John Diebley

John Myers Diebley, 82, of Helena, Ohio passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at his home in Helena, surrounded by family and friends. John was born October 25,1937 in Fostoria to the late Harold and Bernice (Myers) Diebley.

He was married to Patricia (Reid) Braaksma, Loudon, TN. Together they had three children, Jeff (Harold) Diebley, Palm Springs,CA, Judy (Benjamin) D’Ooge, Loudon, TN, and Jay Diebley, who died soon after his birth. They later divorced. John married Norma Hemminger, who preceded him in death. He is survived by his current companion, Janet Baker of Fostoria. John has 3 grandchildren: Zachary D’Ooge, of Washington DC, Wesley D’Ooge of Knoxville, TN, and Logan D’Ooge of Knoxville, TN. He is also survived by his two brothers, Joe (Chris) Diebley and Bill Diebley, both of Fostoria.

In addition to his parents and wife, Norma, John was preceded in death by his sister Dorla (Walter) Carey.

John was a 1956 graduate of Arcadia High School, where he was the captain of the football and basketball teams. He held the record for the most points (44) scored in one basketball game. He attended Ohio Northern University, where he continued playing basketball. John worked as a carpenter and cabinet maker. He later worked and retired from Honeywell (formerly Autolite) in Fostoria. John’s love of basketball was continued by officiating the game as a referee for many years. John kept busy during his retirement, traveling and spending time with family and friends. He also enjoyed working in his woodworking shop, driving his restored 1965 Mustang convertible, watching TV game shows and interacting with his very talkative African gray parrot.

Visitation will be from 2-6 p.m. January 18, 2020 at Herman-Veh Funeral Home and Cremation Services 319 W. Madison St.,Gibsonburg, OH 43431.

Funeral services for John will be held on January 19, 2020 at 2 p.m. with one hour of visiting prior at Shiloh United Methodist Church 259 Main St, Helena, OH 43435.

John’s final resting place will be the West Union Cemetery, Gibsonburg with burial following the services.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Lymphoma Society online at: donate.lls.org