and Holly Peters of San Clemente, CA.
 
He was preceded in death by his parents, and one brother, Ted David Hornish.
 
Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 at Schaffer Funeral Home in Defiance, with a Masonic Memorial Service at 7:00 pm. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, August 31, 2017 at  Poplar Ridge Church of the Brethren in Defiance, with Rev. Benjamin Polzin officiating.
 
Memorials are suggested to the church, or to Shriners Children's Hospital.

Friendly Social Club meeting invitation

Open invitation to join us for lunch (free) on Monday, September 18, 2017 at 11:30 am at Ryan’s Restaurant on N. Shoop Ave in Wauseon – rear dining area. Sponsored by:
 
Friendly Social Club
 
Membership is open to all Master Masons in good standing. Annual dues are $20. Wives and widows are invited to attend our lunch meetings as our guests.
 
Our purpose is to enjoy friendship and fellowship in a relaxed atmosphere without a ritual.
 
Meetings are the 1 st and 3 rd Monday of April, May, June, October and November and the3rd Monday only of September. Meetings are held at Ryan’s Restaurant in Wauseon and start at 11:30 am. We have a picnic in July and a Christmas party in December at locations chosen by the members.
 
For more information, please call Jon Schamp at 419-822- 7903.

Masonic Services for Marion Cooper

Masonic Funeral for Brother Marion Cooper, member of Bryan Lodge 215 will be 3:00PM Sunday, 8/27 at Thompson Funeral home, Main Street,  Montpelier, Ohio.
 
Marion David Cooper, age 80, of Pioneer, formerly of Stryker passed away Wednesday, August 23, 2017 at Fairlawn Haven Care Center, in Archbold after an extended illness. 

Marion was born on May 6, 1937 in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania to Walter Howard Cooper and Evelyn Lucy Moyer.  He married Alice J. Owen on June 6, 1959 in Winchester, Virginia and she survives.  Marion attended Slippery Rock Elementary and High School.   

Marion retired from ARO Corporation in Bryan in 1997 as a machinist with 30 years of service.  He is a member of the Bryan Masonic Lodge #215, Montpelier Moose Lodge and Montpelier Eagles.  A past member of the North South Skirmish Association in Winchester, Virginia and the 111th Ohio Volunteer Infantry with 30 plus years of shooting Civil War black powder weapons.  He also served nine years as a board member of the North Western Electric Cooperative. 
He also loved hunting and fishing in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Colorado, Quebec, and Newfoundland, Canada; for deer, elk, moose and caribou, which he was very successful.  He was also proud to say that he had fished in all five Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean.   

Marion is survived by his wife of 58 years, Alice;  three sons, Richard Cooper of Pioneer, Walter (Kathleen) Cooper of Bryan and Denis Cooper of Stryker; two granddaughters, Courtney (Matt) Laing of Rossford, Ohio and Kellie (Troy) Secrest of Toledo; one great grandson Dustin Laing; sisters Bessie Traczenski of Erie, Pennsylvania and Leta Fredricks of Lititz, Pennsylvania; and several nieces and nephews from California, Colorado, Florida, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Michigan. 

He was preceded in death by four sisters, Jean Stamm, Clara Thompson, Patty Cooper and Esther Francis. 

Visitation for Marion will be on Sunday, August 27th from 12-3pm at the Thompson Funeral Home on Main Street in Montpelier.  A Masonic Service will be held at 3pm.  A private graveside will be held at a later date at Floral Grove Cemetery in Pioneer, Ohio.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Food Pantry in Stryker or Shriners Hospital.

DGM Rollout Notes

Dear Brother,
During the Deputy Grand Master’s roll-out presentation, he mentioned three items that would be available on the Grand Lodge webpage, www.glohio.com:
 
1.      A PDF of his presentation:  http://www.glohio.com/images/news-images/2018-rollout.pdf
2.      Information regarding the 2018 Grand Lodge cruise:  http://www.glohio.com/news-info/313-2018-cruise
3.      The Replace Yourself Program:  http://www.replaceyourself.org/
 
You now have links for each of those items.  This email has been sent to the District Advisor, DDGMs, DEOs, Masters, Wardens, Secretaries, and Senior Deacons of the 5th Masonic District.
 
Fraternally,
Chad Simpson
Director of Program Development

Pages

District Deputy Grand Masters
R.W.B. Martin Lawrence
Sycamore Lodge #520
 
R.W.B. James E. Parsons
Liberty Center Lodge #518
District Education Officers
W.B. Dennis Richardson
Wauseon Lodge #349
 
W.B. Craig Szczublewski
Fulton Lodge #248
District Advisor
R.W.B. Robert R. Rettig
Napoleon Lodge #256
 
District Education Chair
R.W.B. Robert "Joe" Stotler
Hicksville Lodge #478
 
President
W.B. Josh Chapin
Edon Lodge #474
 
1st Vice President
W.B. Dennis Richardson
Wauseon Lodge #349
2nd Vice President
James Hanna, Jr
Omega Lodge #564
 
Secretary
W.B. Craig Szczublewski
707 Main St
Delta, OH 43515
Fulton Lodge #248
 
Treasurer
R.W.B. Douglas W. Eis
Napoleon Lodge #256
 
District Membership Chairman
R.W.B. Larry Kujawa
Wauseon Lodge #349
Webmaster
W.B. Craig Szczublewski
Fulton Lodge #248