The LaPorte Hospital Auxiliary recently gave $32,000 to IU Health LaPorte Hospital to improve the overall quality of healthcare provided to the community.

The auxiliary, in conjunction with the LaPorte Hospital Foundation, gave the funds through a philanthropic “wish list” generated by various departments within the hospital. Departments use the funds to purchase clinical equipment and patient items.

IU Health LaPorte Surgery Services, for example, received a total of $13,000 to help purchase video fiberoptic laryngoscope equipment, which produces magnified HD images to aid anesthesiologists while preparing patients for surgery.

Director of Surgery Lisa Pinkstaff said, “The surgeons, anesthesiologists, colleagues and I are so grateful for the auxiliary for their generosity. Because of them, we are able to purchase the latest clinical equipment. These gifts will not only help us do our jobs better, but will also create a safer, more positive experience for our patients.”

Other funded items include:

– $3,000 to IU Health LaPorte Community Health Center to provide direct patient care to those with little or no income or lack of health insurance

– $3,000 for medical equipment for respiratory services

– $2,500 to provide CPR training for Hispanic community members

– $2,500 for medical equipment in the Pathology department

– $2,000 to the IU Health LaPorte Heart & Vascular Center for stuffed animals, books, etc., for pediatric patients and $1,400 for patient lounge chairs to make hospital visits as comfortable as possible

– $1,200 for educational materials for heart failure patients and medical equipment for transitional care

– $1,000 to IU Health LaPorte Pediatric Rehabilitation Services for gaming equipment

– $1,000 to IU Health LaPorte Hospital Family Chapel to provide spiritual care support for patients and their loved ones

– $900 to IU Health LaPorte Behavioral Health Services for patient educational material

Auxiliary member and Philanthropy Committee Chairperson Marcia Morris said, “These gifts help the staff of IU Health LaPorte Hospital take care of our community to keep us as healthy as possible. That’s what the auxiliary is all about.”

The LaPorte Hospital Auxiliary supports IU Health LaPorte Hospital by providing volunteer services. The group generates its charitable revenues from a variety of sources including the Wishing Well Gift Shop, located just off the hospital’s main lobby, and various fundraisers conducted within the hospital. The philanthropic gifts help support the organization’s mission in making a positive difference in communities.

For more information or to become a volunteer, call 219.326.2338.

Richard LeRoy Volstorf, 80, of LaPorte, died peacefully at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, 2013, at Franciscan St. Anthony Health Hospice, Michigan City, IN.

He was born Sept. 20, 1932, in Michigan City to Rudolph H. and Bertha I. (Noble) Volstorf.

Richard retired from Verizon after 49 years of service. He honorably served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Richard was a member of LaPorte Aero Club and enjoyed flying paraplanes. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, archery, music and Elvis. Richard loved spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On March 17, 1956, in LaPorte, he married Norma (Antrim), who survives.

Also surviving are two daughters, Vicki (Greg) Dirks and Andrea (Richard) Smith, both of LaPorte; one sister, Doris (Dale) Kettring of LaPorte; four grandchildren, Jason Kresel of New Castle, IN, Susan (Thomas) Kresel-Maymi of McAllen TX, Matthew (Sarah) Dirks of Goshen, IN, and Brittney Smith of LaPorte; and two great-grandchildren, Lily and Vida Mendoza of McAllen, TX.

Preceding him in death were his parents and one sister, Ruth Benson.

There will be no services. Cremation will take place. Lakeview Funeral Home and Crematory, LaPorte, is handling arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 208, La Porte, IN 46352, in honor of Richard LeRoy Volstorf.

Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP, as well as at www.LakeviewFHC.com.

Compiled by Mary Hedge, LaPorte County Public Library

April 18, 1913 – A new kind of plow, the invention of O.A. Garwood, is being displayed this week on the Marion Taylor farm.

April 18, 1963 – A twister causes nearly $1 million in damages in Indiana. Most of the devastation was in Gifford in Jasper County.

April 18, 1988 – The controversial Family Express convenience store on Indiana Avenue lost its bid for a zoning change that would have kept its doors open around the clock.

April 18, 2003 – The city’s liability insurance premium will almost double from last year to this year.

The Moore House at La Lumiere. (Click on photo to enlarge)

La Lumiere School invites prospective students and their parents to visit campus on Saturday, April 20. The morning’s events from 8:15-11:30 a.m. will include continental breakfast, interactive classes, tours of campus, and small-group Q&A’s.

Please reserve your spot by April 16 by calling 219-326-7450 or emailing admissions@lalumiere.org. Don’t miss this opportunity to visit campus and find out first-hand what La Lumiere has to offer you.

