May 2025
Rev. Darrel Robert Loar -
Rev. Loar passed away at the age of 96.
Darrel was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather whose life was defined by his deep faith, quiet wisdom, and genuine kindness. He was preceded in death by his son, Robert “Mark” Loar; siblings Winona Downhour, Georgia Purdy, and Deane Loar; and his parents.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Sandra Loar, and his former wife, Ruth Ann Loar. He is also survived by his sons, Mike (Janna) Loar and Tim (Brenda) Loar; grandchildren Brittany (Sean) Saffell, Jackie (Nick) Wiedenhoft, Brooke Lucas, Carly (John) Mitchell, and Mackenzie (Brian) Ogrin; and seven great-grandchildren, with an eighth on the way.
Darrel served many churches in the West Ohio Conference as a United Methodist pastor. He began his ministry in 1950 as a circuit rider pastor serving two congregations in southern Ohio. He retired in 1991 after serving a total of ten churches during his 41 years in the ministry.
A service celebrating Darrel’s life was held on Friday, May 16th
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a church of your choosing.
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Carol J. (Connolly) McCormick -
McCormick Carol was the widow of Rev. Michael McCormick who faithfully served churches in the West Ohio Conference.
She graduated from Liberty Center High School and attended Bowling Green State University. While there, she met her future husband, Michael McCormick. The two were soon married and raised a family in Vanlue.
Those left behind to cherish Carol's memory are her daughters, Deb Crawford and Susan (Gary Moore) Godfrey; son, Patrick (Lori) McCormick; grandchildren, Jessica (Kenton) Reichley, Alyssa (Eric) Hauff, Katie (Justin) Buckingham, Colleen (Alan Samaha) McCormick, Katina McCormick, Conner Moore, and Carter Moore; great-grandchildren, Blair and Jase Reichley, and Brinley and Valerie Hauff; brother, Terry Connolly; sister-in-law, Gloria Connolly; brother-in-law, Denton (Doreen) McCormick; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Carol was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Mike; grandson, Sean McCormick; son-in-law, Marvin Crawford; brother, Tim Connolly; sisters-in-law, Jean Connolly and Laurie Connolly, Cathy Yoxtheimer; and Cathy's husband, George.
There will be no services per Carol's request. Final interment will be at a later date. HUFFORD FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 1500 Manor Hill Rd., Findlay, (419-422-1500) is honored to serve her family.
Memorial contributions in Carol's name may be made to Fox Run Manor, 11745 Township Rd. 145, Findlay, OH 45840.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.huffordfh.com
April 2025
Marguerite T. McGrady -
Marguerite T. McGrady, (widow of Rev. Jesse F. McGrady), of Rockbridge, Ohio at the age of 100.
Marguerite was born January 9, 1925, in Hocking County, Ohio to Lester Riggs and Theresa B. Daubenmire Riggs. She was a Logan High School graduate; formerly worked at Elberfeld’s, Sharff’s, Sears, Tupperware for 10 years, and Diamond Power for 13 years; began her career being a lay speaker in 1981, eventually speaking at New Plymouth, Mt Pleasant, Locust Grove, Morgan Chapel, and Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Churches, and several other churches in Hocking County; member of The Scenic Hills Senior Center; member of Someone Cares in Logan; was a Sunday School Teacher and Youth Leader prior to 1981; and a member of Right to Life in Logan.
Surviving are sons, Rev. Mark P. (Arline) McGrady of Massachusetts, Jack F. (Naomi) McGrady of Rockbridge, and Rev. Ned R. (Marlene) McGrady of Indiana; daughter, Sue E. (Darrell) Riggs of Millersport; grandchildren, Shannon (Lauren) Casto, Jessica (Zac) Hiser, Christopher (Kate) McGrady, Jennifer (Christian) Perdomo, Joshua McGrady, Jordan McGrady, David McGrady, Sherry Casto, and Leah Woofter; 6 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Donna Riggs of Rockbridge; and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 11 am Tuesday May 6, 2025, at the Rockbridge United Methodist Church, where she was a longtime member, and the oldest member, with Rev. Ned McGrady, Rev. Mark McGrady, and Rev. John Williams officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery, Rockbridge, Ohio.
