Max P. Hughes, ex-insurance agent, dies at 73
Services for Max P. Hughes, a former insurance agent, will be held 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Bethesda United Methodist Church in Salisbury.
Mr. Hughes, 73, died Saturday at the Francis Scott Key Medical Center from burns he suffered in an accident at his home.
Born in Salisbury, he graduated from Wicomico High School in 1934 and received his bachelor's degree in business from Goldie Beacon College in Wilmington, Del.
He was an agent for Nationwide Insurance and a partner in his family's business, V. V. Hughes, for more than a half-century.
Mr. Hughes was a member and former chairman of the board and president of the Hebron Savings Bank, a founder and member of the board of directors for the Ward Foundation, a charter member and past president of the Rockawalkin Ruritan, and a member of the Greater Salisbury Committee.
He was a member of the Elks for more than 45 years and a member of the Green Hill Yacht and Country Club. He also served on many committees at the Bethesda United Methodist Church.
He was also an avid hunter and golfer.
Mr. Hughes is survived by his wife, the former Miriam Belackiston; two sons, Max P. "Pete" Hughes and Don B. Hughes; a brother, Ben C. Hughes; a sister, Jane H. White; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. All are of Salisbury.The family suggested donations to Bethesda United Methodist Church, 406 N. Division St., Salisbury, Md. 21801; or to the Ward Foundation's building fund, P.O. Box 3416, Salisbury 21801.
James M. Bennett
Retired carpenter
Services for James Mann Bennett, a retired carpenter, will be at 11 a.m. today at the Bounds Funeral Home in Salisbury.
Mr. Bennett, 69, of Upperco died Thursday of respiratory failure at Carroll County General Hospital.
Mr. Bennett lived most of his life in Mardela Springs, where he was born, and graduated from Mardela High School. He worked as a self-employed carpenter, building cabinets and furniture, and he worked on home remodeling projects on the Eastern Shore.
He moved to Upperco seven years ago when he married Edna Mae Lowe. An early marriage to Grace Budd ended in divorce.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by five daughters, Charlotte B. Litchford of Delmar, Brenda B. Raleigh of Millington, Bonnie B. Miller of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Beverly B. French and Sherry B. Shores, both of Salisbury; a son, Donald J. Bennett of Salisbury; two stepchildren, Wesley Mitchell and Joy M. Shirley, both of Delmar; his mother, Julia Phillips Bennett of Mardela; and a sister, Martha B. Owens of Fruitland.
The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the American Lung Association.
Ennis J. Biemiller
Former comptroller
Services for Ennis Johnson Biemiller, the longtime manager of a Baltimore trucking company, were held June 19 in Suffolk, Va.
Mr. Biemiller, a native of Brooklyn Park, died of lung cancer June 17 at his home in Chesapeake, Va. He was 75.
For more than 25 years, he was a manager for Southern Motor Transfer Co. in Baltimore before becoming comptroller for Industrial Supply Corp., where he worked until retiring in 1976. After his retirement, he and his wife of 52 years, the former Mary Duncan, settled in Chesapeake.
"Mostly, he liked photography," Mrs. Biemiller said. "He took pictures of nature and the grandchildren."
In addition to his wife, Mr. Biemiller is survived by a son, Ennis Duncan Biemiller of Thomasville, N.C.; a daughter, Mary Helen Neal of Chesapeake; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandson. The family suggests that donations be made to the American Cancer Society.
Charles Groft
Auto mechanic
Services for Charles "Bud" Groft, a retired Westminster auto mechanic who had been battling back from a double-lung transplant last August, will be at 1 p.m. tomorrow at St. John's Lutheran Church, 961 Leister's Church Road in Westminster.
Mr. Groft, 51, died Saturday at Johns Hopkins Hospital from an infection he developed following ulcer surgery.
Born in Westminster, Mr. Groft left high school to begin working as a mechanic at automotive shops. He worked for 17 years as yard manager of Condon's Auto Parts in Westminster and often spent his spare time tinkering with cars.
Mr. Groft loved horses and enjoyed riding "Echo," his albino horse who died in 1989 at the age of 23.
In the last few months of Mr. Groft's life, even while he struggled with health problems, he was hoping to find another horse to replace Echo.
In his 40s, Mr. Groft developed an enzyme deficiency in his lungs. His respiratory problems persisted, and in March 1990, he went to a St. Louis hospital for lung transplants.
After waiting four months for a suitable donor, doctors replaced his lungs during a 10-hour operation. In the following months, he never complained of lung problems again and even took up wood-carving in order to get his mind off cigarette smoking.
Despite the success of the lung operation, Mr. Groft developed ulcers from medication he took to fight organ rejection.
