WAPAKONETA, OHIO - Hermit R. Monnin, 80, of County Road 33A, Wapakoneta, died at 3:35 p.m. Saturday, July 12, 2003, at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital in St. Marys.
He was born Dec. 31, 1922, in Houston, Ohio, a son of Joseph and Emma (Gariety) Monnin. On Jan. 16, 1943, he married Donna M. Ruck, and she survives.
Other survivors include: three daughters, Diane (Marc) Hines of Wapakoneta, Chris (Edward) Fast of Fort Collins, Colo., and Lisa (Thomas) Bice of Buckland; a son, Gary (Joan) Monnin of Albuquerque, N.M.; eight grandchildren, Deb (Randy) Schwieterman, Annette Hines, Emma Glover, Alan Monnin, Andy Fast, Tiffany Fast, Nicole Bice and Stephanie Bice; three great-grandchildren, Mitchell Giere, Shawna Glover and Ryan Schwieterman; and three sisters, Laurene Hartzell Drees of Versailles, Lovena Bulcher of Necedah, Wisc., and Mary Edna Leichleiter of Mauston, Wisc.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Alfred Monnin.
Mr. Monnin retired in 1980 from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., St. Marys, with more than 40 years service. He was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church, Glynwood.
He was very proud of his military service, which included serving in the European Theatre with the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and briefly with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. He was a radio operator and gunner on B-17s with the 452nd Bomb Group and flew in 35 missions over Europe. Some of the medals he received included the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with four Oak Clusters, the Korean Service medal, the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the Radio Operator and Radio Mechanic Medals. He was a member of the St. Marys Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9289, the Disabled American Veterans, Auglaize County Chapter 73 and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Aerie 767 of St. Marys.
He also was a 45-year member of the Auglaize County Sheriff Auxiliary and a 1942 graduate of Russia High School. His favorite pastimes were spending time with his family and gardening.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Glynwood with the Rev. Oscar H. Seger officiating. Burial will be in the St. Joseph Cemetery in Wapakoneta, where military graveside services will be conducted.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Bayliff & Eley Funeral Home in Wapakoneta.