Calling hours will be observed 4-8 pm Monday at the Heinlein-Brown Funeral Home in Logan and 10-11 am Tuesday at the church. In lieu of flowers, Marguerite requested donations be made to The Gideons, P.O. box 961 Logan, Ohio 43138.
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Rev. James H. Cattran -
Rev. James H. Cattran age 86 of Hamilton passed away. He served as a pastor in West Ohio Conference for 40 years.
James was born July 13, 1938 in Lancaster, Ohio, the son of the late Orrie Cattran and Dorothy (Alvis) Cattran. Rev. Cattran was raised in Lancaster, Ohio and attended Asbury College and the Methodist Theological Seminary in Delaware, Ohio. On August 1, 1964 in Kingston, Michigan he married Marilyn (Everett) Cattran and she preceded him in death on December 21, 2020.
Cattran served Troy First Assoc 1966; Milford Center-Unionville Center Charge 1967; North Hampton (S) 1969; St Paul-Trinity (T) 1977; Mt Moriah (W) 1981; Hillsboro First (W) 1993; Fairfield St Mark's (W) 1998.
He loved music and was a great musician. He was devoted to his family and faith and enjoyed traveling throughout the United States.
Rev. Cattran is survived by two sons Jeff (Debbie) Cattran and Aric (Jennie) Cattran; grandchildren Michaela Cattran and Jacob Cattran, and one brother William (the late Rita) Cattran. He was also preceded in death by his brother David Cattran, sister Joann Scott, brother-in-law William Everett, and nephew Steven Klein.
Visitation on Tuesday May 6, 2025 at the Mt. Moriah United Methodist Church, 681 Mt. Moriah Drive, Cincinnati from 9:00 AM until the time of the funeral service at 11:00 AM.
Burial to follow in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. THE WEBSTER FUNERAL HOME, Fairfield is serving the family. www.websterfuneralhomes.com
Deborah Jo Ling -
Deborah Jo (Lambert) Ling, spouse of Rev. Stanley Thomas Ling, was born in upstate New York on May 28, 1950—the youngest of three sisters. She was raised on a dairy farm, exploring every corner of the land: feeding cats, talking to crows, and learning more than she ever could in school. But she was also book-smart. Her middle name was a nod to Little Women, and Deborah Jo read ferociously her entire life.
She earned several college degrees, and worked passionately in therapy and spiritual direction. Deborah married her loyal husband, Stanley Thomas Ling on the little farm where she grew up, on June 15, 1974. They celebrated over 50 years of marriage. The couple had twins, Thomas Blake and Micah Elizabeth. They were the family of two girls and two boys: two pairs of blue eyes and two pairs of brown eyes.
Deborah loved music: BB King, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and Stevie Wonder. She loved movies, and art, and her garden. She could talk to anyone on the planet.
Before the internet or apps or GPS, Deborah planned countless vacations out west for the family she loved. The Lings explored national and state parks together all over the country. They camped, rafted, rock climbed, and hiked. They rode horses, found swimming holes, and ate ice cream.
Deborah could identify flowers, drive a manual transmission, and grow tomatoes bigger than softballs. She will be remembered for her humor, her curiosity, and her ability to make everyone feel at home.
There will be a Service of Life on Sunday, June 1, 2025, 3pm at King Avenue United Methodist Church (visitation from 2-3pm). 299 King Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43201, 614-424-6050. If you have questions about the service, please contact Stan Ling at stanling331@yahoo.com, 614-315-3409.
March 2025
Rev. Bonnie Frost (DiCesare) -
Reverend Bonnie Frost (DiCesare) was born on December 10, 1943, in Columbus, Ohio.
