Grant Mottice family

Here is the obituary notice for Grant Mottice. It is an unidentified newspaper clipping, though probably from the Canton Repository. It is undated but likely a day or so after his death on March 9, 1938:

"Grant E. Mottice, 72, Dies at Aultman Hospital "Grant E. Mottice, 72, died Wednesday morning at Aultman Hospital following an illness of several weeks.

Grant Edgar Mottice was born on Dec. 6, 1865 in Waynesburg.

In his father's Bible he is referred to at two separate pages as "Edwin Grant" and "Grant Edgar".

He was the son of John C. Mottice and Catherine Gross.  He married Frances Dieringer on Dec. 28, 1903, and they had eight children.  He died unexpectedly on March 9, 1938 of a ruptured gastric ulcer.  He is buried in Waynesburg cemetery.

The photo to the right is undated, but probably before the turn of the century although it could be a wedding photo.  It is the best photo of him I know of.

Robert Neil Mottice was the 6th child (out of 8) of Grant and Frances Mottice. He was born in 1916 at North Industry, OH, which is between Waynesburg and Canton. Apparently his middle name was originally "Neal", as this is the name that shows on some early documents.  The photo to the right is his high school graduation picture.

He served in the U.S. Army during WWII and upon the end of the war, attended college at Glenville State University in Glenville, WV.  There he met his future wife, Maxine Elliott.  They were married in 1951.

Frances Dieringer was the daughter of Andrew Dieringer and Mary Holshoy, and later wife to Grant Mottice.

She was 8th of 12 Dieringer children, ten of whom were girls.  Of her 9 sisters, six were older than she.  She was born in Waynesburg and lived there most of her life.  In the 1950s (perhaps earlier), she moved to Canton with her daughter, Ruth, after Ruth's husband Verle Garster died.

She married Grant Mottice in 1903, and they had 8 children before he died in 1938.

Ruth Mottice was the oldest daughter of Grant and Frances Mottice. Born in 1908, her obituary lists the location as Canton although it is not clear if perhaps the actual location wasn't North Industry. Grant and Frances lived in North Industry around this time, and there are suggestions that children were born at home rather than in a hospital.

Arnold Lorain Mottice, 3-30-1907 to 10-8-1989

Mr. Arnold "Arnie" L. Mottice, age 82, passed away Sunday evening in Aultman Hospital following a brief illness. He retired from the Ohio Power Co. in 1971 after 38 years of service.

Bob Mottice, son of Grant Mottice, graduated from Glenville State College (WV) in 1952. 

He began his college studies on the GI Bill after he was discharged from the Army at the end of WWII.  I don't know how he came to be aware of Glenville, or why he chose to attend there. But he thoroughly enjoyed his four years there, and made many lifelong friends.

While at Glenville, he majored in education and earned a number of honors, including the ones shown here.

Here are images of 4 hunting licenses held by Grant Mottice for the years 1928-1931.

These documents are significant because they provide information about him that is not available from other sources. They each list his occupation as "Painter." He is described on them as being 5'10" tall and weighing 165 lbs. His eyes were brown, and his hair was brownish-grey.

My father, Bob Mottice, was 12-15 years old during the time frame of these licenses, and it is tempting to think of he, my grandfather, and Merle going hunting together in the recreational way many do these days.

Grant Mottice and Frances Dieringer lived in the Waynesburg, OH area all their lives (Frances moved to Canton late in her life) had 8 children. The last surviving child, Robert N., died in 2003. Here are family facts:

Ruth E. Mottice Garster, 7-6-1908 to 9-11-1999

Ruth E. Garster, 91, of Canton OH passed away Saturday morning in the Shady Lawn Nursing Home following an extended illness. Born in Canton, OH on July 6, 1908, she was the daughter of the late Grant and Frances (Dieringer) Mottice. S

he was a 1927 graduate of Waynesburg High School and a graduate of Canton Actual Business College. She retired from the Sealtest Sanitary Milk Co. in Canton. She was a member of the Waynesburg Presbyterian Church.