He is survived by his wife Anna Sullivan Groft; three sons, Charles Groft III of Westminster, Dennis Groft of Taneytown and Michael Groft of Manchester; and a daughter, Brenda Groft of Manchester.
Phyllis Bolton Duer
Nurse during war
A memorial service for Phyllis Bolton Duer, a homemaker who had been a British army nurse during World War II, will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, St. Thomas Lane, in Owings Mills.
Mrs. Duer, who was 72, died Saturday at Church Hospital after a long illness.
Born in London, the former Phyllis Bolton was educated at the Perce School in Cambridge and St. Bartholomew Hospital in Rochester.
She served in the Queen Anne Imperial Military Nursing Service of the British army in England, North Africa and Italy during World War II.
She met A. Adgate Duer, a U.S. soldier, in North Africa. They were married in Naples, Italy, in November 1944.
Mrs. Duer was a member of the Spring Valley Garden Club and enjoyed gardening and painting. Her husband is a Baltimore attorney.
Also surviving are a son, A. Adgate Duer Jr. of Seattle; two daughters, Margaret K. Singh of Columbia and Bolton Duer Price of Ferrisburg, Vt.; a brother, Allan C. W. Bolton of Melbourne, Australia; and four grandchildren.
Conrad W. Jordan
Methodist minister
Services for the Rev. Conrad William Jordan, a retired Methodist minister, will be at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Ruck Funeral Home, 5305 Harford Road.
Mr. Jordan died Friday after a short illness at the Rest Haven Nursing Home in York, Pa.
He was 92.
Born in Fells Point, Mr. Jordan graduated with honors from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., in 1927.
He joined the Methodist Episcopal Conference in 1928 and was a minister for 45 years in Baltimore, Howard and Montgomery counties.
His wife, the former Buelah Hedrick, died in 1970.
Mr. Jordan retired in 1972 and lived in Parkton until he moved to the nursing home three years ago.
Mr. Jordan is survived by five sisters, Bertha Mays of York, Pa., Frieda J. Pratt of Gaithersburg, Ruth J. Huff of Salt Lake City, Lydia J. Chenowith and Lois J. Zehring of Brooklyn Park; a stepdaughter, Mabel Pickett of Olney; many step-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Curt R. Douglas Sr.
Antique store owner
Curt R. Douglas Sr., the former owner of a Baltimore antique store, died of Alzheimer's disease June 11 at the Village Square Nursing Home in San Diego.
Mr. Douglas, 70, and his wife, Helen, owned and operated Helen's Antiques on Howard Street for a number of years. Mrs. Douglas died in 1984.
Mr. Douglas was retired from the Army Corps of Engineers and lived in Westminster before moving to California three years ago.
The Weston, W.Va., native served in the Army during World War II and participated in the Battle of the Bulge.
He earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Baltimore.
Mr. Douglas is survived by a son, Curt R. Douglas Jr. of San Diego; a brother, Ralph Douglas of Weston; two sisters, Genevieve Weaver of Weston and Kathleen Gainer of Akron, Ohio; and two grandchildren.
Services were held June 15 in Weston.
The family suggestss that contributions be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 70 E. Lake St., Chicago, Ill. 60601.
Louis Reinhardt Sr.
Ex-S&L; president
A Mass of Christian burial for Louis A. Reinhardt Sr., retired president of Progress Federal Savings and Loan Association, will be offered at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow in the chapel of Stella Maris Hospice, 2300 Dulaney Valley Road in Towson.
Mr. Reinhardt, who was 87, died of cancer Saturday at Stella Maris.
A Baltimore native, he attended St. John's parochial school, the Baltimore College of Commerce and the University of Baltimore. He worked for several other savings and loan organizations and was an accountant at the firm Wooden and Benson before joining Progress Federal.
Mr. Reinhardt, who retired in 1971, was a former president of the Maryland League of Financial Institutions. He had been an officer and board member of the Rodgers Forge Improvement Association, the Kiwanis Club of Towson, the Towson Businessmen's Association and the Charles Street Association.
He was a member of the Eastern Shore Society of Baltimore, the Hibernian Society of Baltimore and the Father O'Neill Council of the Knights of Columbus.
Mr. Reinhardt was married for 44 years to the former Helen Marguerite Wittman, who died in 1974. His second marriage, to the former Mildred Zimmermann Harrington, ended in divorce.
Survivors include a son, Louis A. Reinhardt Jr. of Baltimore; a daughter, Phyllis R. Crowley of Bel Air; a brother, Edward Reinhardt of Baltimore; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
The family suggested donations to Stella Maris Hospice.