Wayne Lodge 14 Member &
friend to many locally within the DeKalb County Lodge 196

Master Trooper James R. Bailey, 50, of Auburn, died Friday, March 3, 2023.

James was born November 10, 1972 in Auburn. James was a 1991 graduate of Garrett High School. He was a nearly 16-year veteran of the Indiana State Police and received the Life Saving Award in 2010, was named Trooper of the Year for District 22 in 2012 and he also earned the combat “Action Award” in 2021. James was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police Indiana Wayne Lodge 14 and the Indiana State Police Alliance. He is survived by his wife, Amy Bailey of Auburn; son, Joseph Bailey of Auburn; daughter, Sophia Bailey of Auburn; father, Bill Bailey of Garrett; sister and brother-in-law, Theresa and Kevin McBride of Kendallville; brother and sister-in-law, Bill Jr. and Tiffany Bailey of Auburn; father-in-law and mother-in-law, David and Karen Garn of Auburn; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Carrie and Jarrod Bennett of Auburn; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Jenny and Scott Rose of Auburn and brother-in-law, Andrew Garn of Auburn. He was preceded in death by his mother, Wanda F. Bailey.

Ronald P. Hagewood

May 7, 1943 ~ September 16, 2022 (age 79)

Ronald Paul Hagewood, age 79 of Auburn, passed away on Friday, September 16, 2022 at Parkview DeKalb Hospital in Auburn.

He was born May 7, 1943 in Angola. His father, Carny D Hagewood and his mother and step father, Bessie (Horn) and Clarence Moss have all passed away.

Ron was a police officer with the Auburn Police Department for 27 ½ years. He served Auburn as Chief of Police for a time and retired in 1997 with the rank of Captain. He was a 50 year member of the F.O.P. (Fraternal Order of Police).

He married Linda Hose on December 18, 1964 and she survives in Auburn. Also surviving are 2 sons, Rick Hagewood and his wife Amanda of Auburn and Roger Hagewood of Auburn; 3 grandchildren, Darrick Hagewood, Lyndsey Hagewood and Dylian Wetzel; one brother, Norman Hagewood and his wife Carol of Angola; sisters and brothers-in-law; Betty Hagewood of Zepher Hills, Florida, Elaine Hagewood of Angola, Helen and Voyle Hartleroad, of Butler, Ruth and Randy Towers of Auburn and AnnaMae and Jim Harter of Brownsburg, Indiana.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, son, Jeff Hagewood in 1983 and 2 brothers, Lynn Hagewood and Larry Hagewood.

Michael E. Gee

Auburn, Indiana

August 24, 1950 - October 26, 2021

Officer Michael E. Gee, 71, of Auburn, died Tuesday October 26, 2021 at Atrium Health Pineville in Charlotte, NC. Mike was born August 24, 1950 in Fort Wayne, a son of the late Frederick and Annabelle Gee. Mike was a police officer for the City of Auburn for 22 years retiring in 1995. He was also a member of the Dekalb County FOP Lodge 196. Mike is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Brian and Missy Gee of Fort Wayne; daughter and son-in-law, Melanie and Edwin Colon-Medina of Matthews, NC; grandchildren, Brandon and Brody Gee, and Solanna and Christian Colon-Medina; sister, Cathy Cook of Auburn. He was preceded in death by his wife Jonnie Gee. Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10 a.m. with visitation one hour prior on Saturday Nov. 6, 2021 at Saint Michael Catholic Church 1098 CR 39 Waterloo, IN. Fr. Vincent Joseph, VC will be officiating. Visitation will be held on Friday from 2-4 & 6- 8p.m. at Pinnington Funeral & Cremation Services 502 N. Main Street, Auburn. Burial will be held in Saint Michael Catholic Cemetery, Waterloo. Memorial donations may be made to Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana or to the funeral home to help with funeral expenses.

Thomas G. Stump

December 17, 1944 - January 17, 2021

Thomas G. Stump, 76, retired Indiana State Trooper of rural Avilla, died Sunday, January 17, 2021, at his home. He had been in declining health.

He was born December 17, 1944, at Luckey Hospital Wolf Lake, Indiana, a son of the late Raymond and Mary Katherine (Mahnesmith) Stump. Growing up in Wolf Lake, he graduated from Wolf Lake High School in 1963.

On October 12, 1963, he married Mary Ann Young. They made their home in Howe for ten years, moving to their present home in Avilla in 1978. Mary died on May 23, 2014.

From 1967 to 2002, he was an Indiana State Trooper assigned to Northeast Indiana. Retiring to his farm, he enjoyed being outdoors, caring for his property, and hunting deer in the season.

