Tammy Elaine Sparks, 55, of Owensboro, died Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at Riverside Care and Rehabilitation. She was born in Orange, Texas, on Sept. 16, 1965, to the late Charles Edward Sparks and Virginia Lois Anthony Dennis. Tammy was a loving person. She loved animals, to color and listen …
BEAVER DAM — Bradley Luke Sutton, 51, died Friday, July 30, 2021, in Owensboro. He was born Aug. 19, 1969, to Lana and Garrett Vandell Sutton.
Elizabeth S. Cavin, 96, formerly of Owensboro, passed away Monday, July 19, 2021, while under the care of Kindred Hospice in Mobile, Alabama. She was born in Louisville on Oct. 1, 1924, to the late John Leo Shea and Lucile Clark Shea.
Mary Gayle Latham, 72, of Owensboro, passed away Thursday, July 29, 2021, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. She was born Feb. 21, 1949, to Joseph Merimee Clark and Mary Helen Tipmore Clark.
Bratcher, Summer, an infant, died July 17. Service: 11 a.m. Wednesday at Carter Creek Cemetery, Greenville.
LIVERMORE — Paul Ayer, 93, of Livermore, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, July 30, 2021, at his home in Livermore. Paul Render Ayer was born Aug. 14, 1927, in the Buel Community of McLean County to the late Thomas Paul and Mabel Troutman Ayer and was married to the former Wilma Sue P…
CLOVERPORT — Dwight Blankenship, 73, of Cloverport, died Friday, July 30, 2021, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. He was a retired logger.
HARDINSBURG — Sharon Kay Hale, 62, of Hardinsburg, died Thursday, July 29, 2021, at University Hospital. She was a member of St. Romuald Catholic Church and an assistant vice president and loan officer at First State Bank.
Wallace Joe Voyles, 83, passed away Tuesday, July 13, 2021, at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington. He was born March 10, 1938, in Evansville, Indiana, to the late Charles Thomas Voyles and Effie Mae Allen.
BELTON — Darlene Wells Westfall, 63, of Belton, died Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at Alive Hospice Center. Darlene was the office manager at Flynn Enterprises and a member of the Church of Christ.
Mary Ann “Toot” Burke, 67, of Owensboro, passed away Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, at her home.
Bratcher, Summer, an infant, died July 17. Service: 11 a.m. Wednesday at Carter Creek Cemetery, Greenville.
Donald Joseph Hardesty, 57, of Whitesville, passed away Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at his home. He was born March 3, 1964, in Union County to the late Thomas Leslie and Betty Ann O’Nan Hardesty. Donald was currently employed as a diesel mechanic at Ken Shrouds Equipment in Rockport, Indiana. He…
Nova Gene Stepp, daughter of Jordan and Sarah Stepp, crossed into heaven on Monday, July 26, 2021, as she entered this world. Our beautiful baby girl weighed 8 pounds and 11 ounces and has joined her maternal grandparents, Nancy and Stephen Bowman, in heaven.
Lyle W. Hampton, 77, of Utica, died Saturday, July 24, 2021, at The Medical Center. Lyle was a member of Riverside Pentecostal Church.
Aldridge, Homer, 91, died Monday. Service: 11 a.m. Friday at Trent-Dowell Funeral Home. Burial: Fairview Cemetery near SeRee.
Fanny Paris Crowe, 97, of Owensboro, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Thursday, July 15, 2021, at Carmel Home. She was born March 6, 1924, in McLean County to John Morgan and Ermine Harris Paris.
Robert Shane Fullerton, 40, of Owensboro, passed away Sunday, July 25, 2021, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. He was born March 5, 1981, in Chicago. Shane loved cooking at his family’s business, Dee’s Diner, where he enjoyed seeing people. Shane was a person who never met a stranger. H…
Larry McKinley, 96, of Owensboro, passed away Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at Chautauqua Health and Rehab. He was born in Ohio County on April 7, 1925, to the late Arnold and Lucy Haskins McKinley. He was a graduate of Fordsville High School and a member of Zion Baptist Church of Reynolds Stati…
SACRAMENTO — Paul Bryant Farris, 84, of Sacramento, died Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at his home. He was a laborer for Brothers Chair Factory and attended Church Street General Baptist Church.
Gerald Ray Hood, 74, of Philpot, galloped into the arms of Jesus Christ on Monday, July 26, 2021, under the care of Hospice of Western Kentucky Heartford House. Born Dec. 25, 1946, to the late Justin and Bernice Hardesty Hood, Mr. Hood graduated from Owensboro Catholic High School in 1965 an…
David F. Crabtree, 73, of Owensboro, died Saturday, July 24, 2021, in Henderson. He was a carpenter.
Aldridge, Homer, 91, died Monday. Service: 11 a.m. Friday at Trent-Dowell Funeral Home. Burial: Fairview Cemetery near SeRee. Visitation: After 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
BEAVER DAM — Mary Ellen Rowan, 84, of Beaver Dam, died Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at her home. Mary was a member of Gospel Light Baptist Church and a homemaker.
