Fern Sage

Fern I. Sage, 90, a former resident of Eel River Township and widow of Russell H. Sage, passed away at 3:40 a. m. on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at Emeritus Senior Living in Fort Wayne following an extended illness. Mrs. Sage was born on August 26, 1923 in Swan Township in Noble County, a daughter of Charles and Veda (Beezley) Rhodes. She spent her formative years on the family farm there, and graduated from Avilla High School in 1941. On December 19, 1942 she was united in marriage in Fort Wayne to Russell H. Sage, and spent most all of her adult life in Eel River Township. As a young woman she had worked at General Electric in Fort Wayne, and later worked as an inspector at Grid Craft in Huntertown, retiring from there in 1983. She attended the Huntertown United Methodist Church and enjoyed participating in its Untied Methodist Women. A multi-talented farm wife, she was a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother. She enjoyed gardening, sewing and cooking, and in her leisure time enjoyed spending time at the lake, traveling, and playing Euchre. Mr. Sage preceded her in death on July 12, 2012. The surviving relatives include her two daughters Diane Nagel of Auburn and Marna (Steven Byanski) Widmer of Leo; a brother Donald Rhodes of Avilla; three grandchildren Steve Widmer of Churubusco, Jennifer (Abid) Saleem of Albany, N. Y., and Jason Wells of Fort Wayne; four great-granddaughters Shelby, Layla, Maya, and Anna; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a sister Vestal Troyer; and by six brothers George Rhodes, Argyl Rhodes, Kenneth Rhodes, Bernard Rhodes, Thadus Rhodes, and Ernest Rhodes. Funeral services will be held at 11 a. m. on Tuesday, July 15, 2014, at the Sheets & Childs Funeral Home in Churubusco with Pastor Greg Hiatt and Gabrielle Ginder, officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday from 5 to 8 p. m., or one hour prior to the service Tuesday morning. Interment will be in the Riverview Cemetery, south of Churubusco. For those who wish, memorials may be directed to Huntertown United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 426, Huntertown, IN 46748 *******************************************