The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page 168

Page 20B: Sunday, May 31, 1998 The Sun Winton B. Osborne, 68, Harford legislator, company founder By FRED RASMUSSEN SUN STAFF Services for Winton B. Osborne, a former Harford County legislator and founder of Harford Sod and Excavating Co. will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at his farm, 1914 Rock Spring Road in Forest Hill.

Mr. Osborne, who was 68, apparently drowned Monday in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It was believed he slipped off a ladder from his 52-foot Hatteras motor yacht, Prime Time, which was docked there. A lifelong resident of Forest Hill, he had established the sod and excavating company in 1955 and closed the business in 1994. He was active for many years as a contractor and land developer.

His residential development projects included Meadow Stream near Norrisville and Forest Lakes in Forest Hill. Active in Democratic politics, Mr. Osborne served in the House of Delegates from 1966 to 1970, and lost a bid in 1972 for a seat on the new Harford County Council. "He was a very strong and outspoken advocate for Harford County and small business," said Arthur H. Helton of Churchville, a friend of 30 years who served in the Maryland Senate.

"He was also a tireless volunteer, especially with the Bel Air Jaycees. He was always donating materials and equipment for projects around Bel Air. He was a giving guy of both his time and Mr. Osborne was born, and lived his entire life, in the 19th-cenclapboard farmhouse that tury, belonged to his father, a dairy and had nine vintage motorcars including a Rolls-Royce convertible, a Zimmer, two Mercedes autos, a Jaguar and a Corvette. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, the former Rose Ella Hughes; four daughters, Linda Gail Stoltz of Forest Hill, Deborah Jean Jennings of Perryman, Patricia Ann Newman of Glen Arm and Diane Cheryl Osborne of Arlington, Texas; two brothers, Joseph B.

Osborne of Bel Air and William Osborne of Vero Beach, three sisters, Mary Harkins of Forest Hill, Ruth Guttery of Alton, and Maybelle Smith of Bealton, and two grandchildren. John Henry Jones, 77, Social Security supervisor John Henry Jones, a World War II veteran and former Social Security Administration employee, died of cancer Monday at Liberty Medical Center. The West Baltimore resident was 77. Baltimore native, Mr. Jones graduated from city public schools and attended Morgan State College.

He served in the Army during World War II, then went to work for the Social Security agency. He retired as a supervisor in 1977. His wife, the former Victoria Anderson, whom he married in 1952, died in 1988. He is survived by two sisters, Melba Dorsey of Baltimore and Senora Reckling of Washington state. Services will be held at 10 a.m.

tomorrow at the Nutter Funeral Home, 2501 Gwynns Falls Parkway. Winton B. Osborne was an "outspoken advocate for Harford County and small business." 1967 PHOTO farmer. He graduated from Bel Air High School in 1946 and Baltimore Business College in 1948. He had been a board member of the old Equitable Trust Co.

and was a member of the Maryland Speakers Society, Bel Air Jaycees, Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Harford County Election Board, Harford County Contractors Association, Harford County Homebuilders and Centre United Methodist Church in Forest Hill. Mr. Osborne was fond of boating and enjoyed cruising on the Chesapeake Bay aboard the Prime Time. He also enjoyed collecting and driving classic automobiles, DOUG KAPUSTIN: SUN STAFF Salute: Members of the 3rd Infantry Old Guard which protects the president and guards the Tomb of the Unknowns -fire a salute to honor Army Cpl. William Othello Wilson.

Saluting a 19th-century hero from Page Mexican bandits. It is believed the troops were called buffalo soldiers by the Plains Indians because their hair and fighting spirit reminded the Indians of buffaloes. Despite poor food and inadequate supplies, 18 buffalo soldiers received the Medal of Honor between 1870 and 1890. When the enemy descended upon Capt. John S.

Loud and his men 108 years ago, two Indian scouts working with the buffalo soldiers refused to take a dispatch to the nearest troops, certain they would be killed. Wilson quickly stepped forward and said, "I can do it," and volunteered to take a message to the battalion commander during fighting in South Dakota. Riding furiously on horseback over the muddy terrain, Wilson returned within an hour with reinforcements. For gallantry in action, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on Sept. 17, 1891, having saved the lives of at least 25 men in the wagon supply train.

