Michael Shope

May 2, 1954 — Sept. 19, 2017

Michael Lee Shope, 63, of Pedro, passed away peacefully in his sleep, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, at his home. The Lawrence County native was born May 2, 1954, the son of the late Carl Gordon Shope and Thelma Markins Shope, of Pedro.
In addition to his mother, he is survived by a daughter, Andrea (Tim) Bentley, of Potterville, Michigan; two sons, Marty (Reba) Shope, of Grand Ledge, Michigan, and Joshua (Sarah) Shope, of Lansing, Michigan; five grandchildren, Zack Shope, of Louisville, Kentucky, Noah and Ayden Shope, both of Grand Ledge, Michigan, and Ashton and Carson Bentley, of Potterville, Michigan; ex-wife, Trina Pulver, of Lansing, Michigan; two sisters and two brothers, Tammy Hanshaw, Cathy Knipp, Randy (Kathy) Shope and Greg (Vineta) Shope, all of Pedro; nieces and nephews, Eric Shope, of Las Vegas, Nevada, Andrew (Hannah) Knipp, Carla Knipp, Natalie Hayes and Chloe Hayes, all of Ironton, Cory Shope, Mindy (Brian) Jenkins, Chase Jenkins and Bridgett Jenkins, all of Pedro, and Shelby (Jesse) Graybeal, Larisa Graybeal and Lucas Graybeal, all of Willow Wood; several cousins; and a special uncle, Paul Markins, of Napoleon.
Mike was a 1972 graduate of Rock Hill High School and was a former employee for the Dayton Malleable Iron Company in Ironton until they closed. He was also an employee with the Hayes Lemmerz Wheels Aluminum Plant in Howell, Michigan, worked in the oil fields in Napoleon and has been disabled for the past 16 years. He was an avid football fan and also thoroughly loved hunting, fishing, outdoors and was a great historian. He read many, many books and loved going to auctions.
Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Friday at Phillips Funeral Home, Ironton, with pastor Dale Knipp officiating. Burial will follow in Woodland Cemetery, Ironton, and visitation will be 11 a.m. until the time of the service Friday at the funeral home. To offer condolences to the family, please visit www.phillipsfuneralhome.net.

Dale Brown

March 8, 1946 — Sept. 19, 2017

Dale Lee Brown, 71, of Dublin, formerly of Ironton, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, at the Friendship Village in Dublin. The Ironton native was born March 8, 1946, a son of the late Jesse W. and Helen M. Preston Brown. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Linda L. Chinn Brown.
Mr. Brown was a 1966 graduate of Ironton High School and a sales representative for the Eskew, Smith and Cannon Company. He was a Mason, enjoyed bowling, and loved movies and gambling.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a brother, Richard “Dick” Brown; and a granddaughter, Haylee Dale Henderson.
He is survived by two daughters, Shelli (Robert) Morris, of Powell, and Sherri Lezu, of South Point; two sons, Allan Brown, of Cary, South Carolina, and Bud Dee (Coni) Brown, of Mount Sterling, Kentucky; a brother, Dennis (Judy) Brown, of Canton; grandchild, Lindsay (Cody) Taylor, of Greenup, Kentucky; great-grandchild, Maddon Taylor; grandchild, Alexandra Morris, of Powell; grandchildren, Lendon and Wesley Lezu, of Chesapeake; great-grandchild, Arianna Lezu; grandchild, Jacqueline (Chad) Townsend, of Mount Sterling, Kentucky; great-grandchild, Jackson Townsend; grandchild, Hunter Brown, of Mount Sterling, Kentucky; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral service will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Phillips Funeral Home, Ironton, with pastor James Butch Crum officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Memorial Gardens, South Point, and visitation will be 1 p.m. until the time of the service Saturday at the funeral home. To offer condolences to the family, please visit www.phillipsfuneralhome.net.

Edna Elias

April 24, 1922 — Sept. 16, 2017

Edna Frances Elias, 95, of South Point, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017, at Midland Meadows Assisted Living, Ona, West Virginia. She was born April 24, 1922, in New Haven, West Virginia, a daughter of the late Thomas E. Capehart and Ella Ord Capehart.
In addition to her parents, Edna was preceded in death by her husband, Michael J. Elias; and a son, James Maurice Clark.
She was a member of South Point United Methodist Church.
Survivors include her children, Roy Franklin (Bonnie) Clark and Connie Kay (Bill) Wagner; a daughter-in-law, Jenny Clark; five grandchildren, John Michael, Jenny, Lara, Scott and Andy; several great-grandchildren; and a special friend, Carolyn Thompson, of South Point.
Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Friday at Slack and Wallace Funeral Home, South Point, with pastor Jamie Mosley officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Memorial Gardens, South Point. Friends may call one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.slackandwallace.com.

