Obituary of Karl H. Place

WESTFIELD - Karl Hinman Place, age 98, of Westfield, NY, passed away peacefully and entered his heavenly home on November 4, 2015. Karl was born on January 4, 1917 in Oswego, NY a son of the late S. Willis and Hazel (Hinman) Place. He attended a one room school from 1924-1932 and graduated from Hannibal High School in 1936. He attended Oswego State College and Elmira Aviation Ground School and had been employed by Curtis-Wright Aircraft Co. He married Helen Howes of Buffalo, NY in 1943 at the Baptist Church of Amherst, MA, when he was an Air Cadet at Massachusetts State College. Karl served in WW II from 1943-1946, the last years of the China, India and Burma theatres. He graduated from Buffalo State College and had been an industrial Arts Teacher at Ripley Central School for 25 years. In 1957 he completed a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Buffalo. He and his wife, Helen, enjoyed boating and had cruised the Trent and Rideau Canals in Canada from Lake Ontario to the Georgian Bay and Ottawa. They had also cruised the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers from Pittsburgh, PA to St. Petersburg, FL in their cabin cruiser. Karl and Helen had also served under the Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society as Dorm Parents at Ivory Coast Academy in West Africa for 16 months, where he also taught Industrial Arts. They have volunteered at the Rio Grande Bible Institute in Edinburg, TX for 30 winters, where he served as a plumber. Karl was a member of the First Baptist Church of Westfield. In 1962, Karl and Helen joined the Gideons International and were active in the Dunkirk-Fredonia Camp and in the McAllen, TX Camp. Karl will be greatly missed by his family and many friends. He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Helen (Howes) Place, his daughter, Karen (Sid) Hoyt of Westfield, NY and his son, Dr. Ronald (Sharon) Place of Buena Vista, CO. Karl was the proud grandfather of, Scott (Stefanie Pouthier) Hoyt of Austin, TX, Jeffrey (Laci) Hoyt of Groton, NY, Heather (Keith) Johnson of Brighton, CO and Melinda (Joaquin) Flores of Issaquah, WA, and Great grandfather of Jacob, Ryan and Tyler Johnson, Kaija, Avery, Violet and Makena Hoyt, and Cruz and Mia Flores. Many Nieces and Nephews also survive. He was preceded in death by his infant sister Kathryn Place. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Memorial Bible Plan of Gideons International, c/o Ray Jones, 9326 E. Main Rd., Ripley, NY 14775 or to the Rio Grande Bible Institute, 4300 South US Highway 281, Edinburg, TX, 78539, for the sponsorship of students, or to the First Baptist Church of Westfield 7 Kent St., Westfield, NY 14787. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to The MASON Funeral Home, 37 Clinton St., Westfield, NY 14787. Log on to www.masonfuneral.com to send Karl's family a message of sympathy, to light a Memorial Candle or for further information.