Ralph F. Scott II

President

Ralph F. Scott II is our president. He is a 1967 Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (CCMS) where he is a member of the Mu Sigma Alpha academic fraternity and a Life Member of the Cincinnati Foundation for Mortuary Education. Ralph is a Vietnam era Air Force veteran where he served as a weatherman. He joined his late father, Ralph F. Scott Sr., in business September 28,1964. Ralph is a Distinguished Past-President of the Portsmouth Kiwanis Club, a member of the Kiwanis Legion of Honor, the American Legion, the Sons of Union Veterans, a member of The Friends of the Hunley, a contributor to the Wounded Warriors Project and a Kentucky Colonel. He is also an avid genealogy buff, being the unofficial genealogist of his father and mother's families.

Telephone: 1-740-353-4161

Email: 

Dawn Scott, CFSP

Vice President

Dawn Scott, CFSP,  is our vice-president. She is a 1987 Magna Cum Laude graduate of CCMS where she served as president of the Alpha Tau Epsilon professional fraternity. Dawn served as president of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association District #10 for more than twenty five years. She was named the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year, and the Portsmouth Business and Professional Womens Club Woman of the Year. She is a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Franklin Furnace.

She enjoys kayaking, hiking, cycling, camping and spending time with her son Sean, a Physics & Math major at Ohio University. As "Miss Southland Ohio 1985", Dawn was a contestant in the Miss Ohio pageant. She is also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, she chairs the Portsmouth Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Outing and she serves on the board of Connex. Connex inspires healthy living and socialization through outdoor play and activity.

Dawn was named "Funeral Service Partner of the Year 2010" by Lifeline of Ohio for demonstrating professional excellence in support of organ donation. She also achieved the professional designation of Certified Funeral Service Professional (CFSP) in March 2011, and she is happy to be a Breast Cancer Survivor.

Telephone: 1-740-353-4161

Jim Kolar

Funeral Director Apprentice

Jim Kolar joined the funeral home in November 2023.  He is employed full-time as a Funeral Director Apprentice. 

Jim, who is originally from the Steubenville, Ohio, area, graduated from Ohio University with a BS in Sport Sciences in 1990.  In 2008 he obtained a Masters of Administration from Central Michigan University.

He spent almost 30 years at Southern Ohio Medical Center, spending 15 years in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, and the last 14 years as the Manager of the LIFE Centers.

Jim and his wife, Jill, a Portsmouth City School teacher, live in Wheelersburg with their two Golden Retrievers, Jake and Lucy; and a cat, Henry.

Jim is currently serving a two-year apprenticeship to become a licensed funeral director.  He is looking forward to beginning classes to become a licensed embalmer.  

Kevin Knauff

Laborer

Kevin Knauff joined the firm officially in the fall of 2018 as a Funeral Director Apprentice after working as extra help for several years. He is now eligible to take the state board exams for licensure. He is employed full-time as an Intervention Specialist in the Washington-Nile School District.

Kevin is a graduate of Ohio University where he obtained a Bachelor of Education and a Masters of Education. A 1985 Portsmouth West High School graduate, he also holds a supervisor's license for special education. He served several years as treasurer of the Southeast Ohio Education Association.

John R. Pendland

Laborer

John R. Pendland joined the funeral home in 2004 as our "right hand man". A former licensed funeral director, John left funeral service to pursue other interests in 1981. Upon retirement from the insurance industry, he joined us and is an invaluable asset to our firm performing any task that is asked of him. He has a Bachelor of Industrial Technologies degree from Ohio University, and is a very active member of St. Peter in Chains Catholic Church in Wheelersburg, where he is the cemetery sexton.

Patty A. Scott

Laborer

Patty Scott, Ralph's wife, performs many tasks at our funeral home. An Air Force veteran, she worked for 22 years in the medical field prior to joining the family business in 2002 as a non-licensed employee. Some of Patty's duties include delivering death certificates, working visiting hours and she is the driving force behind our beautiful, award-winning landscaping each spring. She is always there to offer her help no matter the hour and is a very valuable asset to the business. Patty is a 1981 graduate of the Institute of Medical Technology and she is a former member of the Portsmouth Salvation Army Advisory Board.

Dennis Dawes

Laborer

We welcomed Dennis Dawes, Minister, to our funeral home staff in July, 2020. Dennis is the retired pastor at Portsmouth’s Central Church of Christ where he has served the community for 35 years. A 1972 graduate of Kentucky Christian College, he and wife Joan are the parents of three sons: Andy, a sergeant with the Portsmouth Police Department; Daryn, the minister of the Centerburg Church of Christ; and Steve, a music minister at Capri Church of Christ in Naples, FL. He and Joan enjoy spending their free time with their children and four grandchildren.

Beth Walker

Laborer

      Beth Patrick Walker joined our staff in 2022 as laborer/custodian. Her duties include greeting guests, as well as custodial chores. She is a graduate of the Shawnee State nursing program and she retired after working 39 years as a registered nurse. 

   Beth is very creative and she enjoys doing crafts of all sorts in her free time.