 

Ronald Austin

Ronald Frank Austin, 82, of Cincinnati, passed away quietly Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, with his beloved wife by his side. We rejoice in his homecoming with our Lord and Savior. He has known the Lord since he was 28 years old, when he was baptized in the waters of Old Solida Creek.
Ron was born in Ironton and was the oldest of eight children of the late Ennis Earl and Eloise Austin.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Dave and Chuck; his sister, Mary; and his daughter, Tonya Austin Johnson.
Ron was a graduate of South Point High School, class of 1953, where he met his wife of 62 years, Barbara Ann Austin née Wheeler, in the marching band. He first studied chemical engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he was part of the Army ROTC program, and then finished his studies in machine design at Marshall University. After completing a co-op program as a student, Ron began working at Allied Chemical in South Point in 1959 as an instrument machinist. During a career that took him and his family to nine states, from frigid North Dakota and Wyoming to sunny Arizona and throughout West Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and his native Ohio, he served in positions ranging from mechanical engineer to piping superintendent and construction area manager. He retired in 2004 from Northstar Steel, a subsidiary of Cargill, as a project manager.
Ron loved working on projects in his spare time, from building his first home (the “little green house”), with the help of family and friends, through countless hours spent in his meticulously crafted basement workshop (as he would say, “the man cave”), to most recently sewing an awning for the porch swing at his Cincinnati home of 36 years. Perhaps his favorite places to travel were the beaches of South Carolina and the Outer Banks.
His other hobbies included computer programming, metal detecting and spending time with his family. He was aided in all these pursuits by a lifetime spent as a scrupulous student of detail and precision. Ron always seemed to have a book at hand, whether it was the notebook he always carried in his shirt pocket to measure and record the beauty he saw in the world around him, or the science fiction of his favorite author, Edgar Rice Burroughs, which let him explore other worlds still. A man of quiet devotion, Ron was always the first to act and the last to judge. Nowhere is this more true than in napping; “Pop-Pop,” as he was known to his adoring grandchildren, could famously fall asleep anywhere, on command, regardless of the circumstances.
Ron leaves behind the love of his life, his devoted wife, Barbara Ann Austin; daughter, Deborah Huffman (Steve); grandson, Brandon Johnson; and great-grandson, Nicholas Austin Johnson, of Charleston, West Virginia; son, Ronald Mark Austin (Dawn); grandson, Zachary Aaron Austin, of Powell; son-in-law, Richard Johnson; three grandchildren, Ashley Mae Johnson, Ryan Mikel Johnson and Kyle Logan Johnson, of Harrison; brothers, Bob (Esther), of Ironton, and Jim (Sheila), of Richmond, Kentucky; sisters, Carol Daniels (Jim), of Kennesaw, Georgia, and Ennis Ann Dickerson, of Newcastle, Oklahoma; and many nieces and nephews, whom he loved.
A visitation will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Rutherford Funeral Home in Powell. Graveside service will follow at Oller Cemetery in nearby Delaware, where Ron will be laid to rest next to his beloved daughter, Tonya. To send an online condolence, please visit www.rutherfordfuneralhomes.com.

Joyce Roland

T. Joyce Fry Roland, 80, of Jacksonville, Florida, died Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017, in Archibold Memorial Hospital, Thomasville, Georgia. There will be private family services. Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, Proctorville, is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.timeformemory.com/hall or www.ehallfuneralhome.com.

Dale Floyd

Dale Luther Floyd, 78, of South Point, died Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, at Community Hospice Care Center, Ashland, Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, Norma Floyd. There will be private family services at a later date. Slack and Wallace Funeral Home, South Point, is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.slackandwallace.com.

Charles Hutton

Charles Chuck Lester Hutton, 54, of Willow Wood, died Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, in Proctorville. He is survived by his wife, Kelli. There will be a private family visitation. Graveside services will be 1 p.m. Friday at Hecla Cemetery, Ironton. Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, Proctorville, is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family at www.timeformemory.com/hall or www.ehallfuneralhome.com.

Helena Hammons

Helena Gay Hammons, 84, of Proctorville, died Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, at Harbor Healthcare, Ironton. Arrangements are pending at Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, Proctorville.

 

Wayne Brammer

Wayne Brammer, 81, of Barboursville, West Virginia, died Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, at home. He is survived by his wife, Roberta Brammer. Arrangements are pending at Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, Proctorville.