Georgia Alberta (Young) Rhoten

Georgia Alberta Young Rhoten, age 94 of Ripley, Ohio died Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at the Ohio Valley Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation center near Ripley.  She was born June 25, 1927 in Ripley, Ohio the daughter of the late Ralph Raymond and Leora Etta Rishforth Young.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Darrell Richard Young, Robert Paul Young, and two infant brothers. Sisters Alice Ann (Bill) Nash and Nancy Carol Young Thorton. Brothers and sisters-in-law, James and Stella Lou Hockman and Delmar and Bonnie Haines. Son and daughter-in-law, Dennis Ray and Marilyn Herrell. Daughter-in-law, Darlene McCall Herrell. Grandsons, Christopher David Herrell and Jamie Dwight Herrell. Nephew, Ronald Jay Nash and niece, Cassandra Nash Hernandez.

She is survived by her loving husband of 25 years, Francis Rhoten. Her daughter, Angela Kay Herrell Nuernberg, and son-in-law Michael Nuernberg.

Five grandchildren: Jody (Jessica) Herrell, Jason Herrell, Jessica Denise Herrell, Rhiannon Grace Nuernberg and Elizabeth Shannon Nuernberg.

Seven great-grandchildren: MacKenzie, Jayce, Nathan, Cossem, Kaycee, Alyssa and Addison.

Sister-in-law Betty Young. Nephews, Bill Nash, Danny Justus, Will Nash, David Skelton, Andrew Roof, James Bailey and Joe Nash. Nieces, Melissa Young, Brenda Bailey, Susan Bailey, and Elizabeth Nash Schmidt. She is also survived by her beloved "other children", Larry, Dick, and Maribeth Kratzer, Judith Kratzer Edgington, and Sara Vance-Wadell.

Georgia (better known as Georgie or Bertie) was well known and beloved throughout the Brown County Community. She was born at home on Old Doc Tyler's farm on North Pole Road. At the age of 10, her family moved to Main Street in Ripley. At the age of 14, she started her first job as a waitress in Dick Finney's restaurant, in the diner behind the Ripley Library. This was where her lifelong love for work and serving the public began. Shortly after graduating in 1945 from Ripley Union High School, she left Ripley during WWII to serve as a secretary on Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. After the war ended, she took a job working at Longview Asylum in Cincinnati.

After marrying and starting her family, she returned home to Ripley, never to leave again. She owned and managed Herrell’s Truck Stop Restaurant, the same diner she started in at 14, in the 1960's, where she was well known for her homemade donuts and chocolate pies. After leaving the restaurant, she was a longtime employee of Ripley Gas Company in addition to serving many years as the Union Township Clerk. After retirement, and unable to give up work entirely, she returned to work part-time, at what she would call her favorite job, as a secretary for the law office of Tom Zachman. When she did finally retire from working, Georgia spent many happy hours with her family, watching her hummingbirds in the summer, making perfect grilled cheese sandwiches for her twin granddaughters, learning what she considered to be the wonders of Facebook, and watching her favorite comedian, Steve Harvey.

Georgia was ever involved in her community. In addition to being a cub scout den leader, she was a member of Eastern Star. She was a life-long member of the United Methodist Church, attending Ripley Centenary Methodist and Trinity Methodist in Maysville. She had a true love for and faith in God and would proudly tell about her uncle, Rev J. Otis Young, who had been nominated as a Methodist Bishop, and her cousin Carlton Young, who served as editor and songwriter for the United Methodist Hymnal.

In addition to her chocolate pies, Georgia was probably most well known throughout the community for her piano and organ playing. She served as organist for the Ripley United Methodist Church in addition to lending her talents on piano to play at the Ripley Southern Baptist Church, Beebe Chapel C.M.E. Church and St. Michael's Christmas Eve Mass services whenever they were in need. She never turned down requests to play piano for weddings, funerals and community functions. Her favorite musical collaborators were Dorothy Carr, Shirley Faris Gleason, Denny Keller, and Phil Germann, the core group for all Ripley Community musicals in the 1970's and 80's. Her favorite memory was of a piano being put in the back of a truck so she could play for the community choir while riding through town on a Rankin Days parade float. Her love of music never faltered and she instilled this love into her children's and grandchildren's lives. She considered their abilities to sing and play multiple instruments her proudest achievement.

Although her family talked her into many trips with views of mountains and beaches, she always preferred the hill and river views of her home. May she now eternally enjoy the view from Heaven, rejoining her beloved parents, brothers and sisters once again.

Funeral services will be at 1:00 P.M. Monday, December 6, 2021 at Cahall Funeral Home in Ripley, Ohio.  Pastor Eric Patterson will officiate.  Visitation will be from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Monday.  Interment will follow the funeral service in Ash Ridge Cemetery.