Robert White

April 11, 1936–Oct. 10, 2020

 

Robert Lee “Bob” White, 84, of South Point, passed away Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, at Cabell Huntington Hospital, Huntington, West Virginia.

 

Mr. White was born April 11, 1936; in Ironton, a son of the late Jesse James and Roxy Mae (Spradlin) White.

 

He was also preceded in death by his loving wife, Myrtle Catherine (Wells) White, on Nov. 27, 2019.
Bob was a 1955 graduate of Ironton High School and was the star quarterback for the football team.

 

After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy Reserves and proudly served for two years.

 

He attended Morehead State University, where he met his wife Myrtle Catherine.

 

He worked for Ironton as a teacher and football coach, for South Point Local Schools in many capacities, such as, teacher, coach, athletic director and assistant principal and retired from Rock Hill Local Schools. During his summer breaks from teaching, he would work as a union ironworker.

 

To say the least, Bob was a hard worker and a great father that did his best to instill quality values into all his children, whom he loved dearly.

 

He was of the Baptist faith.

In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by many brothers and sisters.

Those left to cherish his memory are three sons, Jesse White, of South Point, Stephen (Gina) White, of London, Kentucky, and Ed White, of South Point; two daughters, Kim Pinkerman, of South Point, and Jean Nichols of South Point; six sisters, Erma Reedy, Helen Turvey, Jan Wilson, Diane Young, Winnie (Butch Sr.) Deer, and Mary Lewis; one brother, Carl White; eight grandchildren, Bobby (Katie) White, of Huntington, West Virginia, Chris Pinkerman, of South Point, Tristan Lunsford, of South Point, Catherine Nichols, of South Point, Jackson White, of London, Kentucky, Anden White, of London, Kentucky, Danika White, of London, Kentucky, and Scarlett White, of London, Kentucky; three step-grandchildren, Tyler Noble, Gavin Noble, Reece Noble and Ace Allen, all of London, Kentucky and many, many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Friday at Phillips Funeral Home 1004 S. Seventh St., Ironton, with Rev. Roger Lavender and Rev. Butch Deer officiating. Interment will follow at Highland Memorial Gardens, 198 Private Road 589, South Point. The family will receive friends from 11 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.

To offer condolences to the White family, please visit www.phillipsfuneralhome.net.

 

 

Alan Williamson

Alan O. Williamson, 73, of Proctorville, died on Oct. 8, 2020 at the Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center after a short and aggressive illness.

 

Alan is survived by his wife, Carolyn (Journell) Williamson.

 

Visitation is 1 p.m. Saturday and a memorial service is at 2 p.m. at Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, Proctorville, which is assisting the family with arrangements.

 

Condolences may be expressed to the family at ehallfuneralhome.com.

 

 

Floyd White

Floyd White, 64, of Kingman, Arizona, died on Oct. 7, 2020 in Huntington, West Virginia.

 

Funeral and burial services will be private.

 

Hall Funeral Home and Crematory, Proctorville, is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family at ehallfuneralhome.com.

 

 

Darlene Lattimore

Darlene E. Lattimore, 55, of Ironton, formerly of Lexington, Kentucky died on Monday Oct. 12, 2020, at the Hospice Care Center in Ashland, Kentucky, with her family at her side.

Her children have entrusted her care to the Smith & Smith Funeral Home in Lexington, Kentucky, with co-operation from the Taylor Brown Family of Brown Funeral Chapel.

 

 

Ailene Chinn

Ailene Chinn, 90, of Ironton, died Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, at her residence.

 

Private services will be held at the convenience of the family due to current restrictions on social distancing.

 

Phillips Funeral Home, 1004 S. Seventh St., Ironton, is honored to assist the Chinn family with arrangements.

 

To offer condolences, please visit www.phillipsfuneralhome.net.

 

 

Keith Mootz

Keith Dale Mootz, 86, of Kitts Hill, died Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, at his residence. Mr.

 

He is survived by his wife, Sheila Raye Edwards Mootz.

 

Graveside service will be 1 p.m. Thursday at Oakland Chapel Cemetery, Kitts Hill, with his son, Dale Mootz, officiating. There will be no public visitation.

 

Phillips Funeral Home, 1004 S. Seventh St., Ironton, is honored to assist the Mootz family with arrangements.

 

To offer condolences, please visit www.phillipsfuneralhome.net.

 

 

 

James Gallagher

July 1, 1925–Oct. 7, 2020

 

On Oct. 7, 2020, our world lost one of the finest men ever to have walked it. James R., “Jim,” Gallagher was born July 1, 1925, to the late James Aloysius and Mary Vaughn Gallagher in Wheeling West Virginia.

 

His father moved them to Detroit, Michigan to pursue a career at Western Union.

 

Jim was thrust into the position as patriarch of the Gallagher family just before Christmas in 1936, when he was only 11 ½ years old. His father had passed away from pneumonia, leaving him, his widowed mother and two younger sisters, the youngest of which was only a few months old. It was during the Great Depression.

 

The family moved back to Ironton, and Jim shouldered the mantel of responsibility to help support the family, as well as being a father figure for his sisters.

 

As a teen, he attended St. Joseph High School, where he played sports, formed a band, in which he played the piano, and starred in high school theater productions. He also worked three jobs, as a night desk clerk at the Marting Hotel, delivering messages for Western Union and playing the piano live on WIRO radio.

