The class of 1965 remember our classmates who are no longer with us: 

Diane Truax
In the fifth grade we faced the loss of a classmate for the first time.  Diane Truax was an innocent victim of a horrible shooting.

Pamela Strait
In February, 1963, Pamela Strait died suddenly from a brief illness due to an enlarged spleen and hepatitis.

Kim Piercy
In February, 1963, Kim died during the night from an aneurysm of the brain.  Earlier that evening he played in a district game and then went cruising with a group of friends.

Dennis Hartpence
Dennis Hartpence was killed in action in Vietnam on April 19,  1968.  As his patrol was ambushed, Denny held his position and allowed the rest of the patrol to retreat to secure ground.

Pam Clapper
On March 4, 1978, Pam Clapper was killed in an auto accident in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Pam graduated from Ohio University and lived in Delaware before moving to Nova Scotia.  Pam was survived by her husband Robert whom she married in 1971.

Judy Sims
Judy left us in August, 1989, a victim of rheumatoid arthritis.

Mary Ann Detwiler
Just before our 25th class reunion Mary Ann Detwiler bravely fought and lost a battle with cancer.

Steve Cody
After our 25th reunion, Steve Cody passed away suddenly from a heart attack.  Steve never married and lived by himself in Columbus, Ohio.

Judy Dalrymple
In the spring of 1996 we lost Judy Dalrymple who died without warning.  The last time most of us saw Judy was at the 30th
reunion.

Linda Coning
After helping plan the 30th reunion Linda Coning was too ill to attend.  The ravages of leukemia and chemotherapy had taken too great a toll.  Although several members of the class underwent blood tests to find a bone marrow match, none was found and Linda died November 11, 1996.

Robert Hershner
Dr. Robert Hershner was the victim of an accidental shooting on a Missouri rifle range on July 18, 1999.  Although he asked to remain anonymous, Dr. Bob was the class member who paid for a copy of the group picture of the 20th reunion for each member who attended.

Fran Carter
On January 9, 2000, Fran Carter lost her long battle with lung cancer.

Jeff Logan
Jeff died unexpectedly July 4, 2001 in the Ohio State University Medical Center East from complications following foot surgery.

Barbara Craven
Barb died August 25, 2001 in Arcadia, California following a brave fight with colon cancer.

Phil Shirk
Phil died Oct. 8, 2002 in an automobile accident near Phoenix, Arizona.

Phil Lee
Phil passed away unexpectedly December 26, 2002 at his home.

Gary Buchanan
Gary died May 9, 2005 at his home in Westerville, Ohio.  He had served his country in Viet Nam, and was ill from Lupus at the time of his death.

Richard Goff
After a long illness Dick passed away Thursday, November 17, 2005, at Selection Specialties Hospital in Columbus.

Richard Davis
Richard E. “Dick” Davis, age 60, of Edison, died on Wednesday morning July 19, 2006 in Marion General Hospital following a courageous battle with cancer.

Richard Higgins
September 2009

Larry Buchanan
January 2010

Judy Strait
December 2011

John Kemnitzer
John’s wife Linda posted this on Facebook after John died on November 9, 2013:
Hello everyone that is a friend of John Kemnitzer. This good and kind man passed away this weekend. He went peacefully and I (his wife Linda) was with him. I was honored to be his wife for 34 years. He was a very creative man. He was a talented Chef for 20 years; an amazing woodworker all of his life and made beautiful bowls and other wood art pieces. What he was best at was being my husband and a good brother and one of the best friends anyone could have. He was my best friend and I will miss him terribly. I know that he valued all that he called friend and he enjoyed keeping up with his Facebook friends. Please think good thoughts about this wonderful man and may all of you live to the fullest and enjoy your life like he did. Take care all….

Robert C. ‘Bob’ Eckard
Bob was living in Archer City, Texas, and passed away March 30, 2014 at his home.

Gordon Whitney
Dr. Gordon G. Whitney, 67, of Meadville, PA, and a former resident of Titusville, died Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014.  He was born in Jersey Shore on Sept. 8, 1947.

Linda Baughman
Linda L. Baughman Clark, of Tucson, AZ, passed away Thursday, October 1, 2015, at her residence.

Ira Wilson
Ira R “WillIe” Wilson formerly of Galion and more recently of Marblehead, died at St. Rita’s Hospital, Lima on Tuesday Dec. 26, 2017.  Ira was a US Marine Veteran, serving during the Vietnam Conflict in Okinawa.  He worked for Columbia Gas and retired after 30 years.

Sharon Brush
Sharon Rose Van Dyke, of Cardington, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, January 3, 2018, following many ailments she was battling.

David Sayers
David Sayers, of Marion, and formerly of Edison, died peacefully on Sunday, November 17, 2019, at home following a battle with cancer.

Kenny Walton

Kenneth (Kenny) Ray Walton, born July 22, 1947 in Galion, Ohio, died December 31, 2019 at home in rural Avoca, Nebraska. With his indomitable spirit, he fought liver cancer these last months, as well as his life struggle with Crohn’s disease, and other afflictions. Kenny grew up on a rural truck farm in Edison, Ohio, where he enjoyed his youth and developed his entrepreneurial spirit selling vegetables at the family’s roadside stand. He graduated from Mt. Gilead High School in 1965. Kenny was drafted into the US Army in 1966 and served in the Infantry and as a Radio Repairman in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, when he was Honorably Discharged. Kenny used his GI benefits for education at the Department of Art at Ohio State University 1970-76, and worked in the ceramics and glass areas, joining in at the beginnings of the Studio Glass Movement. He taught stained glass at art centers in Columbus, Ohio, blew glass at Columbus College of Art & Design from 1978-85, and worked with developmentally disabled adults for Franklin County and the State Institute for 10 years. Kenny moved to Nebraska in 1985 to build his own glass studio and develop his art business. Through 1990 to 2007, Kenny exhibited his hand-blown glass at the highest level of juried arts and craft fairs around the country and region, winning many awards. He had solo exhibitions of his glass in Nagoya, Japan, Ohio Craft Museum, and the Haydon Art Center in Lincoln. His work was included in “New Glass Review” at the Corning Museum of Glass in 1995, and shown in group exhibitions in Chicago, China, Montana, California, St. Louis, Washington DC, Kansas, and Ohio. He received two Nebraska Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowships in 1994 and 1995, and a Mid-America Arts Alliance/National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1995. He lectured on his glass in Finland, Poland, Hawaii and throughout the Midwest. Kenny loved plants, gardening, feeding the wild birds, his many dogs, cooking, music, movies, and political news. He was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth Walton and Marjorie Stevens Walton; nephew, John Wesley Dowell II; niece, Renee Hall-Ramsey; brother-in-law, John Wesley Dowell Sr.; and brother-in-law, Tom Lyon. He is survived by his wife Karen Kunc; and sister, Pamela Dowell Hall (Deland, FL); his parents-in-law; five sisters-in-law; four brothers-in-law; and many nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service and exhibition of his blown glass will be held in April at Constellation Studios in Lincoln, NE on a date to be announced. Courtesy Omaha World Herald

Donald Roach
Don passed away at home unexpectedly on Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Tim Shoewalter
February 20, 2022

Jim Wolfinger
March 2022

Candy Casto
April 2022

Robert “Bob” Wertz
December 28, 2023

Steve Seaburn
December 2023

Kathie Gompf Prince
March 2024

Douglas Rensch
August 19,2024

Marge Houpt Smith
April 2025

Dan Coldwell
June 22, 2025