Rusty Lee Rachford, 82, of Otway, entered his Heavenly Home after a long illness surrounded by loving family on August 28, 2026. He was born on June 22, 1944, in Portsmouth, Ohio to the late Roy L. and Juliann (Gerren) Rachford. He was united in marriage on March 25, 1966, to Anna (Wolfe) Rachford, who survives. Also surviving are one son, Rusty Lee, Jr.(Casey) of Valparaiso, Florida; two daughters, Julia Mary Rachford of Dayton, Ohio and Leanna (Mark) Thorndike of Holly Ridge, North Carolina; 11 grandchildren, Daniel, Summer, Thomas, Winter, Haylee, Shelby, Rusty Lee, Jonah, Malachi, Sabrina, and Brandon; 3 great grandchildren; two brothers, Donny (Jeannette) Rachford of Lucasville and Steve (Patty) Rachford of Otway; three sisters, Stella (Bill) Seaman of Waverly, Rosemary (Keith) Stephenson of Lucasville, and Jeannie (Terry) Morris of Otway; and a host of friends whom he considered part of his family.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Stacey Allman; a grandson, Shepherd Allman; a great grandchild; two sisters, Roberta Smith and Joyce Dettwiller; and a brother, Claude, in infancy. Two nephews, Shane Rachford and BJ Williams, also preceded him in death.
Rusty was a 1963 graduate of Northwest High School. After graduation, Rusty worked for the Merchant Marines before marrying the love of his life. He later moved his family to Dayton where he spent 45 years working for Barrett Paving in Dayton and moved back to claim the life of a farmer in the Otway/Rarden area after retirement. Rusty was a lover of the outdoors, evident by his love of hunting and fishing.
The family would like to thank special friends, Doug Kincaid, Bill Jewett and Gary Tyree, for their love and support throughout the years and to Hospice of SOMC for their guidance and care during this difficult time.
Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 1, 2026 at Botkin Hornback Funeral Home in Otway with Bob Wolfe officiating. Burial will follow in Berea Cemetery in Otway. Friends may call at the funeral home from 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.
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Full service details and the family guest book are available at Botkin Hornback Funeral Home.