Ernest Ralph Adams

Ernest Ralph “Jack” Adams, age 69, of Dover, died peacefully late Wednesday evening, December 19, 2007, in his home following a lengthy illness. Born in his parents’ home at Dover, May 26, 1938, he was the only child of the late Ernest and Alma Riggle Adams. Jack graduated Dover High School in 1956. During his years at DHS, Jack met the former Ellen Hanks, who was a year his junior. Ellen invited Jack to attend a spring formal; and while Jack confessed he couldn’t dance, the pair proved perfect for one another. They wed August 14, 1960, and held the distinction of being the first couple to wed in what is now the fellowship hall of Dover’s First United Methodist Church, where Jack has been a member for the past fifty-three years. Following high school, Jack graduated from the Cleveland College of Engineering where he studied drafting. In the years immediately following high school, Jack served as a sanctioned umpire for baseball leagues in both the Dover and New Philadelphia City Parks. After college, Jack began his career with Joy Manufacturing as a draftsman. In 1964, he joined the former Ohio Power Company and embarked on a career that would span three decades before his retirement from American Electric Power in 1994. Jack’s love of the outdoors was a perfect match for his position with the power company. He served as a meter reader in most of the area surrounding Dover and throughout New Philadelphia before he was promoted to customer service. When not at the office, Jack could be found working around his family home, built by he and his wife in 1965. Jack was a self-taught carpenter, stone mason and mechanic. He enjoyed sharing his talent with his wife and daughters whether in improving the family home, repairing and restoring older vehicles, or collecting stones for the hearth of his family fireplace. While Jack did prefer to spend time at home with his family, he did find time to enjoy bowling, especially with his former colleagues from Joy Manufacturing.In addition to his wife of forty-seven years, Ellen, of the home, Jack’s family includes two daughters, Darla (husband David) Polce of Dover, and Kellie Adams, also of Dover. Two granddaughters, Emily and Erin, as well as two brothers-in-law, Claude “J.R.” (wife Carol) Hanks of Dover, and Jim (wife Susan) Hanks of Nokomis, Florida. Several nieces and nephews complete the family. In addition to his parents, Jack is preceded in death by his father and mother-in-law, Claude O. Hanks, Sr. and Esther Fazenbaker Hanks. Friends are invited to call Sunday afternoon from 2 to 5 in the Geib Funeral Center at Dover. The Reverend Larry Black will lead a funeral Monday morning at 10:30 in the Geib Funeral Center. Interment will follow in Dover Burial Park. Following the committal service, family and friends will gather for a reception in the Geib Funeral Center at Dover. The family requests that memorial Contributions be made to Hospice of Tuscarawas County, 201 West Third Street, Dover, OH 44622, or to the First United Methodist Church, 1725, North Wooster Avenue, Dover, OH 44622. Geib Funeral Center at Dover(330) 343-5506www.geibfuneral.com