 

Jim graduated from St. Joe in 1943. In June of 1943, just before his 18th birthday, he boarded a train to Columbus to enlist in the U.S. Army.

 

WWII was raging and he felt it was his duty to serve.

 

He was a member of the 104th Infantry “Timberwolf” Division, where he was assigned to lead a machine gun squadron. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

 

The Timberwolf Division was renowned because they successfully fought, attacked and advanced at night, a feat thought to be impossible.

 

Jim attained the rank of sergeant, and fought his way from the Ardennes Forest in Belgium, through Holland and deep into Germany, crossing the flooded Roer and the Rhine Rivers.

 

His days in combat were nearly constant until meeting up with Russian troops near the Mulde and Elbe Rivers in Germany in April of 1945.

 

Along the way, his unit helped liberate the poor souls imprisoned in the Dora-Mittelbau Concentration Camp near Nordhausen, Germany.

 

Jim rarely talked about his military service. When asked about it, he would normally just reply that he had done what he had to do.

 

After returning home to Ironton from the war, Jim attended Marshall University. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting in only three years. He was one of the founding members who established the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity while at Marshall.

 

Honest to a fault, and with an incredible work ethic, Jim began working at Liberty Federal Savings & Loan in 1952 (now Liberty Bank), where he served as president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board. He ultimately retired as chairman of the board at Liberty Bank in 2017, at age 92, after serving the Ironton and Lawrence County community for 65 years.

 

During his tenure, Jim ensured ownership of Liberty Bank would remain local, because he felt an obligation to Ironton to have a bank which would understand the needs of the community he loved so well.

 

Jim was active in the community. He was a member of the Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, BPO Elks and the St. Joseph Church men’s choir. He served as chairman of the United Way. He was one of the founding members of the Ironton Country Club.

 

Jim met the love of his life, Margaret Lenka (Goydan) Gallagher, in 1953.

 

After their first date, he told his family he had met the girl he was going to marry. They married nine months later, on June 21, 1954.

 

Perpetually in love, this year they celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary. They were never apart. Jim died in his sleep, resting in bed with his beloved wife Margie.

 

Jim was a man of many talents. He had a passion for playing the piano and did so to relax each night before retiring to bed.

 

He was a painter who created dozens of beautiful oil paintings he shared with family and friends. He loved to golf and continued to do so at the Ironton Country Club until he was over 90 years old.

 

He loved to travel near and far with Margie, and he authored journals about his travels that read like a novel. He recently completed researching and writing the family history he shared, as well.

 

Until the COVID-19 virus epidemic caused gyms to close in March of this year, Jim and Margie went to work out at the gym in Ironton three days a week to stay fit.

 

Most of all, the man we knew as “Papa Jim” was our patriarch who guided, loved and enjoyed his family. He instilled a “family first” attitude, which continues to live on in his children, grandchildren, great grandchild, nieces and nephews.

 

For 40 years, Papa Jim and Grannie Margie hosted an annual family trip to Myrtle Beach. It grew from the nuclear family of six to over 30 family members attending the last such trip in 2018. The trips helped create and preserve the legacy of the Gallagher family bond.

 

Papa Jim was a man of great faith. He regularly attended Mass at St. Joseph Church and prayed the rosary nightly, adding names to his prayer list whenever he learned of the need. Throughout his failing health, his unwavering faith never faltered.

 

Papa Jim is predeceased by his father, James Aloysius Gallagher; mother, Mary (Vaughn) Gallagher; and sister, Natalie (Ed) Sarnecki.

 

Papa Jim is survived by his wife of 66 years, Margie (Goydan) Gallagher; his four children, Mary Beth (Tom) Conkle, Jim (Lisa) Gallagher Jr., Patty (Rob) Harris and Linda (David) Piller.

 

He was the beloved Papa Jim to 12 grandchildren, Jennifer Conkle Bartrim, Jeff Conkle, William (Christina) Conkle, Drew Ramsay, Meghan (Andrew) Wilhelm, James (Kiara) Gallagher III, Rebecca Gallagher, Josh Harris, Jeremy Harris, Jessica Harris, Benjamin Piller, Leah Piller; and one great-grandchild, Sarah Bartrim.

 

He is survived by one sister, Ruth (Al) Abler; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bruce and Susie Brown; as well as many nieces and nephews who loved him so much as well.

 

So it is with great sorrow that we say our earthly goodbyes to our patriarch, Papa Jim — a man of great bravery, humility, honesty, faith, love of family, country, community and the beauty of life itself.

 

Visitation will be held at O’Keefe Baker Funeral Home located at 1108 S Sixth St., Ironton, on Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m. Father Huffman will lead a rosary there at 7:45 p.m. There will be a Funeral Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ironton, at 11 a.m. on Friday.

 

We ask that all in attendance at the visitation and the Funeral Mass wear masks.

 

In lieu of flowers, we also ask that memorial contributions be made to the Tuition Assistance Fund, in honor of Jim and Margie Gallagher, at St. Joseph High School, 912 S. Sixth St., Ironton, Ohio 45638.

 

Jim’s full-length obituary can be viewed at Egan-Ryan.com, where he was initially taken after his death.