She is survived by her husband of 35 years Jack; children Chris (Jill) Alexander, Joseph (Karen) Alexander, and Brittany (Eric) Alexander; step-daughter Dawn (Mark) Chandler; grandchildren Jamie (Branden) Macey, Joseph Alexander, Kelly (Bret) Sweat, Jordan (Michael) Fernald, Nicole (Alex) Ferrari, Lauren Alexander, Kaitlyn Alexander, Gordon Chandler; great-grandchildren Cole, Sofia and Marlee Macey, Sofia and Lorenzo Ferrari, Cooper Sweat, and Bonnie Fernald; Brother Joseph (Suzanne) DiCesare, sister-in-law Joedy Studer, and many aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. The family offers many thanks to the angels at Heartland Hospice.
Frost graduated from St. Mary of the Springs Academy in 1961 and from LeMoyne College in 1965. She earned her Masters of Divinity from the Methodist Theological School (MTSO) in 1997 and was ordained in 1998.
She became a chaplain for the Ohio Reformatory for Women and served as pastor of Rum Creek UMC, Zanesfield UMC, Rushsylvania UMC, and Unionville Center UMC. Bonnie also served on many Cum Christo, Emmaus, Kairos, and Epiphany teams as spiritual leader, speaker, and sponsor.
A service will be held at 1 PM on Sunday, April 6, followed by visitation from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm at SCHOEDINGER DUBLIN 5980 Perimeter Drive, Dublin, Ohio 43017.
Interment to take place later. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. Jude or Heartland Hospice Columbus.
Rev. David Edward Kepple -
Rev. David Edward Kepple, passed away on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
Kepple is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Janet (Nickoson) Kepple; his children Judy (Carl) Adams, Dan (Nuvia) Kepple, and Scott Kepple; his grandchildren Emily, Matthew, Alexandria, Isabelle, Benjamin, Jonathan, Cora, Denisse (Kyle), Rebecca (Armando), and Rachel; and by great-grandchildren Frankie and Tommy.
A graduate of Ohio University and United Theological Seminary, Kepple was a newspaper reporter from 1976 till 1999, most of those years at the Dayton Daily News. He was a United Methodist pastor from 1999 until he retired in 2021. Kepple pastored Union Chapel UMC and Saint Paris UMC and served in Kairos Prison Ministry for many years.
A visitation will be held Monday, March 31, 2025 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Anderson Funeral Home, 40 North Main Street, Springboro, Ohio 45066.
A funeral service will occur Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 10:00 AM, 40 North Main Street, Springboro, Ohio 45066. An interment will occur Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at Highland Memorial Cemetery, 723 Upper Miamisburg Road, Miamisburg, Ohio 43542.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dave's memory to Kairos Prison Ministry. Checks can be written to Kairos of Ohio. In the memo field, please write “in memory of Dave Kepple Kairos LeCI)”. Checks can be mailed to: Kairos Ohio Prison Ministry, P.O. Box 14490, Columbus, OH 43214. Donations can also be made online at: https://www.kairosohio.org/donate.html.
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Rev. Paul L. Cocklin -
He was born July 31, 1941 in Marysville, OH the son of the late Charles L. and June M. (Wheeler) Cocklin. He was a United Methodist minister, a member of the West Ohio Conference and served these congregations within West Ohio: Magnetic Springs-Pharisburg 1974; College Hill (C) 1977; Ironton First (P) 1984; Toledo Hope (T) 1990; Beardshear (DN) 1992; Oak Hills (C) 1994; New Martinsburg (SHV) 2010; Russellville (SHV) 2011.
In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by 4 siblings.
He is survived by his loving wife, Dawne Cocklin of Winchester; children, Del (Christy) Cocklin of Wadsworth, OH, David (Judy) Cocklin of Lebanon, OH, Andrew Cocklin of Ironton, OH, Joan (Robert) Gibbs of Centerville, OH; 3 grandchildren, Jeremy Flach, Amber Cocklin-Stewert and Steven Cocklin and 2 great grandchildren Byanca and Baleigh Flach.
Funeral Services were held Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM at the Sardinia Hope Church, 105 S. Main St, Sardinia, with Rev Jim Schroeder officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital or the American Cancer Society.
