A. Richard Van Buren

A funeral service, celebrating the life of A. Richard Van Buren, 79, of Kirkersville, will be held Thursday, August 30, at 11:00 A.M. in the Kirkersville United Methodist Church. Burial will follow at Kirkersville Cemetery.Richard died Saturday, August 25, 2012, following a brief illness. He was born in Reynoldsburg, on March 13, 1933, the son of the late Arthur and Nellie (Finley) Van Buren.He was a graduate of Kirkersville H.S. class of 1951; and a member of Kirkersville U.M. church. He served as mayor of Kirkersville for 12 years, and as a member of Kirkersville Town Council for 13 years prior. He was a life-long farmer and home builder.He is survived by his sons Dave of New Concord and Mark of Kirkersville, his grandsons Richard (Rosie) Buckalew of Athens, Nathan and Joseph Hassman and son-in-law Joseph Hassman of Washington C.H.; sisters Mary (Dean) Williams of LaCanada, Ca., and Frieda (Jonathan) Crain of Plain City; sisters-in-law Donna Van Buren, Imogene Van Buren, brother-in-law Richard Reelhorn and many nieces and nephews; and his former wife Janice Van Buren of Kirkersville.In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter Cheryl Van Buren Hassman in 2011 and his beloved sisters Annabelleand Dorothy in 2012.The family prefers that memorials be directed to the Kirkersville U. M. Church, PO Box 7, Kirkersville, Ohio, 43033. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, August 29, 2012 from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. at the Kirkersville home of The Hoskinson Funeral & Cremation Service, 285 E. Main St. in Kirkersville, where an on-line guest register and video tribute are available at www.hoskinsonfuneral.com.HOSKINSON Funeral & Cremation Service, Kirkersville, is honored to care for the Van Buren family.