Leonard “Len” Pavuk
12-10-1937 – 01-09-2026
Leonard “Len” Pavuk, 88, of Westerville, Ohio, died peacefully on January 9, 2026, surrounded by family. Born in Toledo, Ohio, he graduated from Macomber Vocational Technical High. He served in the United States Army and later in the reserves until his honorable discharge. Len spent his career with Ohio Bell, beginning as a lineman and moving into management. He retired in 1995. In 1958 he married his high school sweetheart, Jeannette Ross Pavuk. He was a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Church. He enjoyed golf and fishing, and he frequented the gun range. He was active in the American Rose Society, growing, exhibiting, and judging roses, and he held offices at local and district levels. The family spent many years at their cottage in Michigan, built in the 1970s.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elizabeth Pavuk. Also by brothers John Jr. and Daniel, in-laws John and Anna Ross, brothers-in-law Richard Ross and John Ross Jr., and sister-in-law Cindy Perkins.
Robert Lee “Bob” McCullough
01-31-1949 – 12-30-2025
Robert Lee “Bob” McCullough, 76, of Westerville, Ohio, died on December 30, 2025, following a brief, unexpected decline in health. Born in Lodi, Ohio, he grew up in West Salem and graduated from Northwestern High School in 1967, where he played varsity football and joined several clubs. He earned a B.A. in English Literature from Ohio University in 1971. Bob enlisted in the United States Navy in 1972 and married Joyce Moss on May 10 in Clintwood, Virginia. He served at the Naval Air Station personnel office in Pensacola, Florida. After an honorable discharge in 1975, he completed an M.A. in American Studies at Bowling Green State University in 1977. He joined the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation in 1978 as a public information officer and editor of The Ohio Monitor Magazine, retiring in September 2001. He taught introductory English Composition as an adjunct at Columbus State Community College from 1997 to 2010. He enjoyed reading, theater and opera, cooking, travel, genealogy, and gardening, and he visited Scotland in 2018 and Italy and France in 2025. He loved classical music on WOSU.
Debra Dale Crabtree
06-17-1953 – 01-09-2026
Debra “Debi” Dale Crabtree, 72, of Westerville, Ohio, died peacefully at home on January 9, 2026. Born in Westerville, she graduated from Westerville South High School. She worked for Westerville City Schools as a bus driver, then served at the Westerville Senior Center. She was married to Mark Crabtree for 52 years. She was a devoted mother and grandmother who enjoyed decorating, gardening, holiday traditions, cooking, and finding bargains. She valued her Christian faith.
She is survived by her husband, Mark Crabtree. By sons Mark (Jamie) Crabtree and Matt (Sara Munsell) Crabtree. By grandchildren Ava, Carter, and Bode Crabtree. She was preceded in death by her parents, Floyd and Audrey Jay, and her sister, Diana Jay.
Myra Ann Kilgore Wetzel
07-03-1939 – 01-12-2026
Myra Ann Kilgore Wetzel, 86, of Eupora, Mississippi, died early Monday, January 12, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee, after a lengthy battle with degenerative disc disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Born at home in Webster County, Mississippi, she was crowned Homecoming Queen at Eupora High in 1956. She attended Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio, where she met Thomas Edward Wetzel. They married on September 6, 1958, in Akron. While raising three children in Westerville, she led a Girl Scout troop, enjoyed camping and Christmas traditions, and became a skilled crafter, gardener, and cook. She later worked in administrative and customer service roles for companies including Blue Cross, Memorex, Zimpro, Sisters International, Scioto Country Club, and Nationwide. She moved back to Mississippi in 2002, worked at Farm Bureau in Winona, and retired at 70. She was active in Bible study and most recently attended First Baptist in Eupora.
Mary Lou Carder
07-18-1926 – 01-10-2026
Mary Lou Carder, 99, of Westerville, Ohio, died on January 10, 2026. Born on the Howland Farm in Plain City to Claude Ottawa and Clara Bailey, she graduated from Chuckery Darby School in 1944. She married Alfred A. Carder on April 21, 1946, and they were married for 64 years until his death in 2010. A 50-year member of Church of the Messiah, she was active in The Lazarus Cancer Ray, Phi Beta PSI, and Mary Circle. She supported her children’s activities as a Brownie leader, Den Mother, and Girl Scout leader. She enjoyed camping and family trips across the United States, especially Alum Creek State Park.
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