Feb. 20, 2002 - The Kentucky Post
 

William R. DeWitt, 73, of Owenton, a teacher and administrator in the Owen County School System, died Monday at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington.

Mr. DeWitt served as administrator, director of pupil personnel and assistant superintendent for Owen County schools. He also was principal and basketball coach at Bethany School in Owen County.

He operated DeWitt's Car Wash in Owenton for six years and retired in 1981.

''Learning and teaching were important parts of our lives,'' said Mr. DeWitt's wife of 45 years, Joann Carr DeWitt, who taught school 40 years. ''We were really into education.''

Mr. DeWitt served in the Air Force in Panama and in the Army in the Korean War.

''The Korean Conflict made quite an impression on him and he studied history at Georgetown College on the GI bill after the war,'' said Mrs. DeWitt.

Mr. DeWitt was in a topographic unit in Korea, where he learned how to make maps. As a teacher, he continued making maps for his students.

''He was very creative and liked making things,'' said Mrs. DeWitt. ''He enjoyed woodworking and also was an artist. He designed the family crest.''

Other survivors include a son, David Sterling DeWitt of Danville; a daughter, Debra Parrish of Lawrenceburg; brothers, Harry DeWitt of Louisville and Robert DeWitt of Elizabethtown; and four grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at McDonald Funeral Home, Main Street, Owenton. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Ezel Cemetery, West Liberty. Memorials are suggested to the charity of the donor's choice.

Feb 5, 2002 - The Kentucky Post

Byline: Craig Garretson Post staff reporter

Eugene Young, Owen County clerk since 1978, died Sunday at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. He was 62.

Mr. Young had been in poor health for some time and wasn't going to run for re-election in November, said Judge-Executive Billy O'Banion.

Mary Kay Duncan, the Owen County deputy clerk for 26 years, was named acting clerk Monday, O'Banion said. The clerk's office will be closed today and Wednesday.

O'Banion said Mr. Young loved his job because it gave him the opportunity to help people.

''If you called him in the middle of the night needing a marriage license, he would do whatever he had to do to get you that license,'' O'Banion said.

Mr. Young also was an ardent supporter of Owen County athletics and was the driving force behind the Owen County Little League, serving on its board of directors.

''When people talk about Eugene, they'll remember the great job he did for Owen County. But they'll remember him even more for his participation in the Owen County Little League,'' O'Banion said. ''He's one of the ones who got it going in the 1970s and he kept with it his entire life.''

O'Banion said there are several memorial ideas being discussed, such as naming the clerk's office or Little League field after Mr. Young.

''Eugene was the kind of person who wouldn't take any credit for himself. He wouldn't allow us to do anything like this for him while he was alive,'' O'Banion said. ''I feel very confident that we will get something done for him shortly.''

''He didn't want to be in the limelight. He preferred being the person behind the scenes who got things done,'' said his son, Bobby Young, of Crittenden.

''We're a small community, and he was a big part of it,'' said a grandson, Ashley Young of Owenton.

Mr. Young served on the Owen County Park Board and the Owen County Fair Board, was a director of the Kentucky County Clerks Association, a deacon and Sunday School superintendent with Elk Lick Baptist Church and a member of the Rotary Club.

Other survivors include his wife of 44 years, Mary Jo Towles Young; sons, Brian Young, Owenton, and Larry Young, of Frankfort; sisters, Janet Wingate of Frankfort and Wilma Cull of Owenton; and eight grandchildren.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at McDonald Funeral Home, Main Street, Owenton. Visitation will be after 4 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in IOOF Cemetery, Owenton.

Memorials are suggested to Owen County Little League Baseball.