Obituaries

Gary Lee Bennett, Sr., 84, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, passed away peacefully on April 5, 2026, at his residence, surrounded by his loving family. Born on July 26, 1941, in Sciotoville, Ohio, Gary was the son of the late Gus Rulen Bennett, Sr. and Addie Mae (Scaggs) Bennett. He dedicated 31 years of service to Dayton…

Gary Lee Bennett, Sr., 84, of Wheelersburg, Ohio, passed away peacefully on April 5, 2026, at his residence, surrounded by his loving family. Born on July 26, 1941, in Sciotoville, Ohio, Gary was the son of the late Gus Rulen Bennett, Sr. and Addie Mae (Scaggs) Bennett. He dedicated 31 years of service to Dayton…

Patricia Earlene Lavender, 84, of Franklin Furnace, passed peacefully into the arms of her Savior on Sunday, April 5, 2026. Born April 18, 1941, in Catlettsburg, Kentucky, she was the daughter of the late Marshall and Carrie (Wilson) Bocook. A devoted homemaker, Patricia dedicated her life to caring for her family and creating a warm,…

Louis “Butch” Thomas McGue, 67, of Wheelersburg, passed away peacefully on April 1, 2026, at Southern Ohio Medical Center. Born on June 28, 1958, in Portsmouth, Ohio, Louis was the son of the late Louis Sr. McGue and Vada (Pitts) McGue. He carried with him a deep appreciation for life, family, and the simple joys…

Mary Anne Adams, 75, of Rarden passed away on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at Southern Ohio Medical Center. She was born on September 10, 1950 in Portsmouth to the late Ernest Raymond Spears and Mary Lucille Hull Spears.  On March 17, 1972, she was united in marriage to Edgar Vondale Adams, who preceded her in…

Aaron Bradley Crabtree, 55, of McDermott, passed away on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at CAMC Memorial Hospital in Charleston, West Virginia.  He was born on May 15, 1970 in Portsmouth to Roger Dale (Sandra)  Crabtree of Dunedin, Florida and Mary Katherine “Kathy” Deemer of McDermott. Surviving are his children; Haley (Jessie) Crabtree of Sarasota, Florida…

Tonya Lea (nee Estep) Cooley, a longtime Scioto County resident, passed away unexpectedly on March 22, 2026 at the age of 57. Tonya was born to her parents William and Lelia Estep on April 14, 1968. Tonya was a proud graduate of Northwest High School, Class of 1987. She dedicated much of her life to…

Stephen “Jason” Meade, 47, of Lucasville, passed away April 1, 2026 at Southern Ohio Medical Center. He was born July 19, 1978, in Paintsville, Kentucky, to Stevie Meade and the late Priscilla Workman Meade. Jason was a man who truly enjoyed the simple things in life. He loved being outdoors, especially spending time fishing, whether…

Diana Lee (Copas) Maple, 66, of West Portsmouth, Ohio, passed away on April 1, 2026, at SOMC Hospice in Portsmouth, Ohio. Diana was born on January 8, 1960, in Ulm, Germany, to Virgil and Laura (Stephens) Copas. She graduated from Northwest High School in 1978 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in…

Everett E. Fodge, 76 of Wheelersburg, died Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at SOMC Hospice. He was born August 9, 1949 in Portsmouth, to the late Everett and Vada Musser Fodge. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Sharon Galloway. Everett owned and operated Fodge Sanitation for many years in Wheelersburg.…