Roma Irene Warner

Irene Warner, 76, of Middleport, Ohio, passed away on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 with her family by her side. She was born at home near Bethesda Church on September 14, 1950 to Walter and Lillian Rhodes Rose. When it became clear that the stork was going to beat Dr. Swango, Mom's neighbor drove down the road and got Grandma Ollie Belle Straight, a retired midwife. Grandma Straight was approximately 78 years old at the time she helped bring Irene into this world.

Irene started school at Mudsoc, then went to Southwestern High School through her Junior year, and graduated from Hannan Trace High School in 1968. She graduated from the Practical Nurse Program at the Gallipolis School of Practical Nursing in 1974. Irene married John Warner on February 21, 1975. John and she attended the Presbyterian Church in Middleport where she was their pianist and treasurer. Irene loved to bake and quilt; she won several awards for her baked goods at one of the county fairs.

Her favorite hobby turned into several years of genealogy research. Her dad and his brother, Bill, would get together and begin talking about someone in the community. Always the question, "How are we related to them?" The answer was the same each time, "Somehow through Grandpa Harvey Rose." So, one day a friend she worked with told her it was easy to do genealogy if you had the proper sources. From that day she was hooked on genealogy; one incredible find was her 3rd great-grandfather, William Rose, married twice and fathered 21 children. A family friend helped her find the grave on Greasy Ridge. Her research took her parents and her to Monroe County, WV, Arlington Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, and most of the cemeteries in Walnut Township in Gallia County, Ohio. John drove the family for most everywhere and seemed to enjoy the trip as much as anyone else.

After her retirement, Irene did individual cemetery books with pictures of each stone and the obituary accompanying that person. John helped her map and take pictures of Bethesda Cemetery. It was a long journey, but worth it all. Other books she did were Neal Cemetery, White Cemetery (Harrison Township), Walnut Ridge Cemetery, and Drummond-Folden Cemetery. She tried to add stones when someone passed, and most of her pictures and obituaries are online at a website called Find A Grave.

During her research, she found she was a direct descendant of two Revolutionary War soldiers- Henry Arnot of Mount Hedding, West Virginia and William Williams, buried at Bethesda Cemetery. She was able to join Daughters of the American Revolution with proof of the lineage for Henry Arnot. She would have used William Williams, but at the time she had not discovered the relationship.

Irene was preceded in death by her parents; her sisters-in-law, Lori Watson Rose and Dorothy Warner Middleton; several aunts, uncles, and cousins; and her beautiful cocker spaniel, TJ.

She is survived by her husband, John Warner; her son, Matthew (Laura) and his father, Bill Beaver; sister, Dottie Rose-Roviscane of South Carolina; brothers, Chris Rose of South Carolina and Russ Rose of Centenary; and her beloved dog, Sparky.

Irene loved to feed people. In lieu of flowers, she requests you feed a hungry family.

The funeral services for Irene will be at Willis Funeral Home on Friday, November 6, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. with Pastor Al Hartson officiating. Honors will be given by the Nurse Honor Guard of the Ohio Valley. Burial will follow at Bethesda Cemetery on State Route 775. Calling hours will be from 11:00 a.m. until time of services on Friday.