This gift is made in memory of James and Elizabeth Fuleki who were natives of Hungary but who came to the United States in the early 1900s. Mr. Fuleki worked as a coal miner in Pennsylvania coal fields for about twenty-five years. Following his employment in the coal mines he moved to near Edon, Ohio where he worked as a farmer from early 1930s until his death in 1963. Mr. and Mrs. Fuleki had five children namely; Mary, Emery, Joseph, Irene and Irma. Emery and Joseph served in World War II from Williams County in the European Theater. Mrs. Fuleki was a homemaker until her death in 1983.

This gift is given by Irene (Fuleki) Frank who was a long time resident of Mark Township, Defiance County. She is the widow of Elmer Frank who died in December 2005. Mr. and Mrs. Frank were lifetime farmers. Mrs. Frank is a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Hicksville.

They were married June, 1933 and have one son, Ronald, who was born in July, 1936. At the time they were married, Earnie worked in the garage that belonged to A.E. Gier. In the fall of 1936, Earnie decided he wanted a garage of his own, and on January 1, 1937, he opened for business. It was known as Reas Chevrolet Sales.

All three members of the Reas family enjoyed traveling, and by the time Ronald graduated from Edon High School they had been in all 48 states. Ronald went to Purdue University to study electrical engineering. Since graduation and marriage, he has always lived in Anderson, Indiana. He has two children, Evan and Erin. In 1996, Evan died of cancer at age 35. Evan’s wife, Sue and their two daughters live in Clarkston, Michigan. Erin married Scott Williams, and they have a son Brandon. They live in Dearborn, Michigan.

After Earnie sold the garage in December, 1958, he and Thelma did quite a lot of traveling. They went to Canada, Mexico, Nassau, Cuba, Hawaii, Alaska, and in 1960, they spent three months in Europe touring 14 countries.

Earnie passed away in February 1993 and in 1996 Thelma moved to an apartment in Bryan.

He was a United States Army Veteran serving in the Korean Conflict from 1952-1954. Returning home from service, he wanted to buy some farm ground but nothing was available in Wood County. He followed the old saying, “Go West Young Man!” He purchased 80 acres from Ira Kiess in Florence Township in 1954. In December of that year he married Doris Hufford at Perrysburg and the young couple settled in the newly purchased farm residence. Keith David Jr. was born September 1955 and twins, Kenneth and Kay were born in September 1957.

Over the next 20 years Keith kept busy raising his family and expanding his farming operation to over 1000 acres. He raised chickens, cattle, feeder pigs and grain crops. Always looking for new ventures he started dealing in used farm equipment. Keith founded Reitzel Machinery in 1970 at State Route 49 in Edon. The sons graduated from Edon High School and joined their dad in the business driving semis and repairing and selling equipment. The business moved to Archbold, Ohio in 1977.

Keith was a very busy man attending farm auctions. He had eight grandchildren that kept him very busy as well, all of them living nearby. His wife of 32 years suddenly passed in April 1987.

In November of 1988 he married LaRue Held. LaRue is a lifetime resident of the Edon-Blakeslee community and retired in October 2006 after 50 years of service at the Edon Farmers Co-Op.

The machinery business returned to the Edon area in 1998. Keith had semi-retired and the sons took over the business as Reitzel Brothers Machinery. Keith was still busy attending auctions, but spent time traveling with LaRue. He enjoyed the 7-10 day bus trips to different areas. Thru the years he traveled to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Mexico, Canadian Rockies, and the majority of the states.

Keith was proud to be a member of the Edon community and supported it well. His three children and grandchildren are all graduates of Edon High School. He was proud of their many accomplishments. Keith was a member of St. Peters Lutheran Church in Edon and the Edon American Legion Post #662.

Keith passed away February 8, 2003 from complications of injuries suffered in a January 11th automobile accident. To keep supporting the Edon community and its many projects, the Keith Reitzel Memorial was established. Through this memorial Keith will always be remembered for how proud he was of his home-town, Edon.

Glade Toner (1889-1960) was very active in the Edon community all of his life, serving as mayor when the first brick pavements were constructed in Edon, serving as an elected member of the Florence-Edon (now Edon Northwest) Board of Education during the first two major construction projects to modernize school facilities, and serving as a volunteer fireman for many years. He was a past owner and managing partner of The Edon Hoop and Lumber Company from its inception in 1923 until its voluntary dissolution in 1956. He also served for many years as a director of The Edon State Bank Company.

Leona (Gearhart) Toner (1891-1975), prior to marriage on June 30, 1925, was an elementary school teacher, teaching at several one-room school houses in the Edon area.

To this union, one child was born and raised, John Glade Toner (1930).

W. Carleton Allomong(1898-1990) was a highly successful farm owner and operator in Florence Township, northeast of Edon, producing grain crops and raising and marketing cattle and sheep. He also served for many years as a director of The Edon State Bank Company.

Rosemary (Roseberry) Allomong (1900-1969), prior to, and after marriage on August 24, 1925, was a high school teacher, teaching in Edon.

To this union four children were born and raised: Marjorie (Allomong) Cornell (1927-1989); Marilyn (Allomong) Toner (1930); Phyllis (Allomong) Headley (1933); and John W. Allomong (1940-1999).

Fred B. Ingram (1891-1966) and Hazel Y. (Allomong) Ingram (1894-1966) were united in marriage on November 7, 1914, and they were engaged in farming in the Edon area until relocating to Edon in 1942.

To this union was born two children: H. Pauline (Ingram) Hand (1915-2006) and John W. Ingram (1918-1944), commonly referred to as “Jay or J.W.” Ingram.

Pauline married Kenneth E. Hand (1899-1980) on February 8, 1942, and they were engaged in farming and meat trade in Steuben County, Indiana, east of Angola, until Kenneth passed away, and Pauline relocated to Angola, Indiana.

Jay graduated from Florence-Edon (now Edon Northwest) High School in 1936 and from The Ohio State University in 1941. While at OSU, Jay was an outfielder with its varsity baseball team.

During World War II, Jay served with the 601st Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, based in England. On the 24th of May, 1944, Jay was killed while piloting his B-17 Flying Fortress “The Buckeye” during a bombing run over Berlin, Germany. He is buried in the Ardennes American Military Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz (near Liege); Belgium.