Charles W. Govey

Charles W. Govey went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.
He was born in Chester, WV on September 8, 1940. He was a graduate of the former Chester High School and a graduate of the Ohio Valley Business College in January of 1960. He was a member of Chester Church of the Nazarene where he served on the church board as a trustee as well as a member of the finance committee.
Charles started a successful career in the newspaper industry in January 1960 as a member of the marketing department sales team at the East Liverpool Evening Review. After spending four years as a sales representative, Charles was named the advertising manager where he spent the next nine years before taking over as the Director of Advertising for the Steubenville Herald Star. Charles spent the next four years leading the advertising department at the Herald Star. He was promoted to General Manager and Publisher of the Greenville Daily Advocate. He spent three years, 1977-1980 in Greenville, Ohio before coming back to the Ohio Valley in the same position, General Manager and Publisher of the Steubenville Herald Star in 1980. Charles would spend the next 13 years in Steubenville as General Manager and Publisher of the Herald Star, as well as heading up numerous community activities.
Charles loved being involved in the community. He believed that community involvement was the only way to keep a community vibrant and moving forward. Charles was a member of the Ohio Newspaper Association as well as the Publisher Representative of the State Newspapers in Education Committee. Charles played many roles in the community organizations throughout the Northern Ohio Valley Region. Charles was one of the original founders of the Fort Steuben Community Foundation and was the president. He was very instrumental in the reconstruction of Historic Ft. Steuben. He also served as President of the Steubenville Rotary Club and never missed a meeting. He was a past president of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and served on the Chambers of Commerce in the communities of Toronto, Wintersville and Wellsville, Ohio as well as the Chamber of Commerce for the city of Weirton, WV, he was also a 40 year member of the Greenville Masonic Lodge #143 in Greenville, OH.
Charles served on the boards of many Jefferson County organizations including the Salvation Army where he served as Chairman, the University of Steubenville Board of Advisors, the St. John Medical Center, The Steubenville High School Foundation and Bank One of Steubenville. He was a member of the Jefferson County Community Economic Development Council and past member of the Community Improvement Corporation in Jefferson County. He was the 1st Hancock County Member of the Brooke/Hancock/Jefferson Development Commission and he also served on the Chester, WV city council.
Charles left the Herald Star in 1994 to return home to the Evening Review, where it all started some 34 years earlier. He would spend the next 3 years as Publisher and General Manager of the Evening Review until he stepped away from the newspaper business in 1997. Charles then took on another community project in East Liverpool, OH, the formation of the Lou Holtz Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame. Charles was the director for the Hall of Fame through 1998. He returned to the newspaper business in Gallipolis, OH. Charles would run five daily newspapers and one print shop in the cities of Pomeroy, Pt. Pleasant and Gallipolis in Ohio as well as the cities of Ripley and Ravenswood, WV. He returned home to Steubenville in 2001 and joined the staff at Jefferson County Jobs and Family Services as the Director of Human Resources where he remained employed until his death.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Cyril C. Govey and Edna A. (Loy) Govey, a brother: Lewis C. Govey; a cousin: Elsie Bailey and a son: Scott Govey.
Charles is survived by his wife of 54 years Martha Joan (Stansbury) Govey and three children: Son, Robert (Kim) Govey of Follansbee, WV; son, Steven (Marci) Govey of Weirton, WV and a daughter: Suzanne (Chris) Allen of Steubenville, OH; ten grandchildren: Paige (John) Russell, Amber, Kaitlin, Konner, Emily, Sarah, Kaden, C.J., Scott and Andrew and a sister: Violet Barker of Florence, SC.
One of Charles’s fondest memories of community involvement was the establishment of the Ft. Steuben project and seeing it through to what it is today. He also truly looked forward to and thoroughly enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s many extra-curricular activities.
Services will be held at the Chester Church of the Nazarene on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at 11 AM with Pastor Steve Cummings of the church officiating, assisted by Pastor Tim Bess and Pastor Norman Eckert. Burial will take place in Mill Creek Cemetery.
Family will be present to receive friends at the Martin MacLean Altmeyer Funeral Home in Calcutta on Friday, August 23, 2019 from 4 to 8 PM and for one hour prior to the service at the church.
In lieu of flowers, family asks that donations be made in Charles’s name to the Chester Church of the Nazarene or for the Historic Ft. Steuben.
Family and friends may view this obituary or send condolences online at www.martinmacleanaltmeyer.com or by visiting the funeral homes facebook page.