Alice Gongwer

Alice Brownell Gongwer, 99, of Ashland, died the way she lived at her home at Brookwood Place on August 15, 2010 - gracefully and without fuss. The youngest of Henry and Caroline Brownell's six children, Mrs. Gongwer was born on February 8, 1911, in Washington Court House, Ohio. She was a graduate of Washington Court House High School and received her two-year Normal Degree from Ohio Northern University in the early 1930s. After graduation she taught for three years at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home in Xenia, three years in Washington Court House and then taught primary grades for one more year in Mansfield, Ohio. On August 7, 1938, she married George Gongwer, an Ashland attorney, and they raised three daughters in Ashland, where they were members of Trinity Lutheran Church. In recent years, Mrs. Gongwer had been a frequent volunteer at the Ashland County Historical Society, and she remained an active and spirited presence at Brookwood until the last. Always game for an adventure, Mrs. Gongwer still traveled regularly to family events and celebrations across Ohio and West Virginia and never refused an invitation to a party! Preceded in death by her husband on June 13, 1985, Mrs. Gongwer is survived by her children Ann Douglas Kehl, of Glastonbury, Connecticut; Carolyn Robert Boner of Westminster, Maryland; and Helen Larry Atchison of Wooster to whom she passed the same wit, grit, and wisdom with which she faced every day. She is likewise survived by nine grandchildren including Laurie John Wilhelm of Thurmont, Maryland; Matt Jill Kehl of Glastonbury, Connecticut; Ben Kehl of Glastonbury, Connecticut; Phil Boner of Bayview, Idaho; Chris Jen Boner of Purcellville, Virginia; Kate Juan Marin of Alfred, New York; Mark Laura Atchison of Newark; Julie Atchison of Columbus; and Caroline Clint Cooper of Doylestown; along with 14 great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and countless neighbors and friends whose lives she touched in many ways. She will be missed by all.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, August 18, 2010, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ashland at 3:00 p.m. conducted by Dr. Sanford C. Mitchell. Friends may call one hour prior to the service, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., on Wednesday at the church. Burial will follow in Ashland Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Brethren Care, Inc. or to the Ashland County Historical Society.