Tom Lynn Fourman, -
Tom is preceded in death by his wife, Rev. Karen (Norris) Fourman. (Rev. Karen Fourman served at High Street Assoc. in 1993, Mt Blanchard 1996). He was also preceded in death by his parents, Faron & Glenna “Corine” (Altic) Fourman and sister-in-law, Brenda Ritzhaupt. He is survived by his daughters, Heather Heiser (Gregory) and Emily Millmine (William); grandchildren, Joseph, Margaret & Audrey Heiser and Lucas Millmine; friend, Susan Holladay; sister-in-law, Marsha Norris and nieces Britton Carrigan and Adrienne Sumpter.
Tom graduated from Arcanum High School in 1962 and was a graduate of Earlham College. He continued his pursuit of knowledge and sharing that knowledge with others through his career as a chemistry teacher at Dayton Public Schools, and later at Ohio Northern University. He had a love of classic cars, and enjoyed taking his fully restored Austin Healey to car shows.
He was a member of Faith United Methodist Church in Arcanum. Tom’s life was a true example of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and he was devoted to serving others with kindness, compassion, and humility.
Tom was very proud of his grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them, attending their events, and hosting them for holidays on the family farm, where they made memories together that will last a lifetime.
Visitation will be held on March 28, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. at the Kreitzer Funeral Home, 204 N. Main St. Arcanum, OH 45304.
Funeral service will be on March 29, 2025; at 10 a.m. at Faith United Methodist Church, 101 E. South St. Arcanum, OH 45304, with burial to follow at Abbottsville Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made to Faith United Methodist Church. Condolences may be sent by visiting www.kreitzerfuneralhome.com.
Shirley Jean Woodman Dewire -
Shirley is survived by her loving husband, Rev. Dr. Norman E “Ned” Dewire, married in 1957, and by two daughters Cathy (Bill) Gibson, Kettering, Ohio, and Deborah (Peter) Bolmida, Centerville (Dayton) Ohio; cherished Nana to grandchildren Matthew Dewire (Luciana), Rebeka Bolmida (Gus), and Rachael Watchorn (Cory), great grandsons Benjamin Adams, Liam Dewire, and great granddaughter Emily Rae Adams; sister-in-law Janet (Bill) Pfeiffer; nieces Jeanne Elam, Lorri (Greg) Stepp, nephew Bill (Colleen) Pfeiffer.
She was born on June 19, 1935, in Catawba, Ohio to Pern and Emily Davisson Woodman. She was preceded in death by her father, Pern; her mother, Emily; and sister (and brother-in-law) Marilyn Woodman Holleron and Tom Holleron. Shirley was a mother, teacher, and involved in community and church activities. A 1953 graduate of Northeastern High School, Springfield, Ohio, she then graduated from Ohio University (B.S. Ed) in 1957 and did graduate work at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI) and Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ). Shirley and Ned started United Methodist ministry on the Jacksonville Circuit (Athens Co.), 1957-58; then the Charlton City United Methodist Church (Charlton, MA), 1958-1962; and Central United Methodist Church, Detroit, MI 1962-67.
During her first year of marriage, she taught full time in the Glouster School District (Athens County, Ohio). While in Montclair NJ, she was involved in the Essex County YWCA, did volunteer work for the World YWCA, was engaged in community activities, including being a Deacon in the Central Presbyterian Church, and taught in Head Start program in Newark NJ schools. While in Montclair, she began her lifelong entertainment of people from around the world. She and Ned traveled to more than 50 nations, mostly for church work. She taught at United Theological Seminary in Dayton. After moving to Columbus area, she became active in Church World Service (including State Board) and served fifteen years as trustee of United Methodist Children’s Home, twelve years a member of the West Ohio Board of Ordained Ministry, and member of local chapter of PEO as well as state board. A lot of social life revolved around the Methodist Theological School in Ohio for twenty years.
Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, March 15 at Friendship Village Dublin, 6000 Riverside Drive, Dublin, Ohio.
Inurnment will be later at David’s Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions, in her name, to the Scholarship Fund at Friendship Village of Dublin or to the Shirley and Ned Dewire Endowed Scholarship in the Patton College at Ohio University (OU Foundation, PO Box 869, Athens, OH 45701.