Marian Elizabeth (Lonsway) Werling

Marian Elizabeth Lonsway was the youngest of two daughters born to Louis Earl Lonsway and Sarah Lowessa Myler. When Marian was 5 years old, her mother, Lowessa, died at the young age of 26 due to neuralgia of the heart. Shortly after her mother’s death, her father, Louis, died from tuberculosis at 32 years old. Orphaned at nine years old, Marian and her older sister, Ruth Lillian, were raised in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, by their maternal grandparents. In 1920, Ruth moved to Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, and stayed with her paternal Grand Aunt Ida Haefling, where she finished her senior year at Columbian High School. Her sister, Marian, soon followed her sister.
 
Leo and Emma [Stine] Werling lived next to Aunt Ida. Their oldest son, Vincent Ignatious Werling, soon began dating the girl next door. Vincent and Marian were married on January 21, 1924 by the circuit court in Monroe, Monroe County, Michigan. The couple made their first home in Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana. Their son, Richard Victor, was born on August 10, 1924, and  their son, Vincent Leo, was born on December 5, 1925.  The family stayed in Kokomo until 1934, when the family moved back to Tiffin to raise their sons near their family.

Vincent Leo Werling

On December 5, 1925, Vincent Leo "Vince" Werling was born in Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana. His mother, Marian, was 20 years old, and his father, Vincent, was 22. His parents returned to Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, when he was nine.

Following in the footsteps of his older brother Richard, Vince played football for Calvert High School. He wore his brother's number, #15, on his jersey.  Vince enlisted in the military after high school and served as a Corporal in the US Marines. During World War II, he was stationed in Guam and was honorably discharged. Vince learned the linoleum trade through the GI Bill and became a skilled craftsman at his work. Those that worked with Vince said his ability to do inlaid work was exceptional.

At a Bellevue football game, Vince and Marie first met. During the war, they became pen friends, and after Vince returned to the United States, they were soon engaged. On May 8, 1948, in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio, he wed Marie Therese Freitas [1927-2023]. Marie was born on July 16, 1927, in Sandusky, Erie County, Ohio. Vince and Marie relocated to Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, where they raised their four children (Kathleen, Michael, MaryBeth and David) in Columbus, Franklin, Ohio. 

At church he became known as the ‘Mr. Lifesaver Man’ because he always passed out lifesavers to the children at his church. He would always remind them of how Jesus is our lifesaver. Vince was a laid-back individual who always kept his word. Vince (known as “Vinnie” to Marie) was well known for his “Vinnie Burgers” – many a late night snack to family and friends.

Vince passed away at the age of 66 on March 19, 1992, in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. He was buried in Sunset Cemetery (Galloway, Ohio). On April 10, 2023, Marie passed away and was laid to rest in Sunset Cemetery with her spouse. 

Richard Victor Werling

When Richard Victor Werling was born on August 10, 1924, in Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana, his father, Vincent, was 20 and his mother, Marian, was 18. He was the oldest of two boys raised in this family. In the mid 1930s, his family moved to his parent’s hometown of Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio. In 1942, Richard received his diploma from Calvert High School. He was a great athlete who played guard for the #32 basketball team. In addition to being the football team's quarterback (#15), he served as co-captain in his last season.

On his eighteenth birthday, Richard enlisted in the US Marines. During World War II, he served in the  Marine Division as a Platoon Sergeant with Company B, 25th Regiment.  Richard received two Purple Heart awards. He saw action in the Battle of Kwajalein (where he was  struck by shrapnel in his thigh), Saipan-Tinian, and Iwo-Jima (where he led troops under intense fire and sustained an abdominal wound while carrying a wounded soldier). Richard received a Letter of Commendation from his commanding general along with a telegram from Vice President Harry Truman for his actions in Iwo-Jima. After World War II, Richard remained in the Marine Corp Reserves and was called back during the Korean War and stationed in Quantico, Virginia. The war ended before he saw action. Richard resigned from the US Marines in 1952 with a rank of First Lieutenant.

After the war, Richard married Helen Louise Gregg on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1946. Helen was born on May 26, 1925, in Tiffin to Maxwell and Gladys [Osterwalter] Gregg. Maxwell, Helen's father, passed away when she was twelve. When Helen was seventeen, her mother wed James Werba. Helen attended Columbian High School (Tiffin) and graduated in 1943. Richard and Helen raised three children (Gregg, Christopher and Richard II). In the 1960s, he contributed to the construction of more than 500 Burger Chef restaurants across the US. In the middle of the 1970s, he was a general contractor in Carmel, Indiana and then moved to Florida in 1977 and worked for Clarence Crobaugh & Associates. Richard owned his own construction business, House Masters, Inc., in Florida while working as a general contractor. Richard was an avid sports fan and often played golf. He and Helen were prolific bridge players and known to stay up all night playing cards with Richard's Aunt Ruth and her husband, Lou. 

Richard died on July 18, 1983, in Treasure Island, Pinellas, Florida, at the age of 58. Helen died on July 30, 2014, in Seminole, Pinellas, Florida at the age of 89.

Vincent Ignatious Werling

Vincent Ignatius Werling was the oldest of four siblings to Leo and Emma [Stine] Werling. Leo met Emma while working as a farmhand to Emma’s brother, William. Leo and Emma married February 17, 1903, in St. Joseph’s Church in Tiffin, Ohio.

Vincent and his siblings, James Louis (1905-1921), Cletice Lenora (1907-1980), and Martin Leo (1914-1955), all grew up in Tiffin.  His brother, James, died from typhoid fever at the age of 16 years old.

While living in Kokomo, Vincent worked as a foreman at the Kokomo branch of the Standard Sanitary Mfg., a company that manufactured porcelain bathtubs, toilets, and sinks. In 1934, Vincent, Marian, and their two sons moved back to  Tiffin, where he transitioned to the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co., as a caster.

In October 1938, Vincent and Marian tried their hand as restaurant owners and took possession of the Hubach's restaurant business in Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio. They sold the business in June 1939 and returned to Tiffin, where Vincent returned to work at the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Co. 

Vincent worked at the Railway Express Company which was the UPS or FedEx of its day until his death on August 16, 1948. He died from pneumonia at the age of 44 years old.