Kenneth” Kenny” Specht, of Nelsonville, Ohio, passed away peacefully with family by his side at the age of 83 on Friday January 9, 2026, at 12:35 am at Marietta Memorial in Athens, Ohio.

Kenny was born August 12, 1942, in New Plymouth, Ohio to Wheeler Specht and Helen Hardesty, and his siblings.                              

He is survived by his wife, JoAnn (Dexter) Specht of 32 years; step-children, Jeremy (Karrie) Dexter of Nelsonville, Jennifer (Jeramy) Duncan of Glouster, and Sarah (Chad) Dexter of Nelsonville; grandkids, Allison (Nitin) Arora, Madison (Tyson) Williams of Nelsonville, Robert Fisher of Nelsonville, Alyssa Duncan of Glouster, Keegan and Logan Mackey of Nelsonville; great-granddaughters, Lena Jo and Millie Mae of Nelsonville; Kenny’s daughter, Janet Kessler of Bremen; his sons, Kenny (Ginger) Specht of Bremen and James Specht of Bremen; grandchildren, Scott (Emily) Kessler of Bremen, Steven (Katie) Kessler of Bremen, Janessa, Kenny Jr, Jacob, and John; and his 9 great-grandchildren.

Kenny was employed at Hocking Valley Concrete of Logan, Ohio for 10-15 years. He said he was going to work till the day he dies and he did. Kenny was into car shows, trains, and watching his westerns every day, lol; and he loved spending time with his family, especially his great-granddaughter Lena Jo. If grandpa was home from work when she got off the bus, she always had to know where he was. They teased each other every day. She said he was the best grandpa ever and that she would miss him every day. We can’t forget about his special Protector Dog Friend forever, Lucy.

Delbert (he hated when we called him that), I sure am going to miss you, your mouth, your jokes, the way you loved us, my kids, and my grandkids. Lena loves you so much and your Lucy (Dog) will miss you. You have taken care of me for 32 years and I am going to miss all of the stuff we did together. I still love you and have since the day you stepped in front of my house. I love you. Tootles. JoAnn.

Calling hours were 1-3 pm Wednesday January 14, 2026, at the Warren-Brown Funeral Home in Nelsonville, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the funeral home to help with Kenny’s funeral expenses