Russell W. Rothermel

Nov. 30,1913 - Jan. 27, 2002

RICHMOND, IND.

 Russell Woodrow Rothermel,
88, formerly of South Bend, Ind.,
died of cancer and related
complications on Sunday, Jan. 27,
in his retirement home, the Friends
Fellowship Community, 2030
Chester Blvd. He was born in
Fountain City, Ind., on Nov. 30,
1913, to William M. and
Wilhelmena Schlonaker Rothermel.
He resided in the Richmond area
for his first 21 years, in South Bend
for 44 years, in Three Rivers, Mich.,
for 15 years and in the Richmond
area again for the past eight years.
Born, a Quaker, he has been a
member of the Church of the Larger
Fellowship - Unitarian/Universalist.
His hobbies include gardening, flyfishing,
bridge, and following his
favorite sports teams.
He was a graduate of Fountain City
High School in 1931 and Earlham
College in 1935, and played
basketball for both of those
schools. He later received his MS
degree in education from Indiana
University.
A career educator and adminis -
trator for 44 years, he was a math
teacher and coach at Lincoln
School from .1935-40 before
becoming a math teacher and
assistant basketball coach at John
Adams High School. At Adams, he
became athletic director, assistant
principal, and was its principal from
1951 to 1967. He later served as
an assis tant superintendent for the
South Bend schools. He served on
many professional and community
committees and

boards. A personal highlight of his
professional activities was an
overseas assignment in 1965 to
evaluate ten military base
dependent high schools in the
North Atlantic for the North Central
Association of Secondary Schools.
He was an active member of the
Rotary Clubs in South Bend,
Three Rivers and Richmond.
His second wife of two years, and
grade school classmate, Martha
Lacey Rothermel, and the family of
her late son, Stuart Thomas,
survive him. He is also survived by
a daughter, Gaynelle Winograd of
Colorado Springs, Colo.; two sons,
Dennis Rothermel of Chico, Calif.,
and Terry Rothermel of Concord,
Mass.; and by five grandchildren
and two great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his
first wife, Adella Edna Rothermel,
and by two sisters and three brothers.
There will be no public funeral
service or visitation. Following cremation
and subsequent interment
in Fountain City, there will be a private
family memorial service at a
later date.
Memorials may be made to
Earlham College, National Road
West, Richmond, IN 47341-4095;
the Scholarship Fund of St.
Joseph County PO Box South
Bend IN 46624; to the American
Cancer Society or to a favorite
charity