Ethel Johnson Belcher, age 82, of Winchester, Kentucky, formerly of Breathitt County, passed away Saturday, October 24, 2026 at Center Point Health in Winchester, leaving behind a lifetime of cherished memories and a family who will forever hold her close in their hearts.

Ethel was born on May 30, 1944, in Breathitt County, Kentucky, to the late Henry and Alta Turner Johnson. A woman who treasured the simple joys of life, Ethel found happiness in the things that mattered most: her family, her friends, and the special moments spent together. She was a faithful member of the Baptist faith and dedicated many years of hard work as a factory worker and seamstress. With a talent for sewing and a love for creating, she enjoyed working with her hands, reading, sharing laughter, and making memories with those she loved. Her warm presence and the time she spent with family and friends will be fondly remembered by all who knew her.

Ethel shared 51 wonderful years of marriage with her beloved husband, Bobby Jack Belcher. Though he preceded her in death, their love and the life they built together remain a lasting part of her family's story.

In addition to her parents and husband, Ethel was preceded in death by her brothers, Walter Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Cecil Johnson, Hillyard Johnson, and Henry Clay Johnson; and her sisters, Edith Steele, Minnie Pearl Estes, Rose Sargent, Mary Spencer, Martha Johnson, Nancy Roberts, Joyce Marcum , and Prudence Johnson.

Those left to cherish Ethel's memory are her loving daughter, Jackie O'Neill and her husband, Patrick; her brother, Charles Johnson and his wife, Janice; her sisters, Gladys Estes and her husband, Sam, and Visie Dean and her husband, Ernie; and her beloved grandchildren, Peyton O'Neill and his wife, Courtney, Savannah Moore and her husband, Vincent, and Evan O'Neill. She also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends who will miss her dearly.

Though Ethel's earthly journey has come to an end, the love she gave, the memories she created, and the lessons she leaves behind will continue to live on through the generations of family who were blessed to know her. Her life was woven together with love, hard work, laughter, and treasured moments, much like the beautiful things she created with her own hands. She will be deeply missed, but lovingly remembered always.

Visitation for Ethel will be held at the Breathitt Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. until the funeral service begins at 1:00 p.m. Following the service, Ethel will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, Bobby Jack, in the Johnson Family Cemetery on Spencer Ridge in Lee County, Kentucky.

Serving as pallbearers will be Patrick O'Neill, Peyton O'Neill, Evan O'Neill, Vincent Moore, and Ethel's nephews. Honorary pallbearers will be Charles Johnson, Sam Estes, and Ernie Dean.

“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”

Revelation 14:13 (KJV)