John Patrick “Pat” Apel Sr.
John Patrick “Pat” Apel Sr., of Portsmouth, Ohio, joined his beloved wife Katherine in eternity on November 29, 2024 in Flowood, Mississippi, at age 76. While we grieve on earth, his family and friends take inexpressible joy in knowing the two are reunited. Pat was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend who touched the lives of everyone he met with his unwavering integrity, kindness, and love.
Born on Oct 2, 1948, in Portsmouth, Pat was a man who accomplished any goal he set. He had a quick and brilliant mind, graduating from Portsmouth High School, Princeton University, Vanderbilt University Law School, Reformed Theological Seminary, and then received a doctorate in the history program at the University of Southern Mississippi.
It was while he was at Vanderbilt that he met the love of his life, Katherine Sutton Apel, whom he married on Aug 20, 1972. They moved several times, spending extended periods in Nashville, Tennessee, Hazlehurst, Mississippi, and Wheelersburg, Ohio and raised three devoted children in a home filled with love and laughter.
Pat lived a life full of purpose and compassion and wrote three books, publishing two, as well as publishing countless papers and articles. He read voraciously his whole life, and could answer any trivia question no matter how obscure. Sports were a lifelong love for Pat: He excelled in rugby, karate, weightlifting and running, and he was also an enthusiastic fan of football, military history, and beer and pizza.
Known all over the state as a fierce and fearless criminal prosecutor, Pat was a great warrior for the truth at every point in his life. In his understated way, had three great loves: his faith, his family, and the rule of law. Apel served on the Supreme Court Board of Commissioners for Character and Fitness from 2006-2014. A career prosecutor, he retired from the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office in 2021.
Pat also retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the National Guard. He was a faithful member of Christ Community Church, where he especially enjoyed his Saturday morning men’s Bible Study with a group of guys who were like family to him. He had a handful of lifelong friends like brothers who brought such joy into his life over the years. His commitment to God, his family, his country, and his community was evident in everything he did.
The Apels also lived in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, where Pat served as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church for close to a decade in the 1990s.
Awaiting the joyous reunion with Pat in a future much closer than earthly perspective allows are his two daughters Therese Apel of Brandon, Mississippi and Mary Montavon of West College Corner, Indiana; his son John Patrick “Jeep” Apel, Jr., and his wife Lenea, of Asheville, North Carolina; his four grandchildren, Marshall Wade Montavon, Grace Wynn Montavon, Katherine Rae Apel, and Annalena Sutton Apel; brother Barney Apel and his wife Brenda; and sister Lindsey Martin and her husband Larry. His family will forever cherish the laughter and wisdom he brought into their lives. He was a constant source of strength and integrity, and his legacy of love will continue to inspire those who knew him.
A celebration of Pat’s life will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 pm Sunday, December 15, 2024 at Christ Community Church in Portsmouth. Services will follow at 4 pm, under the direction of the McKinley Funeral Home in Lucasville.
Honorary pallbearers are the members of his beloved Saturday morning men’s Bible study.
There will be a private graveside service at Greenlawn Cemetery on Monday morning. Family and friends are invited to join us in honoring the remarkable man he was.
