Joshua Shane "Josh" Proffitt

Joshua Shane “Josh” Proffitt, age 38, passed away on August 16, 2026. Born February 24, 1988, in Bluefield, West Virginia, Josh lived life at full throttle. He was funny, adventurous, competitive, fiercely loyal, and had a gift for turning ordinary moments into unforgettable memories.

Josh worked as a machinist at Norwood Medical, where he took great pride in his work and the friendships he made there. Kevin, Chris, and his cousin Matt became important parts of his life, sharing music, long conversations, motorcycles, and plenty of laughs. He also treasured his Marriott family, especially Dontae and Mike, who became like brothers to him, and Sharelle and Melissa, who became family as well.

Josh's greatest joy was sharing life with the people he loved. He loved taking his daughter, Sophie, to Kings Island, seeing how many roller coasters they could ride, encouraging her through the ones that scared her, and trying all the food along the way. He taught her to play guitar and shared his love of heavy metal by taking her to concerts.

He loved video games, especially playing Call of Duty with his friends Joe and Danny, who were like brothers to him. His lifelong friend Shawn was also like a brother, and the two shared years of adventures, laughter, and memories. Josh loved staying up until morning playing new games with Samantha and cherished their "date nights" together.

Josh loved his family deeply. He treasured his parents, Donna and William, his brother Donnie, his niece Dawn, and his many aunts, uncles, and cousins. His childhood summers in West Virginia, family ATV adventures, backyard fireworks, birthday parties, and countless family gatherings created memories he never stopped talking about. He also embraced Samantha's family as his own, forming special bonds with Shirley, Elaine, and Rick.

Josh had an extraordinary ability to turn even chaos into a good story. Whether it was a disastrous houseboat birthday trip involving a bird attack, a whitewater rafting adventure he convinced Samantha to take despite her inability to swim, or simply finding a new way to make everyone laugh, Josh made life an adventure.

To Samantha, Josh was more than her husband-he was her best friend. He could make her laugh, talk her through anything, and remind her that even the biggest problems could be handled “one bite at a time.”

Josh is survived by his wife and best friend, Samantha Proffitt; his daughter, Sophie Proffitt; his parents, Donna (William) Swinnie; his brother, Donnie Proffitt, and sister-in-law, Kassie Proffitt; his niece, Dawn Proffitt; and his beloved extended family, friends, and chosen family.

Josh was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Donald and Lucille Sizemore; and paternal grandmother, Edith Swinnie.

Josh's life was far too short, but it was full of family, friendship, music, motorcycles, roller coasters, games, laughter, and adventure.

He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by the many people who were lucky enough to call him family.

A visitation will be held on Monday, August 24, 2026 from 12pm to 2pm at Newcomer Funeral Home, 4104 Needmore Road, Dayton, Ohio 45424. A graveside service will follow at Forest Hills Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Josh's honor to Newcomer Funeral Home to assist the family with his funeral expenses.

To share a memory of Josh or to leave a special message for his family, please sign the online guestbook provided.