Jesse Gerald May

Jesse Gerald May, age 95, of Xenia, passed away February 5, 2026. Jesse was born in Woodsbend, Kentucky on September 24, 1930 to the late Rollie and Della May.

Jesse was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Geneva May, Lillian Cox and Dorothy June May; brothers, Scott May and Ollie Burns May; special friends, Lloyd and Hilda Mullins, Jerry and Faye Lane and Harold and Betty Burns.

He is survived by wife of 69 years, Lois May; daughter, Janet Kriel; son, Timothy (Janet Weidner) May; grandchildren, Jennifer (Paul) Petrillo of Hilliard, Stephanie (Mike Kingery) Christian of Xenia, and David (Tiffany Shaw) Kriel of Jamestown; great-grandchildren, Lillian, Ruby and Alex Christian of Vandalia, Adelaide, Coraline and Katerina Petrillo of Hilliard and Jaxson and Lincoln Kriel of Jamestown.

He was a United States Army Veteran, serving in the Military Police for 3 years. Jesse served overseas in Austria during the Korean War.

Jesse retired from Price Brothers Co. after 34 years. He was a member of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Xenia and the YMCA in Xenia for many years.

In his free time, Jesse enjoyed gardening in the summertime, walking around the neighborhood, watching sports, playing the banjo, listening to bluegrass music and doing word search puzzles. In his younger years, he also enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Jesse was the last of his kind. He was loving, funny, quirky and hard-working. Jesse was a great husband and a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

Above all, his greatest joy in life was spending time with his family.

Visitation will be held from 12:00pm-1:00pm on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at Newcomer Funeral Home (3380 Dayton-Xenia Rd, Beavercreek), where funeral services will begin at 1:00pm.

Jesse will be laid to rest at Valley View Memorial Gardens following the service.

To share a memory of Jesse or leave a special message for his family, please visit the Guestbook below.