La Lumiere School is a premier college preparatory boarding and day school in rural LaPorte. Academic excellence characterizes the entire curriculum and helps to prepare its students to attend some of the best colleges in the country including Stanford, Northwestern, Rhode Island School of Design, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Middlebury, Purdue, Marquette, Indiana, University of Michigan, and University of Chicago.

For more information, visit www.lalumiere.org.

Belle Gunness historian and LaPorte County resident Bruce Johnson will be featured in the premiere episode of the new Biography Channel series “The Ghost Speaks” on Saturday night, April 20. Check your cable listings to determine exact times.

The Biography Channel describes the new series and its first episode, titled “The Ghost of Murder Hill,” in this way: “Ghosts speak to us from beyond the grave in this spellbinding program that includes interviews with people who have lived through terrifying hauntings and the actual sounds of the ghosts they encountered. In this first episode, viewers meet the ghost of a killer who’s determined to kill some more and a ghost who’s sexually obsessed with an attractive single mother.”

“The Ghost of Murder Hill” features an interview with Johnson about Gunness.

“Last October (2012) I was interviewed, as well as several other LaPorte residents, by a film crew from Wolper Productions at Warner Brothers for (this) episode on the Biography Channel,” Johnson said in an email. In this episode “there are two stories, and one is about Belle Gunness. All I know is that the series is about the paranormal. I took the film crew to the historic sites in LaPorte and was interviewed for a long time! I am basically telling the facts of Belle Gunness but also telling of my experience in the basement of the current house that is on the property. Spooky! So, I do not know how much of my interview landed on the cutting-room floor. Several other people were interviewed for less time. I have NO idea how it will turn out!”

Find out how it turns out Saturday, April 20, on the Biography Channel!

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office is seeking assistance from the public in locating Darell L. Eckwood, 20, who is being sought for sex

Eckwood

offender registry violation, a Class D felony.

Eckwood is identified by Indiana Code as an Offender Against Children due to a 2011 conviction in LaPorte County Superior Court 1 for child molesting, a Class C felony. He is 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighs 139 pounds.

On March 28, 2013, Eckwood last registered with the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office per the requirements of the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry statutes. During the April 2013 “Operation Lost Innocence” investigation, it was learned that he was not living at his registered address. Eckwood had reported that he was living in the 5600 North block of County Road 400 West in Springfield Township.

A warrant has been issued by LaPorte County Superior Court IV for Sex Offender Registry Violation. Eckwood has also been added to the LaPorte County Top Ten Most Wanted list. Anyone with information concerning his whereabouts is encouraged to contact Major John Boyd at (219) 879-3530 or (219) 326-7700 ext. 2406.

LaPorte High School will present the ever-popular musical “Grease” on Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, at the LPHS Auditorium.

The public is invited to come and watch this fun ’50s musical story and all of its catchy tunes.

Performances begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults.

This is the first musical LPHS has staged in years — don’t miss the fun!

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Dallis Moore and Becky Stegall, of Stillwell, IN, are getting married May 18, 2013.

Dallis is the son of the late Earl and Sara Moore of Stillwell. Becky is the daughter of Janelle (Jerome) Welte of Quincy, IL, and the late Nick Stegall, who lived in LaPorte.

The couple will share three daughters: Dana Wilhelm, Brandie Straube and Samantha Moore, and a son: Matthew Miller. They will also share nine grandchildren and a newborn great-grandaughter.

Dallis is employed at Walmart and Becky is employed at Kabelin’s.

Photos by Ashlie Otis Photography (click on photos to enlarge)

Elin Elizabeth Antos was born to Elizabeth and Kyle Antos of LaPorte on April 3, 2013, at 7:16 p.m. at IU Health LaPorte Hospital. She weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces, and was 19 inches long.

Also welcoming Elin are her siblings, Amaya Antos, 4, and Isabelle Antos, 3; her grandparents, Marie and Edward Gilliland of LaPorte, and Carla and David Antos of LaPorte; and her great-grandparents, Jules and Lillian Benjamin of LaPorte, and Bertha Schoof of LaPorte.

April 19, 1913 — A newborn baby’s life was saved this morning with a pulmotor.

April 19, 1963 — LaPorte is continuing a downward skid in voter registrations. Only 9,842 persons are qualified to cast ballots in the May primary.

April 19, 1988 — Michael Dukakis takes New York in the battle for the Democratic presidential nomination.

April 19, 2003 — A Westville Correctional Facility prison guard was arrested for delivering contraband to inmates.

Riegert

A LaPorte man and a Westville woman were arrested Thursday, April 18, 2013, and charged with dealing heroin.

