Ethel Delores Kohout

Ethel Delores Kohout was born the eighth child and fourth daughter of George Washington Barnes and Ruth Alberta Barnes on December 8, 1932. After the family’s relocation from Birming-ham, Alabama, Ethel was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After coming of age and graduating from Hughes High School in 1950, her desire to see the world got the best of her. Through her travels and her career as a Runway Model, she was united with William “Bill” Hoge and resided in Shaker Heights, Ohio, for over 25 years. It was “Uncle Bill” that would tell anybody that Aunt Ethel was “as sweet as candy” and called her by that name.

Her love of fashion, entertainment and the finer things in her life landed her right in the middle of hobnobbing with the rich and famous, where she was very comfortable. She operated her own Charm School and for years, groomed many young girls into refined teenagers and young ladies. At one point, she sent her niece, Lisa some money and asked her to purchase designer handbags from New York City for her sisters. She truly loved her sisters.

Years after Uncle Bill’s passing, she met and married John Kohout in 1998 and relocated to Aurora, Illinois. She decided she needed something to do, so she started working at Macy’s, where she was right back in her element as a Fashion Consultant. She enjoyed that for a few years before retiring due to declining health. Ethel and John settled into a slower pace of common interests and the routine of being homebodies. They enjoyed their game shows, watching the nightly news, keeping up with the world of tennis and Aunt Ethel’s home cooking. She always had a love for cooking. They shared 22 years before his passing, October 3, 2021, when he succumbed to prostate cancer.

As part of a tribute to our Elders for the Davis Unity [and Barnes] Family Reunion in 2022, she was asked to share some of her favorite things. Favorite Flower: Orchid – Favorite Color: Green –Favorite Food: Turkey and Crab Legs – Favorite Drink: Iced Tea –Favorite Music/Song: Opera – Favorite Childhood Memory: When my baby sister (Carolyn) was born – Favorite Childhood Holiday: Christmas.

When asked, “What are some things you want people to remember about you,” her response was always the same: “That I loved the Lord, I lived a good life and that I was old.”

Her diagnosis of Crohn’s in 2017 and complete Renal failure in 2020 took its toll on our “Aunt Ethel”. She was always a fighter, but this battle was not hers. Ethel Delores Kohout passed away on December 6, 2025. She was 92 years of age.

Ethel was preceded in death by her parents and all of her sib-lings: George (Gertie), Wallace (Naomi), Minuard (May), Bernard (Ginny), Gloria (John), Millie (Brandon), Ellis “Al” (Cynthia), Carolyn (George) and Ernestine (Napoleon), who passed on the same day, December 6, 2025, just 4 hours and 45 minutes before Ethel’s transition. You are all together now. Gone from us, but never forgotten and will remain in our hearts forever. Rest in Holy Peace and To God Be the Glory! Amen.

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