Columbus Chaffins
1934—2026

Columbus Chaffins, 92, passed away peacefully Aug. 13, 2026, with his son James by his side at Riverside Nursing in McConnellsville, Ohio.

He was born March 15, 1934, in the hills of Martin County, Kentucky, in the midst of the Great Depression.

Those tough beginnings would help forge a man who would fall in love with a woman from West Virginia, raise four boys into men with that very same woman, and work just about any job he could as long as he was his own boss.

Columbus enjoyed hunting, fishing and digging roots such as ginseng, not for fun either but for the ability to feed a family. He also loved telling stories about his family, friends and life experiences, occasionally framed as lessons on what not to do. He unknowingly created a legacy in the simplest of ways by teaching his boys how to hunt and fish, who taught his grandchildren, who are teaching his great-grandchildren. For that and many other things, he will be remembered.

Columbus was preceded in death by his loving wife of 55 years, Delcie Chaffins; his eldest son, Columbus Chafin Jr.; his sisters, Mary Murphy and Carol Adkins; his brothers, Thomas Chaffins and Aaron Chaffins; and his mother and father, Gay Chaffins and Ken Chaffins.

Survivors include his sons James Chaffins (Melissa) of McConnellsville, Ohio, Darwin Chaffins (Tammy) of Ashville, Ohio, and Ernest Chaffins of Columbus, Ohio; grandchildren Amanda (Paul) Weekley, Darrell Chaffins and Joshua Chaffins, all of Columbus, Ohio, and Darwina Chaffins and Tamsyn Chaffins, both of Ashville, Ohio; and multiple great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at the Callaham Funeral Home in Warfield, Kentucky. Burial followed at the Chaffins Cemetery on Stepp Branch. Arrangements are under the direction of the Callaham Funeral Home in Inez, Kentucky.