All Obituaries

   John Henry Watkins, 58, of Portsmouth, passed away Tuesday, May 10, 2022, in the SOMC ER. He was born August 14, 1963 in Portsmouth, a son of the late Mary Marjorie (Fitzgerald) and Robert Watkins, Sr.    A 1982 Portsmouth High School graduate, John was reared in Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church and was a member of the Trinity Masonic Lodge #9. SSgt Watkins retired after 20 years as a proud veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was awarded the Marine Corps Good...

     Ronald Chester Stevens, 69, of West Portsmouth, passed away Saturday, May 7, 2022, at his home surrounded by family. He was born June 5, 1952 in Portsmouth, the son of the late John Chester “Chet” and Ruth Eileen Smith Stevens.    Ron retired from Laborers Local #83 and the Painters & Allied Trades Union. He was a 1970 Portsmouth High School graduate and a member and 32nd Degree Mason with the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge #769. Ron was also a...

  Carlos Rodney “Shorty” Potts, 81, of New Boston, passed away Monday, May 2, 2022 at the SOMC Hospice Center. He was born November 26, 1940, in New Boston, a son of the late Charlotte “Chic” Henrietta Smith Cassidy and Carlos Leonard Potts.    A former long-haul truck driver, Carlos was an avid bowler and former member of the “Saturday Night Better Halves” league.    Surviving is his wife, Jeanna Kay Hall Potts, whom he married...

   Russell Brown, 55, of Columbus, a former Portsmouth resident, passed away Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at Cleveland Clinic. He was born July 18, 1966 in Portsmouth, a son of the late Rebecca Lilly Brown Savage and Edgar Brown, Sr.    A 1984 graduate of Cleveland East High School, Russell had formerly worked as a cook at area restaurants and for Marion Steel Corp. He loved his church family at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Portsmouth with all his heart and he was...

   Kerry Wynne Keating, 86, of Portsmouth, passed away on April 21, 2022.  He was born in Mount Clemens, Michigan on September 22, 1935, to the late John “Jack” Keating and Alice Keating Koleski.    Kerry grew up in Michigan where he enjoyed water sports on Elizabeth Lake and racing speed boats in national competitions with his dad, brother John, and his Uncle Ed Konzer. He attended Waterford High School in Michigan, and went on to attend Eastern...

   Susie Mae Johnson, 73, of Portsmouth, passed away Thursday, April 21, 2022, at the SOMC Hospice Center. She was born June 4, 1948 in Bethune, SC, a daughter of the late Moses and Willene Gert Caldwell Johnson.    Susie retired from the Maternity Ward of SOMC after 50 years of service doing what she loved. She was a 1967 Portsmouth High School graduate and a member of Beulah Baptist Church. Susie had a great love of life and an infectious laugh that she freely shared....

      Maurice “Morrie” Walter Hammond, 90, of McDermott, reunited at sunrise on Resurrection Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022, with the love of his life, Alberta Jean Gibbs Hammond at his home. What a glorious celebration with Jesus, his Lord and Savior. We celebrate our Hero for the wonderful Dad, Grandpa and Great Grandpa that he was!    He was born December 2, 1931, in Portsmouth, a son of the late Dorothea Mae Elizabeth Ann Shope Hammond Sherrill...

   Thomas Darrah Massie, 79, of Fairfax, VA, died Tuesday, January 18, 2022, in Fairfax. He was born November 7, 1942, in Portsmouth, OH, a son of the late Elizabeth Jane (Darrah) and Harold Ellis Massie, Sr.    Tom was a 1960 Portsmouth High School graduate. He attended Miami University in Oxford, OH, for two years and received his Bachelor of Science Industrial Management degree from the Ohio State University in 1964. Tom was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity....

Judith G. Johnson    Judith Gay “Judi” Johnson, 83, of South Portsmouth. KY, went to be with her Lord on Sunday, April 3, 2022.  She was born July 14, 1938, in Kansas City, MO to Bonnie Russell and Lena Frisbie Russell.  Judi enjoyed being a majorette in high school and she went on to receive a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of California.   She married Bill McDaniel and the couple had two children together. After her first marriage...

   Nita Lee Russell, 94, of Portsmouth, passed away Tuesday, February 1, 2022, with family by her side at Brookdale Muirfield in Dublin. She was born September 30, 1927 in Portsmouth, a daughter of the late Glen Leroy and Wanetta Gladys (Ressinger) Manley.    Nita was of the Methodist faith and a graduate of Portsmouth East High School and the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing. She had worked as a med-surg nurse, but left nursing to become a full-time mother. She remained...