Julious M. Menefee

Julious (“Jay”) Mays Menefee, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend entered his heavenly rest at his home in Russell Township on August 4, 2022. Jay was born on July 23, 1936, to his father James Menefee and mother Golda Menefee in Drumright, Oklahoma. At age seventeen he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served his country for three years as the Korean War ended. Thereafter, he went on to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas receiving a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics, and a master’s degree in nuclear physics. Ever the scientist, inventor and entrepreneur, Jay enjoyed a diverse business career beginning as a chief physicist at Harshaw Chemical Company in Cleveland, Ohio, followed by being a co-founder of several area businesses, including Bicron Corporation in Newbury Township. Being civically minded, Jay served on the zoning commission in Russell and as a precinct committeeman for the Geauga Republican Party. He co-founded the Ohio Roundtable (now called American Policy Roundtable) a nonpartisan non-profit organization that promotes Judeo-Christian principles in public policy. As a committed Christian, Jay served the Lord in numerous ways, including as a Sunday school teacher, church elder, Bible study leader, and board member for several area Christian ministries. In the 1980s, he and his wife established a Christian bookstore in Russell called the Valley Parson that served as a helpful resource for area churches and individuals. On November 25, 1959, he married his college sweetheart, Anne Meadows Menefee, living a full and adventurous life together for nearly 63 years. Jay is survived by his wife, Anne, and two sons, John Menefee and husband Nirmalpal Sachdev, of Chicago, Illinois and Terrell Menefee and wife Amy Wherley Menefee of Russell Township, Ohio. Mourning the loss of their granddad are Faith Menefee and Conner Menefee of Russell Township, Ohio. The family will greet guests during a memorial visitation on Friday, August 12, 2022, from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at Parkside Church in Bainbridge, Ohio, where a service celebrating Jay’s life will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at 11:00 am. An inurnment will take place in the Russell Township Cemetery. Memorial gifts can be made to Samaritan’s Purse and the Benevolence Fund of Parkside Church