Berne couple killed in crash

A Berne couple remembered for their community involvement were killed in a crash Thursday evening in Wells County when their van pulled in front of a tractor-trailer rig at Indiana 1 and Indiana 218.

Arthur Muselman, 77, and Gloria Muselman, 76, were eastbound in a white minivan on Indiana 218 at 5:22 p.m. Police think they were trying to turn north on Indiana 1 when they pulled their van in front of a southbound tractor-trailer rig, Wells County Sheriff Bob Frantz said.

The truck driver applied the brakes and tried to steer clear of the van but could not avoid hitting it, police said.

Arthur and Gloria Muselman were killed on impact, police said.

The truck driver, whose name was not released, was taken by paramedics to Bluffton Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released, police said.

Arthur Muselman, a lifelong resident and businessman in the small town of Berne, was the director emeritus for Dynamic Resource Group. The company oversees the publishing companies owned by the Muselman family, DRG spokeswoman Nancy Brown said.

Arthur and his brother Carl Muselman, who died in 2006, bought Economy Printing Concern, now EP Graphics, from their father in 1959. The two oversaw and expanded the company over a 40-year period, Brown said.

They took a company, which they inherited, and really handled it wisely, said Connie Potter, executive director of the Berne Chamber of Commerce. It has really grown a lot.

Arthur Muselman also bought the local newspaper, the Berne Tri-Weekly News, in 1972.

Both Arthur and Gloria Muselman were active in the Berne community. Arthur was a member of the Berne Rotary Club and involved in Peace Lutheran Church and Swiss Village Retirement Community.

Art was a very generous man and just a true gentleman, Potter said. (He was) generous with the community.

Gloria Muselman was the founding director of the Swiss Heritage Society and active in the Berne Mothers Club and South Adams Music Boosters. She received the Angel of Mercy Award for her service to the Berne community in 1978.

The couple are survived by their son, Roger Muselman, daughter, Karen Thomas, and six grandchildren.

In a small town like this, that's what everyone is talking about today, Potter said. It really is a shock to the community and such a loss.