No picture provided.
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| Spouse: |
James Ralph Forcum
b. 18 Jul 1916 d. 11 Jun 2002
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| Children: |
James (Jim) Ralph Forcum Jr.
Mark Rezin Forcum
b. 10 Jun 1950 d. 13 Jun 1950
John Frederick Forcum
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| Grandchildren: |
Daniel Thomas Forcum (son of Jim)
David James Forcum (son of Jim)
Mark Frederick Forcum (son of John)
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| Parents: |
William Frederick Deschler
b. 2 Apr 1890 d. 1 Nov 1973 and Margaret Ward Deschler b. 13 Feb 1895 d. 6 Oct 1990
married on 25 Jan 1925.
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| Siblings: |
William Clay Deschler
b. 19 Jan 1917 d. 26 Sep 1921
Nelson Reese Deschler
b. 5 Aug 1923 d. 27 Jul 1989
Carol June Deschler
b. 9 Apr 1928 d. 17 Feb 1995
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| Grandparents: |
Andreas Deschler and
Louise M. Betz and;
James Ward and
Mary J. Brown
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| Family
Legacies™ |
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Cemetery Location Map to Gravesite |
Birth Date: 2/13/1919
Death Date: 3/15/1994
Washington Park East Cemetery
Section O, Lot 576, Grave 4
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Kathryn was born on 13 Feb 1919 at 406 W. 16th Street, Covington, Kenton Co., KY to William Frederick Deschler and Margaret Ward Deschler. Her father's parents had been born in Germany, and her mother's parents had come from England. Her father was a 'Master' platinumsmith. During her 6th birthday party in 1925, she walked around to the front of the house where her father's Model-T was parked. 16th Street was step, and when she released the parking break the car started rolling down the street. Her father, Bill had seen the car move and chased it down the street, jumping on the running broad and halting the car just before it was to fall into a small river running through town. She and her family remained in Covington until l Sep 1925 when J.C. Sipe Jewelers offered her father a better job in Indianapolis, IN. As a young girl, Kathryn idolized Charles Lindbergh who flew solo across the Atlantic in 1927.
Being a 'Master' craftsman, Bill's family thrived in the late 1920's and early 1930's, but the Great Depression hit Kathryn's parents very hard. Her father lost his job when his employer closed its doors in 1932. Still young, but by the age of 16 in 1935, Kathryn's strong character traits had been formed. Some of them included: a love of family; a zest for life; having never met a stranger, and her general spunk. Due to her family's deteriorating financial stability, she was forced to drop out of school at the age of 16 and was able to get a job at the Diamond Chain Company making bicycle chains, to help supplement the family larder.
About 1936 she met James Ralph Forcum, who had recently moved to Indianapolis from NC. Ralph was smitten from their first meeting, but it took Kathryn a while to come around. Kathryn and Ralph were married on 15 Jul 1939 in Kathryn's parent's home. The young married couple had their family plans interrupted by the abrupt start of WWII in 1941. Ralph enlisted in the Navy and was gone from late 1942 until 1945.
Meanwhile, Kathryn worked first at the Lukas-Harold Corp making war supplies and later at Ayers Department Store.
Kathryn was living on 13th Street in 1946 when she became a mother for the first time, and was still there when her third son was born in 1952. Wanting their children to grow up in a nurturing environment, Kathryn and Ralph moved to 205 Jefferson Blvd. Greenfield, IN in 1955. For the next 17 years she dedicated her life to raising two boys+and raising them right. In the mid-60's she took a part time job to send spending money to her son's in college.
After her youngest son married in 1972, she returned to night school and earned her High School diploma which had eluded her in the 1930's. Also in the 1970's Kathryn became very active as a volunteer at the Greenfield Hospital. With the births of her grandsons in 1978, 1982, and 1984 she entered a new and wonderful phase in her life. Her love for them, which was reciprocated, was unbounded.
In 1992 Kathryn was diagnosed with a fatal illness, ALS, but she never questioned why because her trust in the Lord was so great that she understood he had some plan for her. She spent the remainder of her fruitful life loving and being loved by her family. |
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Here is Kathryn at 9 months old being held by a neighbor lady
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This was taken at Kathryn's 7th birthday party. She is making a terrible face for the camera.
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On Jul 15th 1939 Kathryn married J. Ralph Forcum, to whom she was married for 54 years.
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Kathryn and Ralph are in front of the Indianapolis Post Office, just minute prior to Ralph's enlistment in the U. S. Navy in 1942
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Taking in 1949, Kathryn is in front of their 13th Street home with her son Jim, getting ready to go to church.
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The Forcum family did much camping in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Here is Kathryn, always a trooper, wearing an army helmet so she could cook in the rain.
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Kathryn, Ralph, Jim and John spent many wonderful weekends at her parents cabin at Princes Lakes in southern Indiana.
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Kathryn adored each of her three Grandson's. Here she is signing I Love You to her Grandson, Daniel Forcum, in 1979.
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"In an era when divorce is as common as marriage, Kathryn and Ralph were married almost 55 years. Here Kathryn holds one Grandson, Daniel and Ralph holds another Grandson, David. The youngest, Mark, is not shown"
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