Mary Catherine Mottice Stratton, 2-15-1918 to 1-9-2000

Mary Catherine Stratton, age 81, of Waynesburg, passed away Sunday evening in Aultman Hospital after an extended illness.

She was born in North Industry on Feb. 15, 1918, a daughter of the late Grant and Frances Dieringer Mottice and was a life resident of this area. She was a 1936 graduate of Waynesburg High School. Mary was retired from Harrison Paint & Decorating Center, after 24 years of service, where she worked in the office. She was a member of Waynesburg Presbyterian Church.

Helen Mottice Grein, 7-15-1912 to 6-17-1988

Mrs. Helen M. Grein, age 75, a resident of McKinley Life Care Center, passed away Friday afternoon following an extended illness.

She had lived the greater portion of her life in the Waynesburg and Canton area. She was a member of the Congregational United Church in North Canton.

Virginia Kelley Mottice, 8-21-1913 to 1-8-1990

Florida -- E. Virginia (Kelley) Mottice died Jan. 8 at Robinson Memorial Hospital.

She was born Aug. 21, 1913 in Scio, the daughter of Paul and Esther Leggett Kelley. She was an executive secretary for Roadway Express in Akron for over 30 years.

She is survived by sons James of Garrettsville and Robert of Cuyahoga Falls; brother, Sheldon of Akron; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild. Her husband, Marion, died in 1989.

Funeral arrangements were made by Mallory-DeHaven-Carlson Funeral Home in Garrettsville.

Marion Eugene Mottice, 11-3-1910 to 11-3-1989
From an unidentified and undated newspaper clipping:

"Marion E. (Jeff) Mottice, age 79, of Highpoint, Brooksville (FL) died Friday, November 3 at his residence.

"Born in Canton, OH, he came to Florida some 14 years ago from Portage Lakes, OH. He was a retired buyer for a pharmacy company.

Frances Dieringer Mottice, 12-8-1880 to 10-22-1967. Mrs. Frances Mottice, 86, of 165 Poplar Ave. in Canton, passed away Sunday at Mary Grove Nursing Home after a long illness. A native of Waynesburg, she lived there until moving to Canton in 1959. She was a daughter of the late Andrew and Mary Holshoy Dieringer. Mrs. Mottice was a member of the United Presbyterian church of Waynesburg. Survivors include 3 daughters, Mrs. Ruth Garster with whom she resided, Mrs. Stanley (Helen) Grein of Canton, Mrs. Thomas (Mary) Stratton of Waynesburg; four sons, Arnold L. of Canton, Marion E.

The attached article from the Canton Repository sometime in 1944 announces that Merle Mottice has received a military honor while fighting at the Battle of Guam in the Pacific.

He was a leader of an ammunition and pioneer squad during that battle and received the combat infantryman badge for "outstanding performance of duty and exemplary conduct in action in the Guam operation."

The article pictured here appeared in the Canton Repository sometime in 1942. It announces the induction into the military of two of Grant and Frances Mottice's sons, Bob and Merle.

 Robert N. Mottice, who died in 2003 at the age of 87, was the son of Grant Mottice and Frances Dieringer.  This autobiography of his is a compilation of a historical account of his childhood that he wrote while a student at Glenville State College, and personal memoirs he wrote late in life for his 4 grandsons.  It was originally recorded on audio tape in 1997.

In 1935 (if I read the writing on this deed correctly), Grant Mottice purchased a cemetery lot in Sandy Valley Cemetery just outside of Waynesburg.  According to the deed, the lot was purchased for $16.  He died a short 3 years later in 1938.  He and he wife Frances Dieringer are both buried there, although she lived until 1967.

These account books are a series of small tablets, mostly 4"x8", in which Grant Mottice kept records of business dealings.  They contain the names of numerous individuals in and around Waynesburg.  An additional interesting aspect is the period advertising that appears on many pages of the account books.  These account books were in the possession of Grant's son Robert.