Obituaries

Wesley Eugene Loper, Jr., 70, of Franklin Furnace, Ohio, passed away on March 16, 2026, at Grant Hospital- OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio. Born, April 25, 1955, son of the late Wesley and Aneita Loper. Wesley was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who cherished time spent with his family. He will be remembered for his…

Genia Renee Cunningham, 54, of Portsmouth, passed away Sunday, February 15, 2026, at Southern Ohio Medical Center. Born September 15, 1971, in Cleveland, Ohio, she was a beloved daughter of the late Howard Gene and Jessie (Jones) Meade. Genia was a homemaker, whose life centered around family. She was happiest when she was hosting family…

Marc L. Kreischer, age 48, passed away at Holzer Medical Center-Jackson on February 15, 2026. Born on August 27, 1977, he was the beloved son of Ronnie M Kreischer and Linda (Lee) Kreischer. A resident of Oak Hill, OH, Marc was a proud graduate of Lexington High School, the University of Rio Grande and Morehead…

Jeffery Wayne Towell, 67, of Wheelersburg, passed away at King’s Daughters Medical Center in Ashland, KY, on Sunday, February 15, 2026. He was born on June 5, 1958, in Portsmouth, the son of Elwood Horace Towell and Betty June Riffe Culp. A 1978 graduate of Glenwood High School, Jeff was a retired private-duty nurse’s aid.…

Barbara Ann Russell, 82, of West Portsmouth, passed away at her home on February 13, 2026. She was born in Columbus on March 13, 1943, the daughter of the late James Edward and Lilliam Edna Bellar Shanks. She graduated from Paramount Beauty Academy and worked as a beautician before marrying Jerry Lee Russell, Sr. on…

Kendall Kilgore, 55, of Firebrick, KY, went to be with his Lord on Friday, February 13, 2026, at the University of Cincinnati Medical Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. He was born in Portsmouth, OH, on October 21, 1970, a son of Shirley Wells Kilgore and the late Kenneth Kilgore. Kendall attended the Firebrick Christian Baptist Church.…

Charlotte Joyce Lambert McCray, 79, of South Shore, KY, went to be with her Lord on Friday, February 13, 2026, at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, OH. She was born in Portsmouth, OH, on August 5, 1946, a daughter of the late Basil and Juanita McCleese Lambert. Charlotte retired from Westside Foodland after 33 years. Her…

Frank C. Peters, 85 of West Portsmouth, died Friday, February 13, 2026 at SOMC Hospice. He was born May 1, 1940 in Sciotoville to the late Roscoe and Ruth Stewart Peters. Along with his parents he was preceded in death by sister, Nancy Peters Hickman, an infant son Patrick and his life-long friend, Dick Cook.…

Kootela “Kay” Payne Collins, 85 of West Portsmouth, died Friday, February 13, 2026 at her home. She was born November 11, 1940 in Rubyville to the late Boyd and Myrtle Frye Payne. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Steven E. Collins, whom she married on December 31, 1960, 2…

Michael Andrew Bowling, 52, of Lucasville, Ohio, passed away on February 10, 2026. He was born July 3, 1973, in Eustis, Florida, to the late Vaughn and Frances (Anderson) Bowling. Michael was a longtime resident of Lucasville and attended Valley High School. He was a hard worker throughout his life, employed as a construction laborer…