Walter "Junie" Morrison | Feb. 11, 2017
Walter “Junie” Morrison (front row at right), a legendary member of the Ohio Players, died at 62.
Morrison, a Dayton native, was a noted producer, keyboardist and singer. He is credited with writing the Dayton-based funk band’s major hits “Pain,” “Pleasure”, “Ecstasy” and “Funky Worm.”
His daughter Akasha Morrison noted the death on Facebook: “Dear friends and colleagues, we lost another great one. I’m sure you can agree that Junie will be greatly missed. I wasn’t around my father much, but somehow I am like him in so many ways. In that regard, thank you for your support and respect of our privacy during this time.”
Judge Mark W. Wall | Feb. 11, 2017
Credit: Michael Pitman
Credit: Michael Pitman
Middletown Municipal Court Judge Mark W. Wall was remembered at his service for being firm, but fair, during his 23-year career. He died Saturday, Feb. 11 at 70.
The size of the crowds at his visitation and his funeral showed the judge touched the lives of people from a wide range of economic and social backgrounds. Some people said they couldn’t imagine a larger, or more important, funeral ever held in the city.
Wall died of a cardiovascular event, according to the Butler County Coroner’s Office.
Charles A. Cox | Nov. 10, 2016
The Miami County Sheriff, Charles A. Cox died at 71 on Nov. 10. He was completing his seventh term and planned to retire at year’s end.
Cox was remembered by family, friends and fellow law enforcement officers in a service that included bagpipes, Taps and a 21-bell salute conducted by deputies.
Capt. Dave Norman said working for Cox “was like working for my father.”
Norman Paraskevas Dimitrouleas | Jan. 9, 2016
Credit: Brian Glass / Concert Captures
Credit: Brian Glass / Concert Captures
Beloved keyboardist Norman Paraskevas Dimitrouleas passed away peacefully in his sleep at age 33 on Jan. 9.
Dimitrouleas was best known for being the longtime keyboardist for the local band The Maji, and later the internationally renowned band The Werks. His passion for music, for the fans, and the energy exchange between the two was contagious. His untimely death has sparked an outpouring of memories from musicians and fans alike.
Robert Harvey | Dec. 18, 2016
Credit: Dee Moorman
Credit: Dee Moorman
Robert L. Harvey Sr. was in training with the Tuskegee Airmen, the group of pioneering African American airmen, when the war ended in Europe, according to the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. He died at 97 on Dec. 18.
Harvey was a member of the Ohio Memorial Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen in Columbus.
In a 2014 interview, the 1937 Dunbar High School graduate said he avoided being drafted in the Navy to join the Tuskegee Airmen.
Craig Hedric | Nov. 13, 2016
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Butler County Common Pleas Judge Craig D. Hedric died Sunday, Nov. 13. He was 55.
The former prosecutor and defense attorney died at a local hospital early in the morning. Hedric, of Liberty Twp., collapsed in his home, and deputies and emergency units were unable to revive him.
Hedric was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas General Division in November 2006 and began serving on the bench on Jan. 3, 2007.
Marshall "Rock" Jones | May 27, 2016
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Ohio Players' bassist Marshall "Rock" Jones died in Houston, Texas, at age 75 on May 27. Jones was with the Ohio Players during the height of the legendary band’s success. He was a member when the group started in Dayton in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables.
James "Diamond" Williams, the Ohio Players' leader, said Jones will be missed.
“He was inventive, and he was creative. He was a great musician,” Williams said at the time. “Marshall Jones contributed greatly, and we will miss him.”
Steve McElvene | May 12, 2016
Steve McElvene, a University of Dayton basketball center, died suddenly at his neighbor’s Romy Avenue house back home in Fort Wayne at age 20 on May 12. The coroner eventually said it was because of an enlarged heart.
The death numbed the UD community, the team and Big Steve’s family.
Harold "Bud" Mills | April 16, 2016
Harold “Bud” Mills, who died at 76 on April 16, was a former Clark County Sheriff and New York Yankee “bonus baby.”
He graduated in 1957 from Springfield High School, where he was the first high school baseball catcher to be awarded All Ohio from 1955 to 1957. He was a catcher and a member of the Springfield Baseball Hall of Fame and was signed by the New York Yankees as a Bonus Baby.
Mills was a Clark County deputy, elected sheriff in 1968 and served two terms.
Mosses "Moe Beats" Montgomery | May 8, 2016
Mosses “Moe Beats” Montgomery, a fixture of Dayton hip-hop, died after a battle with cancer on May 8. During an 2008 interview, the Colonel White grad said he caught the “hip-hop bug” in the 1980s listening to Run D.M.C.
An audio engineer for more than 20 years, Montgomery owned Razdabar Sound Management at 7811 N. Dixie Dr. with his wife, Dawn Montgomery.
Dan "Tank" Tankersley | March 20, 2016
Dan “Tank” Tankersley, the iconic owner of Tank's Bar and Grill, died on March 20 after suffering a heart attack a few days earlier.
According to a Dayton Daily News archive article, Tankersley had been involved with local restaurants in one way or another since 1967 when he worked as a bus boy at the Colony Club on South Dixie.
Charles "Bob" Young | Dec. 3, 2016
Charles “Bob” Young was one of three brothers who owned Young’s Jersey Dairy near Yellow Springs. He died at 84 on Dec. 3.
He served as a captain for the Husted Fire Department and was a 1950 graduate of Enon High School. He was loved by many and enjoyed lifelong relationships with his employees and customers.
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