No gravestone After the war, Wilson returned to Hagerstown and married. When his wife died, he raised seven children and was a carpenter, upholsterer and cook. After he was injured on a roofing job in 1928, he suffered blood poisoning and died at age 60. A funeral was held, but no gravestone was placed. Family members who knew where he was buried died.

Hagerstown grew and changed. Wilson's daughter, Anna Jones, said relatives were overwhelmed with grief and, as time passed, they forgot where the grave was. She was 14 when he died; her sister, Elsie Comer, now 92, ill and in a nursing home, was 21. Anna Jones' son, James D. Jones, developed an interest in his grandfather.

The son, a retailer, vowed to Sister Mary Elena Gomez, 67, parochial schools educator Sister Mary Elena Gomez, O.S.P., who worked at parochial schools in Baltimore, Washington and her native Cuba, died of heart failure Tuesday at St. Joseph Medical Center. She was 67. Sister Mary Elena had been retired since 1996 at the motherhouse of the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Catonsville. Born Nilda Julia Gomez, she was raised in Havana.

She entered the Oblate Sisters order 1948 and professed her vows in 1951. She attended the old Mount Provident Junior College in Baltimore and was a graduate of St. Louis University's Institute of Child Care. From 1951 to 1954, she was prefect of St. Frances Academy in East Baltimore.

She was assigned in 1954 to Cuba, where she worked at several parochial schools. She returned to the United States in 1961, and had assignments in Norman, and Washington before her retirement. A Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Our Lady of Mount Providence Convent Chapel, 701 Gun Road, Catonsville. Survivors include a sister, Sira E.

A. Brown, 62, cabdriver By ROBERT HILSON JR. SUN STAFF Edmund Arthur Brown, a former city cabdriver and later a "hack" who alternately chauffeured passengers in his Cadillac or his rusted Pinto hatchback, died of heart failure Wednesday while living in Richmond, Va. Mr. Brown, 62, lived in Baltimore until the early 1990s.

He drove a cab for 10 years and hacked working as an unlicensed cabbie for more than 15 years. His usual haunts for finding fares were the Lexington and fayette markets and some eastside supermarkets. A short, heavyset man who usually wore a sweater and a tweed cap, Mr. Brown enjoyed driving and talking, and knew even the most obscure city streets. "He was quite long-winded but not in a dull way," said Louise Barnes of Baltimore, a former neighbor and occasional passenger.

"He knew which block intersected with certain streets. He knew the quickest way to get to anyplace in the He really knew how to maneuver that old Pinto." Mr. Brown bought his yellow Ford Pinto new in 1971 and drove it until the late 1980s, putting more than 170,000 miles on it. He bought a used, sky-blue Cadillac in 1981 and kept it in perfect condition. The Pinto, he told friends, was for weekday fares; the Cadillac was used on weekends, when he charged more.

"The Pinto looked like it was about 50 years old and was going to break down at any moment, and did often," Ms. Barnes said. "It had hangers and strings and paper clips holding it together, but they'd get broke, too. You would think he'd make more money if he drove a car people liked to ride in." But Mr. Brown, who lived in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, refused to get rid of the Pinto, even when most of its parts failed, believing it might one day be a collector's item, friends said.

"When he moved, we had to have it towed away from here. Some classic car. The parts weren't even worth a case of sodas," Ms. Barnes said. Born in Washington, Mr.

Brown attended the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the mid1950s and came to Baltimore in 1960. He worked at Bethlehem Steel Corp. for several years and in construction until 1966, when he began driving for Royal Cab Co. He preferred late shifts, believing people would be less inclined to stand at bus stops after dark. He was robbed several times but wasn't deterred from entering high-crime areas to pick up or drop off a fare.

"Some cabbies make it point to avoid places. He didn't," said Jimmy Rowlands of Baltimore, who worked with Mr. Brown at Royal Cab. "He felt you can't discriminate against anybody because of where they live." Mr. Brown married Yvette McNeil in 1951.

They were divorced in 1969. He is survived by two sons, Kenneth Brown of Baltimore and Jerome Brown of Richmond, and a grandson. Services were held yesterday in Richmond. Gomez, and a niece, Marie Elena Ayon, both of Washington; and several nieces and nephews in Cu- Robert E. Randolph, 65, school custodian, baker Robert E.

Randolph, a retired Baltimore County elementary school custodian and former baker, died in his sleep Monday at Genesis Eldercare in Randallstown. He was 65. The Forest Park resident had been a custodian at Johnnycake Elementary for a decade before his 1993 retirement. Earlier, he worked for Acme Bakery. Born and raised on Mosher Street, he attended St.

