Willard Ervin Gehron

1938 - 2020

NORTH STAR — Willard Ervin Gehron, age 82, of North Star, passed away Monday, October 19, 2020, at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. He was born February 27, 1938, in Darke County, to Daniel and Anna (Gause) Gehron.

Willie married Karen Hoverman on December 27, 1959. She survives, along with their four children, Michael (Christine) Gehron of Vandalia, Christie (William J.) Rindler of North Star, Deborah Stewart of Rossburg, and Annette Shroyer of Willshire; sisters, Corda Leeper of North Star, and Margaret Miles of Greenville; eleven grandchildren, Kelli Simpkins of Jacksonville, Fla., Stacie (Dustin) Cornwell of Dayton, Nicole (Carlton) Maughan of San Antonio,Tex., Beth Stewart of Rossburg, William Rindler of Troy, Mindy (Andy) Ooten of West Carrollton, Danielle Gehron of Columbia City, Ind., Faith Shroyer of VanWert, Chad Rindler of North Star, Willard Shroyer of Willshire, and Hope (Clint) Morgan of San Diego, Calif.; five great-grandchildren, Dillon Cornwell, Emma Ooten, Spencer Cornwell, Jackson Ooten, and Bennett Maughan; and a sister-in-law, Sharon (Farrel) Krall of Willshire.

Preceding him in death were his parents; a sister, Berniece and her husband, Lewis Rhoades; a brother, Melvin, and his wife, Marie, Gehron; brothers-in-law, Tom Miles and Minor Leeper; a son-in-law, Jack Stewart; and his parents-in-law, Irene and Merl Hoverman.

A 1957 graduate of Versailles High School, Willie was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He served from 1958 to 1964, during active duty as an aircraft refueling specialist, stationed at Schilling Air Force Base in Salina, Kansas. Willie retired in 2000 from Midmark Corp. in Versailles, where he had worked as a welder and maintenance man. He retired from the North Star Community Fire Department, having served as a volunteer fireman. He attended the Greenville Missionary Church, and had been a member of the former North Star Congregational Christian Church.Willie was an all-around handyman, and enjoyed woodworking, camping, and gardening.

Funeral Services will be held Tuesday, November 3, 2020, 10 a.m., at W. H. Dick & Sons-Hellwarth Funeral Home in Celina, with Reverend Gary Oser officiating. Burial will follow in Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. Calling hours are Monday, November 2, from 3 to 7 p.m., and before services on Tuesday, from 9 to 10 a.m., at the funeral home. Those attending are required to wear masks, practice social distancing as much as possible, and follow the COVID-19 guidelines established by Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Greenville Missionary Church, 1110 North Broadway, Greenville, OH 45331.

Condolences can be expressed to the Gehron family at dickandsonshellwarthfh.com.