•Marple, Homer L, Hilton NY: Homer Lowell Marple died peacefully at home at the age of 92. He is predeceased by his loving wife of 66 years, Ellen M. (Wilson) Marple; his parents, Nile A. and Mary O. (Dixon) Marple; his brother, Hugo D. Marple; his wife’s parents, Albert E. and Essie B. (Dickerson) Wilson; his sisters-in-law Marilyn E. (Bruce) Wilson, Donna J. (Langlais) Wilson, and Jane M. (Wilson) Johnson; and his brothers-in-law Philip R. Greaser and Edward H. Johnson. Homer is survived by his sisters-in-law Annette L. (Wilson) Marple and Harriette R. (Wilson) Greaser; his brothers-in-law Donald D. Wilson, Robert D. Wilson, and Calvin C. (Elizabeth Slayton Marble) Wilson; his loving children, Taimi Sue (Michael J. Holm) Marple, Douglas James Marple, and Amy Lee (John H. Lee) Marple; his grandchildren, Benjamin Franklin Marple, Nile Douglas Marple, Arthur Lowell Lunn, and Albert Ian Lunn; his great-grandson, Benjamin Forrest Marple; Lorie J. (Eblacker) Marple; A. Russell Lunn; Nancy J. (Garling) Wilson; and other family members and friends too numerous to list, but not forgotten.
Homer was born on June 30, 1923 in West Virginia, but settled in Upstate New York after obtaining his degrees in music education and therapy at the University of Michigan. Homer spent his first years in Albion, NY operating a furniture store and funeral home with his close friend Tom McNall. He was active in the community while directing the choir at the First Baptist Church and established the Orleans County Choral Society with the First Baptist organist, Philip R. Greaser, his friend and future brother-in-law.
In 1960 Homer and family moved to Hilton, where he operated the furniture business for the next 28 years, opening his own store, Marple Furniture, in 1968. In 1991, Homer began the Craft Antique Co-op which operated in Hilton for 10 years before moving to Greece where it operates today under the banner of The Shops On West Ridge. Every holiday season, Homer and the co-op vendors presented the much-loved Dickens Festival. He created the longstanding Hilton Apple Festival with his son, Doug, and played tuba for years in the Gazebo Band. Homer died in the place he loved to call home, Hilton.
The family will receive friends of Homer at the Vay-Schleich & Meeson Funeral Home at 1075 Long Pond Road, Greece, NY 14626 on Friday April 22, 2016 between 4-7 p.m. A memorial celebration of Homer’s life will be held at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 158 East Ave, Hilton, NY 14468, Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 1:00 pm. Flowers are welcome, or one can make a donation that will be given to the Hilton High School Music Department in Homer’s name.