Peter Claver parochial school and served in the Army from 1947 to 1955. Mr. Randolph was a neighborhood block watch captain and an avid Orioles and Colts fan. His 1956 marriage to the former Lorraine Hill ended in divorce. In 1984, he married Lola Hargrove, who died in 1994.

Survivors include three daughters, Robin Randolph, Lorna Randolph and Gia Vincent, and a brother, Walter Randolph, all of Baltimore; and three grandchildren. Services were held Friday. Dorothy N. Parker, 98, homemaker, club member Dorothy N. Parker, a homemaker who was active in several clubs, died in her sleep Monday at Manor Care Ruxton.

The Timonium resident was 98. Mrs. Parker, who formerly resided in Guilford, Roland Park and Singer Island, was a member of Grace United Methodist Church, the English Speaking Union, the Three Arts Club of Homeland and the Bou Tem Si Club. She also was a volunteer and a member of the Salvation Army. The former Dorothy North was born in Cambridge and raised in Baltimore.

She graduated from Eastern High School in 1918 and was a teller at the Federal Reserve Bank until her marriage in 1925 to William H. Parker Jr. He died in 1982. Private services were held Friday at Green Mount Cemetery. She is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth Rennert Parker of Timonium; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

Robert Maxwell Myers 76, truck driver, Robert Maxwell Myers a retired truck driver, died of heart failure Monday at the Veterans Medical Center in Baltimore. He was 76. The 40-year Pasadena resident began his career driving a newspaper delivery truck for The Baltimore Sun Co. in 1947. He became a long-haul driver in 1952 and worked for several area motor freight lines including Davidson Transfer.

He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Born and raised in East Baltimore, Mr. Myers attended city schools. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was a chauffeur. Mr.

Myers, who retired in the mid-1970s, was an outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, the former Bernice E. Merritt; three sons, Robert M. Myers George W. Myers and Russell Myers, all of Pasadena; two daughters, Beverly Vogt of Pasadena and Kathleen Livingston of Glen Burnie; a brother, Albert C.

Myers of Riviera Beach; 14 grandchildren; and 24 great -grandchildren. Services were private. Nella Winch McElroy, 80, clinical social worker Nella Winch McElroy, a retired clinical social worker and former Baltimore resident, died of cancer Tuesday on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. She was 80. Born and raised in Portland, she attended Sarah Lawrence College in New York and in 1940 received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Reed College in Oregon.

The same year, she married William D. McElroy. In 1945, the couple moved to Baltimore, where her husband was a professor of biology at the Johns Hopkins University. In 1966, after her divorce, Mrs. McElroy moved to Woods Hole, Mass.

She was office manager for a doctor and a clinical social worker at the Thorne Clinic, a mental health facility in Pocasset, Mass. She also was active in civic affairs and volunteer work. "She was a very loving mother who instilled a social conscience in her children," said her son Thomas S. McElroy of Baltimore. She is survived by another son, William D.

McElroy Jr. of Fal-. mouth, two daughters, Ann R. McElroy of Hickory, N.C., and Mary E. McElroy of Brookline, three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister, brother and stepmother in Portland.

A memorial ceremony will be held June 8 at the Church of the Messiah cemetery in Woods Hole, followed by a reception at the Swope Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory. Mildred E. Gracey, 89, homemaker, phone operator Mildred E. Gracey, a homemaker and former telephone operator who vividly recalled the 1929 stock market crash died Friday of Alzheimer's disease at Oak Crest Village's community care center. She was 89.

Mrs. Gracey was a young Chesapeake Potomac Telephone Co. operator, assigned to the Vernon telephone exchange, when the stock market began its downward spiral on Black Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929. "She described it as being a terrifying time," said a daughter, Carol G.

Redline of Perry Hall. "They. weren't allowed to leave the switchboard, and she said she could hear the panic in people's voices. It was something that she never forgot." A 45-year Stoneleigh resident, Mrs. Gracey was an animal rescue, advocate and earned the nickname of the "Dog Lady of Stoneleigh" for her care of stray dogs.