Sons

Arrested were Clifton P. Riegert, 30, and Brittany L. Sons, 19.

LaPorte County Metro Operations arrested the two as after they were found in the parking lot of IU Health LaPorte Hospital, according to a press release. Riegert had been wanted on three counts of dealing a Schedule 1 controlled substance and Sons had been wanted on one count of dealing a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

To report suspected drug activity, call LaPorte County Metro Operations at (219) 325-9022. The Metro Operations Unit is a multi-jurisdictional drug task force comprised of investigators from the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office and LaPorte Police Department.

Mrs. Edna Marie Simpson, 87 of LaPorte, died Wednesday, April 17, 2013, at Hamilton Grove in New Carlisle, IN.

She was born June 12, 1925, in LaPorte to James and Marie (Gloff) Moon.

Edna was a member of St. John Lutheran Church, LaPorte. She graduated from St. John Lutheran School and from LaPorte High School. Her working career included Woolworth Dime Store, Iselman’s Dairy, and 23 years at Kingsley Furniture, all in LaPorte. Edna also worked for the LaPorte County Council on Aging and at the Soil and Conservation District office. Edna retired at the age of 78. She loved sewing, crocheting, embroidery and playing piano. Edna loved keeping in touch with friends and family.

On Sept. 4, 1948, in LaPorte, she married James William Simpson, who preceded her in death Oct. 1, 1981.

Edna was also preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Donovon Moon.

She is survived by her son, James (Julie) Simpson of Union Mills, IN; two daughters, Connie (Mark) Donovan of Houston, TX, and Brenda (Don Hufgard) Smith of LaPorte; eight grandchildren, Derek (Eve Kacmar) Simpson, Leslie (Troy) Ryan, Shawn (Casey Schiesser) Schaeffer, Carrie (Kerry) Graves, Jeff Schaeffer, Jason Smith, Jeremiah Smith, and Britton (Jennifer) Smith; three great-grandchildren, Ashten (Mark Beyers) Simpson, Austin Simpson and Garret Ryan; one great-great-grandchild, Myla Simpson; sister-in-law, Elsie Simpson of New Carlisle, IN; several nieces, nephews and cousins; three honorary daughters, Fay McCoy of LaPorte, Mary Pointon of Westville, IN, and Victoria Collings of Medina, OH; five honorary grandchildren, Dorothy Spurrier, Mary Hicks, Michael Pointon, Staci Watterson and Stephani Lowery; best friend of 82 years Dorothy Zirzow; and Sandra Feare, who showed unwavering dedication as her caregiver.

The family will receive friends at Haverstock Funeral Home and Cremation Services, LaPorte, on Friday, April 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with a time of sharing starting at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, April 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. A life celebration will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. with Rev. Ronald A. Brauer officiating. Interment will follow at Pine Lake Cemetery, LaPorte. A luncheon will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church after the interment.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association-Northwest Indiana Office, 15 North Franklin St. Suite 290 Valparaiso, IN 46383.

Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP, as well as at www.haverstockfuneralhome.com.

A chicken noodle supper will be held at St. John’s Lutheran School cafeteria, 111 Kingsbury Ave., on Friday, April 26, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Ticket prices are $8 for ages 12 and up and $5 for children ages 5 through 11. Children 4 and under eat for free.

Menu: chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw or applesauce, rolls and butter, pie, and beverages.

Harriet Elizabeth Hough, 93, of LaPorte, died April 16, 2013, at her home.

She was born in Heston, IN, on March 12, 1920, to Fredreck C. and Wilhelmena Smith Mary Maerz.

Harriet was a homemaker and a member of Saint Paul’s United Church of Christ, Indiana VFW Auxiliary and American Legion Auxiliary.

She was married on April 12, 1947, in Goshen, IN, to Charles S. Hough Sr., who preceded her in death on July 18, 1999.

Surviving are her beloved children, son, Charles S. (Linda) Hough Jr., and daughter, Debra L Pursch, both of LaPorte; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A private burial was held at Pine Lake Cemetery and a Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, at Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center, LaPorte.

Memorial contributions may be directed to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Messages of condolence may be shared with the family online at www.cutlerfuneralhome.com.

Richard LeRoy Volstorf, 80, of LaPorte, died peacefully at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, 2013, at Franciscan St. Anthony Health Hospice, Michigan City, IN.

He was born Sept. 20, 1932, in Michigan City to Rudolph H. and Bertha I. (Noble) Volstorf.

