Yesterday we celebrated the life of my father, Joesph Motter. While it was very sad to be saying goodbye to my Dad just shy of two months after saying goodbye to Mom, his memorial service was perfect.
I have to thank my brother, Steve Motter and his wife Joy, for putting the service together and making sure that it represented our Dad…..they did an amazing job!
You may not be able to tell in this photograph, but even within the floral arrangements, there were items that belonged to my Dad. In the center of the floral arrangement, was one of my Dad’s pipes, a bag of tobacco that he smoked and even his drumsticks from his days playing in a swing band. There was also another display with my Dad’s glasses lying on one of his “hankies” sitting beside a book that he had read. Sitting on top of the book was an ashtray, one of his pipes, and the key to his riding mower (which was on a Yellow Freight System key ring). The moment I saw it, I began to cry! That simple display truly represented the man we all called Dad!
I put together seventy photographs representing my Dad’s life. It was very difficult trying to tell the story of Joe Motter in only seventy photographs, but I think I managed to do it. The video tribute of my Dad’s life is available on the Snyder Funeral Home website. During the service, there was even big band music playing while the video played. Again, it was exactly what my Dad would have wanted.
LEXINGTON: Joseph Andrew Motter passed away on February 1, 2015. Joseph was born on November 13, 1926, in Kenton, Ohio, to Errett and Hazel (Kimble) Motter.
Joe graduated from Ada High School and during the 1940s, was the drummer in a local swing band called the Swing Kings. The band played for school dances and other local area events. Joe also worked as a Freight Clerk for the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1947 until 1949.
Joe joined the United States Army and served as Corporal at Fort Banks, Massachusetts during the Korean War. While at Fort Banks he met Arlene DeBonis and the two were married on August 22, 1953 in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Joe worked for Yellow Freight System from 1968 until he retired on January 31, 1990.
Joe enjoyed spending time outdoors and could often be found working in the yard, riding his lawn mower, or feeding the birds. When he wasn’t outdoors, you could find Joe sitting in his recliner watching westerns or listening to big band music. Family meant everything to Joe and he enjoyed spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Preceded in death by his parents Errett Motter and Hazel (Kimble) Motter, his brother Leo Clair Motter, and his sister Patricia (Motter) Fox and his wife of sixty-one years, Arlene (DeBonis) Motter.
He is survived by his children: Steve Motter (Joy) of Bellville, Ohio, Rick Motter (Deborah) of Sanford, North Carolina, Kim Ocheltree (Bill) of Bellville, Ohio, and Robin Heise (Mark) of Yellow Springs, Ohio, along with nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The Motter family will receive friends Saturday February 7, 2015 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home. Private interment will be in Mansfield Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Stroke Association or MedCentral Hospice.