Mrs. Gracey, who was one of the first residents of Oak Crest Village when she moved in 1996 to Frederick House, the assisted liv-' ing center, often appeared in advertisements for the Parkville retirement community. Born and raised on Fairmount Avenue, the former Mildred Butterworth was one of 11 children. She attended city schools until dropping out to help support her family. She worked for the telephone company from 1925 to 1943.

She was married in 1927 to Herbert A. Gracey, a Baltimore Gas. and Electric Co. employee who died in 1967. She returned to work that year as a PBX operator at St.

Joseph Medical Center, and retired in 1970. She was a longtime Red Cross volunteer, teaching water safety for 30 years, and was a communicant of Ascension Lutheran Church. Services will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Oak Crest Village, 8800 Walther Blvd. She is also survived by another daughter, Susan Roeder of Perry Hall; and four grandchildren.

Services Services for Robert L. Berney, founder and president of the Berney Travel Service and patron of the arts who died Thursday, will be held at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, 7401 Park Heights where he was a longtime member. start the search for his grandfather's grave after he retired in 1989, but he died that year at age 57 after a massive heart attack. Years later, his wife, Mary, could not stop thinking about her husband's wish and started the search.

"We had talked about it a lot, and it was extremely important to him," said Mary Jones, 66. "He was just so proud of his grandfather." Traveling from Princeton, N.J., in February 1997, she knew only that other family members had been buried in a Hagerstown cemetery designated for blacks. A referral to a historian at the Washington County library led to a chance meeting with Donald Brown, a retired businessman who became fascinated with the mystery. "I'm just nosey," Brown said yesterday. "But after getting to know them, I came to really respect the quality of the family." Weeks of research led him in April 1997 to Rose Hill Cemetery in April 1997.

Using the cemetery's records, he spent several days digging to find numbered concrete markers that indicated gravesites. After seven days, Brown found the buried concrete marker for grave 1170, the resting place of Wilson. "I said 'Hello, Brown recalled yesterday. Things quickly developed as others learned Wilson's story. In October, a committee was formed to commemorate Wilson's service and acknowledge him as Washington County's only Medal of Honor recipient.

More than 3,400 have been awarded. Honoring black soldiers Yesterday, next to the bronze plaque now marking Wilson's grave, wreaths of flowers joined a saddle, a cavalryman's hat, a Native American lance adorned with furs and feathers, and a postersize photo of Wilson in uniform. "I think this is so appropriate because today, our black soldiers represent double in the military population what they do in the general population, so that means more and more of the protection of this country falls to them," said Republican Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, who attended yesterday's service.

"It's important that we recognize the contribution of African-American soldiers." A choir sang, buglers played taps and other speakers praised Wilson's service and the family's perseverance in locating his grave. Lamont Jones Wilson's 41- year-old great-grandson, said his only sadness was that his father, James, had not lived to see the completion of his search. "I felt the spirit of my father there," said Jones, who brought his wife and three children from Randallstown. "This was like his pet project, and he really wanted this to happen." Frank Shubert of Fairfax, author of several books on buffalo soldiers, said Wilson's story extends beyond the legacy he has left his family. "One of the messages I like to emphasize is that this is not just black history, it is American history," said Shubert, who included Wilson in his 1997 book, "Black Valor: Buffalo Soldiers and the Medal of Honor, 1870-1898." Family members said yesterday was a day they will add to the trove of memories about a modest soldier who loved his family and his country.

And despite the sun that poured down on the service, Anna Jones said she was reminded of a recent rainy day, when a friend commented on the U.S. flag that hangs from Jones' apartment balcony. "She said, 'Are you going to let that flag get rained Jones recalled. "I said, 'My father survived the mud and the rain for this country, so I think that flag can take a little Elsewhere of the country's first mutual funds, died Thursday in Mount Vernon, N.Y., while recovering from hip surgery. He founded the Pioneer Fund in 1928 with $25,000 contributed by friends and family.

In an investment career that encompassed dozens of bull and bear market cycles, Mr. Carret was known as a proponent of the "value" style of investing, buying shares of companies with steadily growing earnings, strong balance sheets and committed managers, and holding onto those investments for many years. Dorothy Spence Briley, 63, editor in chief and publisher of Clarion Books and a vice president of the trade and reference division of Houghton Mifflin died of a heart attack May 24 at her New York home. Elsewhere Philip L. Carret, 101, a founder of one Richard Uray, 73, who established the University of South Carolina's broadcasting courses and taught them for 30 years, died Tuesday in Columbia, S.C.

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