Richard retired from Verizon after 49 years of service. He honorably served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Richard was a member of LaPorte Aero Club and enjoyed flying paraplanes. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, archery, music and Elvis. Richard loved spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On March 17, 1956, in LaPorte, he married Norma (Antrim), who survives.

Also surviving are two daughters, Vicki (Greg) Dirks and Andrea (Richard) Smith, both of LaPorte; one sister, Doris (Dale) Kettring of LaPorte; four grandchildren, Jason Kresel of New Castle, IN, Susan (Thomas) Kresel-Maymi of McAllen TX, Matthew (Sarah) Dirks of Goshen, IN, and Brittney Smith of LaPorte; and two great-grandchildren, Lily and Vida Mendoza of McAllen, TX.

Preceding him in death were his parents and one sister, Ruth Benson.

There will be no services. Cremation will take place. Lakeview Funeral Home and Crematory, LaPorte, is handling arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 208, La Porte, IN 46352, in honor of Richard LeRoy Volstorf.

Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP, as well as at www.LakeviewFHC.com.

Compiled by Mary Hedge, LaPorte County Public Library

April 18, 1913 – A new kind of plow, the invention of O.A. Garwood, is being displayed this week on the Marion Taylor farm.

April 18, 1963 – A twister causes nearly $1 million in damages in Indiana. Most of the devastation was in Gifford in Jasper County.

April 18, 1988 – The controversial Family Express convenience store on Indiana Avenue lost its bid for a zoning change that would have kept its doors open around the clock.

April 18, 2003 – The city’s liability insurance premium will almost double from last year to this year.

What does it mean to fall in love? LaPorte Little Theatre’s next production will explore the many facets of that question.

“Almost, Maine” will be presented May 3, 4, 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m., and May 5 and 12 at 2 p.m. This production is directed by Davelle DeMarco.

“Almost, Maine,” a play by John Cariani, is composed of nine vignettes that explore love and loss in the remote, mythical place of Almost, Maine. Each vignette portrays crucial moments of choice in couples’ relationships. The scenes occur in different locations around the town of Almost, and each has its own crisis, its own emotional temperature, and its own stakes. And in each, there’s an element of wonder.

Reservations are encouraged: call LaPorte Little Theatre at 219-362-5113. Tickets are $12.

For more information, visit http://www.laportelittletheatreclub.com.

Any girl interested in playing Coach Pitch (ages 7-9) or Junior (ages 10-12) girls slowpitch softball can attend an instructional clinic Saturday, April 27, at Lions Field.

The Coach Pitch division meets from 2-3:30 p.m., followed by the Junior division from 3:45-5:15p.m. Participants not already registered for the LaPorte Park and Recreation Department Girls Slowpitch Softball program must have a waiver signed by their guardian. The waiver can be signed in advance at the Park Office (250 Pine Lake Ave.) or at the field prior to the clinic.

For more information, call (219) 326-9600 or e-mail Recreation Director Mark Schreiber at mschreiber@cityoflaporte.com.

The second annual Haitian Celebration for Haitian Support Ministries will take place Friday, May 17, from 6: 30 to 8 p.m. at White Eagle Park, 2107 Welnetz Rd., Trail Creek.

A $5 donation at the door will be collected. A silent auction will feature hundreds of items. Haitian jewelry will be for sale, including beach glass necklaces and bracelets made by children in orphanages.

Enjoy Haitian music and light appetizers. Meet Pastor Jean Claude Pierre from Jacmel, Haiti, and hear updates on the condition and progress of Haiti and its orphaned children. Hear about the many short-term mission trip opportunities.

For more information, visit http://www.haitiansupportministries.org.

Look for volunteers to be out and about in LaPorte May 12 to collect donations during the Les Turner ALS Foundation Tag Days.

Local volunteers will join those across Chicagoland during ALS Awareness Month to raise funds. They will be stationed at intersections, shopping areas and other places throughout communities.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a terminal neuromuscular disease that attacks a person’s muscles, gradually robbing them of their ability to walk, speak, eat and breathe, yet usually keeping their mind intact. At any given time, approximately 35,000 people in the United States are living with ALS. While treatments and interventions can help alleviate some symptoms and prolong survival, there is currently no prevention or cure for ALS.

Founded in 1977, the Les Turner ALS Foundation is recognized internationally and is the only independent, publicly supported non-profit organization in the Chicago area dedicated solely to the treatment and elimination of ALS. The foundation is affiliated with Northwestern Medicine, where it supports two scientific research laboratories and a large multi-disciplinary clinical program. Currently, the foundation serves 90 percent of the ALS population in the Chicago area with an array of patient services, such as support group meetings, professional in-home consultation services, and respite care grants.

For more information, visit www.lesturnerals.org.