He made annual fishing trips to Canada with family and friends and liked to hike in Brown County, Indiana State Park. When he wasn’t outdoors, he delighted in antiquing. Grandchildren were his pride and joy, spending time with them whenever possible.

He was a member of Wolf Lake Baptist Church and the DeKalb County Fraternal Order of Police #196.

Surviving are two sons, Brad (Melinda) Stump of Garrett and Mark (Jenny) Stump of Avilla; four granddaughters, Marie, Erin, Amanda, and Danielle Stump; siblings, Kenneth (Nancy) Stump of Kimmell, Sue (Lawrence) Emerson of Rome City, Dan (Mendy) Stump and Kevin (Kim) Stump both of Wolf Lake and a sister-in-law, Nancy Stump of Stroh.

Jim A. "Jocko" Kaiser

August 7, 1949 ~ October 14, 2016 67 Years Old

All who knew Jim A. “Jocko” Kaiser would agree that he was a man of great honor, integrity, and compassion for others. He was kind but firm, and it was easy to see that he was passionate about the people and things he believed in. A loving husband and father, Jim was thrilled beyond measure to witness his family tree blossom to include the grandchildren who filled his heart with joy. He always made sure the grandkids were having fun, from ice cream runs to pop up road trips and time spent with his friends at the daily coffee gathering, he loved having them. A longtime resident of the community he loved, he was the sort of person who never met a stranger. Life will never be the same without Jim here, but he leaves behind a timeless legacy that his loved ones will proudly carry on in his footsteps.

During the first half of the 1940s, the eyes of our nation were focused overseas as countless young servicemen and women were deeply entrenched in the perils of WWII. With the end of the war in 1945 there was celebrating in the streets, and America spent the following few years adjusting to being a nation at peace once again. It was during this time of transition that Edward and Shirley Kaiser, Sr. were eagerly awaiting the birth of their new baby as the remaining days of the summer in August of 1949 came into view. Their wait was over when the baby boy they named Jim A. drew his first breath on August 7th. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, he was one of two boys in the Kaiser family as he was raised alongside his brother, Ed.

In many ways Jim was a young boy of his generation. His father worked at County Line Cheese in Auburn, Indiana, and later took a job at General Electric in Fort Wayne. They moved to Auburn, Indiana, from Pontiac in 1957 when Jim was eight years old so his father could work at County Line Cheese. Jim’s mother was a busy homemaker. While growing up he played Little League baseball on the Elks team, and Jim was also a Boy Scout. He always looked forward to visiting Joe the barber to get his hair cut. Jim graduated from DeKalb High School in 1968 as part of the first class to graduate from the new school. As someone who liked fast cars, he bought a brand new 1969 Camaro SSRS that was hugger orange with a black interior in 1969. It was a day to remember when he was able to drive it out of the showroom himself.

Dedicated to serving his community, Jim joined the Auburn Police Department as a reserve officer in 1974. A year later he became a dispatch officer and then in 1978 his dream was fulfilled as he became a patrol officer. Jim spent his entire career with the Auburn Police Department, working third shift. He loved the police department and being a police officer as he believed in the importance of serving others.

Not to be forgotten during his years as a young man was Jim’s introduction to the woman of his dreams. Her name was Deb, and they met on a blind date. It wasn’t too long before the couple found themselves deeply in love. With a desire to establish a life together Jim and Deb were married in Muncie, Indiana. Together they welcomed three children including Heather, Amanda, and Nick into their hearts and home. Jim was a loving and devoted father who enjoyed being with his family. Some of their favorite memories were made on vacations to Dauphin Island, Alabama, and in Cherokee, North Carolina. Jim enjoyed hosting people at his old home on Main Street to watch the Auburn, Cord & Duesenberg parade and grilling food for everyone. They all always had a great time despite the fact that he was horrible at grilling!

After his retirement from the police department in 1996 Jim still wanted to serve others. He went to work at Youth for Christ from 1996 through 2012 as he wanted to make a difference in the lives of others at a young age. He developed FAST START for boys at risk at Youth for Christ, changing the course of the lives of so many in the process. For several years, Jim was a member of Saint Andrew Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Auburn. In his free time, Jim enjoyed combining his favorite things: cookouts, gatherings with food involved, and spending time outside. In addition, he enjoyed fishing, tinkering, antiques, coin collecting, man trips, and going to the movies with his good friend, Ron. Of course he never met ice cream he didn’t like, either.

When reflecting on the life of Jim A. “Jocko” Kaiser, it is easy to see that he lived his life with others in mind. It has been said that he had the worst poker face ever as he couldn’t lie to save his life. Jim always wore shirts with pockets in them and had a little note pad to write things down, which are just a couple of things that made him unique. He made a significant impact in the lives of those too numerous to count. Jim will be forever missed by all who were blessed to know and love him.