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Margaret Louise Hartwell, 84, of Dayton, Ohio, passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord on July 6, 2026, surrounded by the family she spent a lifetime loving. Born March 12, 1942, in Findlay, Ohio, to Harold and Ruth Becker, Margaret was a woman of steadfast faith, quiet strength, and extraordinary grace.
Margaret devoted thirty-one years to teaching third grade at Riverside Elementary School, where generations of children learned not only to read and multiply, but to be kind. Her classroom was a place where no child felt invisible, and many of her former students have carried that feeling with them into adulthood. She retired in 1998 but never stopped teaching — through her grandchildren, her Sunday school class at First Lutheran Church of Dayton, and the neighbors she welcomed at her kitchen table without hesitation.
Her faith was the cornerstone of everything. Margaret served First Lutheran for over fifty years, singing in the choir well into her seventies, organizing the annual Christmas food drive, and praying faithfully for anyone who asked. She believed deeply that showing up — for church, for family, for a friend in need — was the most honest form of love.
Margaret is survived by her husband of sixty-one years, Donald Hartwell; her three children, Susan Hartwell-Moore of Columbus, David Hartwell of Indianapolis, and Carol Yates of Dayton; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved sister, Joyce.
A visitation will be held Thursday, July 10, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Newcomer Funeral Home, Dayton. A funeral service will follow Friday, July 11, at 10:00 a.m. at First Lutheran Church of Dayton. Burial will be at Woodland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Dayton Foodbank in Margaret's memory.
Charles "Chuck" Raymond Sellers, 71, of San Marcos, Texas, passed away on July 8, 2026, leaving behind a legacy built one telephone pole, one handshake, and one terrible joke at a time. Born October 3, 1954, in Denver, Colorado, Chuck spent more than five decades in the telecommunications industry — beginning as a lineman who climbed towers in the Colorado cold and finishing as the Chief Executive Officer of the company he helped shape from the ground up.
Chuck moved to Texas in 1981 and never looked back. He liked to say that Texas suited him because the sky was big enough to string a lot of wire. Over a career that spanned fifty-three years, he earned the respect of everyone from the crew in the field to the board in the boardroom — not because he demanded it, but because he never forgot where he started. He was the kind of CEO who knew every technician by name and showed up to retirement parties with a handshake and a check that was always a little more than expected.
Outside of work, Chuck was a fixture at San Marcos Little League, a loyal fan of the Denver Broncos despite decades of living in Texas, and the undisputed champion of the annual Sellers family barbecue — a title he defended with the seriousness of a man who took his brisket personally. He had a gift for making strangers feel like old friends and a laugh that carried across any room he walked into.
Chuck is survived by his wife of forty-four years, Diane; his children, Travis Sellers of Austin and Melissa Garza of Houston; five grandchildren who called him Papa Chuck; and a network of colleagues, friends, and former crew members too large to list and too loyal to forget. He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Gloria Sellers.
A celebration of Chuck's life will be held Saturday, July 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the San Marcos Civic Center. The family asks that you come as you are, bring a story, and stay for the food. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the San Marcos Youth Baseball Association.
James "Jimmy" Allen Kowalski, 34, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, passed away on July 5, 2026. Born September 17, 1991, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jimmy enlisted in the United States Army at eighteen and served two tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division, earning the Army Commendation Medal for his service. He came home in 2013 with a quieter voice and a deeper sense of what mattered.
Back in Fayetteville, Jimmy built a life with the same discipline he brought to everything — working as a machinist, coaching youth wrestling at Cape Fear High School, and showing up for his daughter, Ava, with a consistency that defined him as a father. He was fiercely loyal, impossibly stubborn when he believed he was right, and the first person his friends called when something went wrong.
Jimmy is survived by his daughter, Ava Rose Kowalski, age 7; his mother, Linda Kowalski of Pittsburgh; his sister, Renee Kowalski-Burns of Charlotte; and the brothers and sisters he made in uniform who will carry him forward. He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Kowalski.
A graveside service with military honors will be held Friday, July 11, at 10:00 a.m. at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, Spring Lake, North Carolina. The family welcomes donations to the Fayetteville Veterans Support Network in Jimmy's memory.