As 2021 was winding down, national news outlets reflected on the many well-known people who died throughout the year.

Certainly, some of those deaths were noteworthy. Among the people we lost in 2021 were statesmen, actresses, inventors and innovators.

Some of those who died included: former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as well as former Vice President Walter Mondale, former Sen. Bob Dole and commentator Rush Limbaugh, all from the American political arena. The world of sports said goodbye to home run king Hank Aaron, baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, boxer Leon Spinks and football’s John Madden. Entertainers such asCicely Tyson, Ed Asner, Cloris Leachman, Christopher Plummer, Olympia Dukakis, Ned Beatty, Jane Powell, George Segal and Betty White all died, along with magician Siegfried Fischbacher, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, theater songwriter Stephen Sondheim; rappers DMX and Biz Markie, authors Anne Rice and Beverly Cleary, comedian Norm Macdonald and ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill.

All of those deaths, and many others, took a toll on the world and our culture, but there also were some local residents who died in 2021 who had played very big roles in our community. I knew some of those individuals well, others only by their reputations. Today, I’d like to honor a few of them.

∫ William E. Skaggs of Bethesda died at his home surrounded by family on Dec. 28. He was 99 years old and a World War II veteran. After the war, he returned home and became an insurance agent, climbing the ranks of the Equitable Life Insurance Co. to become vice president before his retirement. He was a Mason and member of the Hazen Lodge 251 and a member of American Legion Post 90 in Bethesda. He was known for his contributions to the village and its institutions.

∫ John K. Stewart Sr., a 94-year-old resident of Flushing, died Dec. 14, also at home with his family by his side. John was the owner of the Stewart Trucking Co. in Flushing, collaborating with many local coal companies to provide an array of services from trucking to reclamation and demolition. He also was a close friend of my father, the late Jim Compston, and was someone I knew and admired my entire life.

John was one of the contractors in the construction of Barkcamp State Park, which he visited often. He also served as a corporal in the U.S. Army from 1952-54, receiving the National Defense Service Medal for serving in the Korean War. He enjoyed running equipment, working on projects with his son, John Jr., and spending time with his grandchildren. He especially loved the time he spent with his wife, Betty.

∫ Emery Clarence Stewart III died Dec. 7. A lifelong resident of Barnesville, he taught French at St. Clairsville High School and French and Spanish at Ohio University’s Belmont County campus. Emery was a friend of mine, based largely on our mutual interest in local history. He spent 22 years as a member of the Belmont County Historical Society. We first met when he gave me a tour of the Victorian Mansion Museum in Barnesville. He loved sharing its history and that of the family who lived there.

He also delivered Meals on Wheels in his retirement and was a master gardener and civil war buff.

∫ Evelyn Kasper Piccin, 94, died at her home in Lansing on Oct. 29. In addition to being a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, she was one of the first female postmasters hired by the U.S. Postal Service, serving 28 years as full-time postmaster for 28 years at the Lansing Post Office. She also was proud of Vino di Piccin, a winery and tasting house in Lansing established by her children in memory of the Piccin family.

∫ Barnesville lost a longtime leader Oct. 22 when Thomas E. Michelli died. He was 91.

Born in Flushing, he “adopted” Barnesville after he married wife Mary Lou in 1971. A former councilman and longtime mayor, he helped to found the Barnesville Emergency Squad in 1978. He was very active with community organizations and events, including the Barnesville Pumpkin Festival. I would often see him and Mary Lou out grocery shopping or enjoying a burger at McDonald’s. The opportunity to stop and chat with them was one I always welcomed.

∫ Also on Oct. 22, Herman “Zerg” Zerger, 97, of Woodsfield died. Zerg was a friend of mine, often telling me tales of his military service during WWII and of his harrowing days as a prisoner of war under German forces. Zerg owned his own business, a quarry, for decades and was extremely active in the Democrat Party and with civic organizations. He loved supporting other veterans.

∫ Harrison County lost Judge T. Mark Beetham to a breakthrough case of COVID-19 on Oct. 9. A graduate of Cadiz High School, he completed his juris doctorate at Yale Law School in 1975. He then returned to Cadiz, Ohio to practice law with his father.

During his career, he served as assistant prosecuting attorney for Harrison County, as a village solicitor, and as the longest serving county court judge in Harrison County history.

∫ Paul Jack Stubbs, 87, of Bethesda died Sept. 30. Known for working on engine in his garage, Jack also was a friend of my dad when he and his family lived in Belmont. I played plenty of football in Jack’s yard with his son, Paul, and others in the neighborhood.

∫ Sandra K. “Sandy”Smolira, 76, of Bethesda, died Sept. 23. She was the mother and mother-in-law, respectively of my classmates Wade and Lori Smolira. My memories of her date back to preschool and to her days as a teacher, working in the Union Local School District with my mother, the late Grace Compston.

∫ Belmont lost its oldest living resident on Sept. 23, when Anne Davis died at 103. Mrs. Davis had been my neighbor for many years, always raising a neat little vegetable garden in her yard. She was a surviver of the 1918 flu pandemic, WWI, the Great Depression, was a WWII bride, and overcame COVID-19. She was an avid voter, never missing an election. She was a widow who raised her children on her own.

Two more notable losses for me in 2021 came from the ranks of my colleagues.

∫ Very late on a cold winter night, I received the heartbreaking news that Casey Junkins had died Feb. 10. At the time, Casey was the managing editor of the Pierre Capital Journal in South Dakota. He was only 42.

Casey had been living in the Mount Rushmore State for less than a year, but he was raised in the local communities of Glencoe, Bellaire and St. Clairsville. The St. Clairsville High School graduate spent the better part of a decade working as a staff writer for The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register. I was city editor for the Wheeling Newspapers when Casey came on board, and we sat within arm’s reach of each other for about seven years, working almost exclusively at night with a close-knit crew. We remained friends until his sudden, unexpected death from a cardiac event.

∫ And, just over a year ago on Jan. 6, 2021, I received the shocking news that J. Michael Myer had died unexpectedly from complications of COVID-19. Mike hired me as a reporter in the Wheeling newsroom and was executive editor there at the time of his passing. He was kind, funny, wise — a guiding light in my career and a constant gentleman.

As we refelct omn the year that just passed and those we left behind, it is important to realize that there are no guarantees. So, look ahead to the coming year with hope, but remember to appreciate the people around you.