Jerry Lynn Moseley, 63, of Utica, died Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at his home. Jerry was born in Owensboro to Charles E. Moseley and the late Barbara Rhoades Moseley. Jerry was the owner of JLM Farms and 231 Buffet & Bar-B-Q. Jerry lived on the family farm, where he loved farming and fishin…
BEAVER DAM — Emma Jean “Jeannie” Wilson, 83, of Beaver Dam, died Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at Ohio County Hospital. Jeannie was born in Ohio County to the late Steven and Cora Bell Wilson Paxton. She enjoyed reading to her great-grandson Cruze and spending time with her family. She was a mem…
James Patrick Clark, 60, of Owensboro, passed away Monday, July 26, 2021, at the Heartford House while under the care of Hospice of Western Kentucky. He was born Feb. 10, 1961, in Owensboro to the late James Albert Weible and Julia Lane Ferguson Clark. James proudly served his country in the…
Donna Sue Nugent, 56, of Owensboro, passed away Tuesday, July 20, 2021, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. She was born Oct. 1, 1964, in Owensboro, to the late Donald and Brenda Sue Nugent. Donna was a one-of-a-kind lady. She would help everyone she could, whether it was loaning a dollar…
FALLS OF ROUGH — David Russell Leonard Sr., son of the late Don Earl and Mildred Leonard, was born May 2, 1955, in Elizabethtown. He passed away Monday, July 26, 2021, at his residence in Falls of Rough. He was a husband, father, and in the last four months, he became a grandfather. He loved…
CHESTERTON, Ind. — Rosetta Jean Slinker Smith left this world Friday, June 25, 2021, in Chesterton, Indiana. She was born down on the farm in Ohio County. She was a homemaker the majority of her life. She did work at Perdue Farms for 14 years. She enjoyed cooking and baking and quilting and …
Tonia Kaye Rager Henderson, 49, of Owensboro, passed away Sunday, July 25, 2021, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. She was born in Owensboro on Jan. 7, 1972, to Bill and Ruthie Hester Rager. She enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandkids. Tonia loved her children ve…
Charles “Monty” Montgomery Winstead Jr., 48, of Owensboro, passed away Sunday, July 25, 2021, at his home. Born July 20, 1973, in Muhlenburg County, he is the son of Charles M. Winstead, Sr. and Rosetta Pointer Winstead. He was a cashier for Rural King.
CENTRAL CITY — Betty Jo Hafley, 77, of Central City, died Monday, July 26, 2021, at Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital. She was a homemaker.
Alvey, Julia, 78, died Monday. Service: 2 p.m. Wednesday at Boultinghouse Funeral Home, Rockport, Indiana. Burial: Oak Hill Cemetery. Visitation: After 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Gordon Wesley Casebier, 66, of Owensboro, died Sunday, July 25, 2021, at his home. Gordon retired from Dart Polymers.
NORTONVILLE — Guinn Paul Bowman, 69, of Nortonville, died Saturday, July 24, 2021, at his home. Guinn Paul Bowman was born in Hopkinsville on April 9, 1952, to Paul Ray Bowman and Evelyn Wicks Bowman.
JASPER, Ind. — Imelda Williams, 85, of Jasper, formerly of Owensboro, passed away Saturday, July 24, 2021, at Northwood Retirement Community in Jasper.
FORDSVILLE — James R. Cravens, 72, of Fordsville, died Sunday, July 25, 2021, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. He was a retired maintenance man.
HENDERSON — James “Jimmy” Haas Jr., 81, of Henderson, passed away Saturday July 24, 2021, at Lucy Smith King Care Center surrounded by his loving family.
Jeffrey Milton Hardison, 57, of Aurora, Illinois, passed away on July 25, 2021 in Owensboro. He was born on July 17, 1964 in Hammond, Indiana.
SACRAMENTO — Houston Ray Bowman, 93, of Sacramento died Saturday, July 24, 2021, at Riverside Nursing Home in Calhoun. Mr. Bowman was born in McLean County on April 8, 1928. He was a mechanic for TVA , a member of Powers Chapel General Baptist Church, and a veteran of the United States Army.
Jackson Roark, 13, of Owensboro, passed away July 24, 2021, at home under the care of Hospice of Western Kentucky. He was born March 19, 2008. Jackson’s death has left a superhero sized hole in Owensboro and beyond. He was an amazing kid. Jackson had a razor-sharp wit. He loved 80s music — e…
BEECHMONT — Bonnie Jean Warman, 70, of Beechmont, passed away Saturday, July 24, 2021. Bonnie was affectionately known as “BonBon” by family and friends, both young and old. She had a kind and compassionate spirit that was reflected in her concern for others. She was the heart of her family …
CHRISNEY, Ind. — Julia “Judy” M. Alvey, 78, of Chrisney, Indiana, passed away on Monday, July 26, 2021, at The Waters of Huntingburg, Indiana.
HARNED — Homer Lee Aldridge, 91, of Harned, died Monday, July 26, 2021, at Breckinridge Memorial Hospital. He was a retired farmer and member of Fairview United Methodist Church.
Mary Katlyn Taliaferro, 30, died Saturday, July 24, 2021, at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital. Katlyn was born Sept. 11, 1990, to Ernest and Shirley (Osborne) Taliaferro and was employed at Owensboro Health as a registered nurse in the Cath Lab Prep/Recovery Unit. She is a member of Immacu…
Gary Stephen Kula, Dec. 31, 1946 — July 25, 2021. Born in Owensboro, the oldest of five children to Frank and Hattie Mae Kula, Gary is survived by three sisters, Mary Wiilmes (John), Therese Moseley (Mark), and Margaret Evans (Vic, deceased), and one brother, Frank Kula, and their families.
HORSE BRANCH — Betty Geary, 80, of Horse Branch, died on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at her home. She was a member of New Zion Baptist Church in Baizetown and was the owner and operator of Granny’s Grocery in Horse Branch.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Samuel “Sam” Sterman Powers, 97, of Evansville, Indiana, passed away Monday, July 26, 2021, at Cypress Grove Rehabilitation Center.
UNION — Eleanor Townsend Gamble, 81, of Union, passed away peacefully July 23, 2021, at Gallatin Nursing and Rehab in Warsaw.
In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full
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