Mary Ellen Kirtley, 99, of Milton, slipped peacefully away at her residence December 16, 2024 to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ, and to be reunited with her husband, Cledith Kirtley who preceded her in death. Mary and Cledith were former owners of Kirtley’s Grocery on James River Turnpike Road. She graduated from Milton High School, June 1941, at 16 years old. She worked at Wright Patterson Airforce Base in Fairfield, Oh, during World War II. She was director of Shaklee Products Vitamins and Food Supplements. She was a member of Christ Temple Church in Huntington. Her best friends were Fay Deptuch and Larry and Peggy Lawrence. She was born in Waterloo, OH in 1925 to the late Paul and Elizabeth Morrow Hensley. She was also preceded in death by three sisters Marie Lawson, Thelma Dalton, and Charlotte Cole, brother Paul James Hensley, and a special granddaughter Alisha O’Connell. Mary is survived by three daughters Sandra K. Bryan (Denvil), Wanda Ann Hinkley (Paul), and Pamela Rae Lawless (Bill); three sons Billy Paul Kirtley (Pam), Richard Phillip Kirtley and Roger Lee Kirtley; 10 grandchildren Tracy Bryan, Mike Kirtley, John Kirtley (Allison), Magan Hobbs (Jeff), Damien Kirtley, Brian O’Connell (Jane), Jessica Herald (David), Bethany Hathaway (Phillip), Jeremy Lawless (Michelle), Brenton Lawless (Courtney); great grandchildren Hunter and Jack Kirtley, Rachel and Zach Herald, Abby Rivera, Emma, Jacob and Lucas Lawless, Lilly, Carolina, Rosemary and Evelyn Lawless, Caleb Hobbs, Dominick Crank, Logan Hobbs, Elisa and Dylan Kirtley; one great-great-grandson Elijah Crank and a host of friends, nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, December 20, 2024 at Wallace Funeral Home, Milton with Reverend Rick Watson officiating. Burial will be in Enon Cemetery, Salt Rock, WV. Visitation will be from 12 to 2 p.m. Friday prior to the service at the funeral home. Condolences may be expressed to the family at http://www.timeformemory.com/wallace.
