Obituaries

Oct 19, 2024

Kathy A. Miller (nee Back), 67, of Lorain, passed away at her home on Saturday, October 19, 2024.

Born on November 8, 1956, in Amherst, OH, Kathy spent her early years in Lorain and recently returned after living in Vermilion for many years. She dedicated her career to social work for the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR),...

Oct 17, 2024

Wanda L. Rowan (nee Teter), 74, of Vermilion, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at her home, after a lengthy illness.

Wanda was born on December 15, 1949, in Weston, West Virginia, and grew up surrounded by the beautiful landscapes of her hometown. She moved to Vermilion 40 years ago and called it home ever...

Oct 10, 2024

Mickey J. Okasinski (nee Phillippi), 73, of Milan, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at Kingston of Vermilion after a long illness.

Mickey was born in Michigan on January 7, 1951. She moved to Milan in 1983 and spent most of the last 40 years there.

Mickey was an eternal optimist with a...

Oct 10, 2024

Bernadette Wilsey (nee Belitz), 83, of Vermilion, passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 10, 2024, at Kingston of Vermilion after a lengthy illness.

Born on September 27, 1941, in Omaha, Nebraska, Bernadette had called Vermilion her home for the past 56 years after relocating from her home state. She was known for her love of reading and...

Oct 10, 2024

Alice Igo (nee Griffith) of Vermilion Oh, where she resided for 5 years, died Thursday, October 10, 2024 in her home. She was born April 12, 1934 in Clay County W Virginia. Alice retired from Gould Electronics in 1991 and went to work part time, with her daughter at Deli Mart til retiring in 1994 to take care of...

Oct 6, 2024

Rosanne "Lynn" Ray (nee Wagner), 62, of Amherst, passed in the comfort of her home, on October 6, 2024 after her battle with cancer.

She was born January 11, 1962 in Fairview, OH and had been a Amherst resident for the past 5 years moving from Vermilion.

Rosanne was a wonderful wife and mother. She...

Oct 5, 2024

John A. Kapcoe, 80, of Vermilion, passed away on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at Mercy Regional Medical Center.

Born on June 15, 1944, in Starford, Pennsylvania, John moved from Arizona to Vermilion, where he lived for the past 58 years.

A proud veteran of the U.S. Army, John served his country during the Vietnam War....

Oct 5, 2024

Hazel E. Sowders (née Thacker), 94, of Vermilion, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at Mercy Regional Medical Center after a sudden illness.

Born on May 20, 1930, in Pikeville, Kentucky, Hazel made Vermilion her home for the past 50 years, following earlier years in Mansfield and Lorain.

Before dedicating herself to raising...

Oct 3, 2024

Marvin S. Gibson, 64, of Elyria, passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, October 3, 2024, following a brief illness.

Born in Amherst, Ohio, on October 29, 1959, Marvin spent the last 16 years residing in Elyria after moving from Vermilion.

A proud veteran of the United States Army, Marvin served as part of...

Sep 24, 2024

John Robert Pollex, 68, of Vermilion, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, following a sudden illness.

Born on April 27, 1956, in Toledo, OH, John made his home in Vermilion for the past 15 years after relocating from Rome, NY.

A graduate of St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo,...

Sep 23, 2024

Maryann O'Leary, a 56 year resident of Vermilion, Ohio, age 76, died in her home September 23, 2024.

Maryann graduated from Brookside High School in Sheffield Lake, Ohio in 1966. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Vermilion, and a member of AMVETS in Vermilion. She was founder and member of the Happy Antique...

Sep 20, 2024

Lillian Patricia "Patti" Liljegren (née Horan), 67, of Vermilion, passed away unexpectedly at her home on Friday, September 20, 2024, following a sudden illness.

Born on July 5, 1957, in Lakewood, Ohio, Patti moved to Vermilion 52 years ago, where she spent the majority of her life building deep connections and cherished memories.

A proud...

Sep 19, 2024

Grover E. Simpson Jr., 72, of Vermilion, died Thursday, September 19, 2024  unexpectedly at his home.

He was born March 1, 1952 in Lexington, KY and had been a Vermilion resident most of his adult life, relocating to Michigan for 20 years, before returning home to Vermilion 10 years ago.

Grover dedicated 47 years working...

Sep 19, 2024

Cheryl AnnetteJames-Gerken(nee Elliott), 76, of Berlin Heights, died Thursday, September 19, 2024 at her home after a lengthy illness.

Born on September 28, 1947, in Manchester, KY, Annette spent the majority of her life in Berlin Heights.

She graduated from Sandusky High School and worked for 23 years at Delphi (New Departure Hyatt) in janitorial...

Sep 18, 2024

Elmer  Ray  Cody, 85, of Lorain, died Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at Mercy Regional Medical Center after a lengthy illness.

He was born October 23, 1938 in Oak Hill, WV and had been a cherished  Lorain resident, briefly moving back to West Virgina before returning to Lorain in 2012.

Elmer was a proud veteran of...

Sep 17, 2024

Gilbert Velasquez, 79, of Vermilion, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, at O'Neill Healthcare North Ridgeville after a lengthy illness.

Born on June 20, 1945, in Mercedes, Texas, Gilbert became a cherished part of the Vermilion community, residing there for 39 years after moving from Birmingham.

He began his career as a pipe...

Sep 16, 2024

Phyllis S. Baxter (née Johnson), 86, of Vermilion, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 16, 2024, at Stein Hospice after a lengthy illness.

Born on March 1, 1938, in Robinette, West Virginia, Phyllis became a beloved resident of Vermilion for over 50 years moving from Logan, WV.

A devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Phyllis cherished...

Sep 14, 2024

Anthony E. "Tony" Szambecki, 77, of Vermilion, Ohio and Captiva Island, Florida passed away on Saturday, September 14, 2024, from the effects of late stage Parkinson’s Disease.

Tony was born on April 24,1947 in Wichita, Kansas to Edward and Vivian (Beatty) Szambecki. While attending Wichita High School West and Wichita State, Tony worked part time at the...

Sep 12, 2024

Rocelia C. Smith (nee White), 85, of Vermilion, passed away on Thursday, September 12, 2024, at New Life Hospice after a brief illness.

Born on November 7, 1938, in Lorain, Ohio, Rocelia had been a cherished resident of Vermilion for the past 62 years, following her move from Lorain.

Throughout her life, Rocelia devoted herself...

Sep 9, 2024

David Walter Pauly, 85, of Vermilion, passed away on Monday, September 9, 2024, at Kingston of Vermilion under the care of New Life Hospice after a brief illness.

He was born on June 23, 1939, in Fairview Park, OH, and had been a resident of Vermilion for the past 62 years.

Dave graduated from North...