DOUGLAS LEE TOMES, 85, of Huntington, W.Va., died Tuesday, December 15, 2009, in the Huntington Health and Rehabilitation nursing facility after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Burial will be in Rome Cemetery, Proctorville, Ohio. Doug was born April 1, 1924, in Waynesboro, Va., a son of the late Robert Leslie and Mary Frances Wise Tomes. In addition to his parents, he was also preceded in death by two brothers, William W. Tomes and Robert L. Tomes Jr. Doug attended Fishburne Military School and served in the United States Merchant Marines and United States Navy as a gunner's mate during World War II, at which time he was awarded a Naval Commendation for his military service north of the Arctic Circle. He spent his entire adult life on the water, working as a deckhand for various towboat companies along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He was retired from the former Ohio Barge Line of Dravosburg, Pa., and was a retired member of the National Maritime Union of America AFL-CIO. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Betty Irene Garren Tomes of Huntington; one daughter and son-in-law, TaMara L. "Tammy" and Ricky Adkins of Huntington; one son and daughter-in-law, Dana L. and Tonya Tomes of Lesage; three grandchildren, Jeremy Adkins of Huntington, Lauren Arthur of Chesapeake, Ohio, and Hannah Tomes of Lesage; one great-granddaughter, Addison Arthur of Chesapeake, Ohio; and one sister, LaWassa Varney of Huntington. Hall Funeral Home, Proctorville, Ohio, is in charge of arrangements. There will be no public visitation or funeral service.
