John Martin Uldrich, 40

John Martin Uldrich, 40 of Chillicothe, Ohio, suffered a heart attack in his sleep and went home to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus of Nazareth on Friday morning, April 17, 2026. John was born on January 19, 1986 in Mayfield Heights to the late Dennis Alan and Trudy Kathleen Griffin Uldrich who survives.

Along with his father John is preceded in death by his grandparents, Buddy and Arlene Uldrich.

John attended Friendship Elementary School and was a graduate of Portsmouth West High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Geology from Shawnee State University. In his youth, John played soccer and baseball, and he valued trail riding and horseback camping in Shawnee State Forest with his mentor, Mr. Larry Holt. As a young man, John was employed as Head Groom at John Nelson Stables in Lucasville, Ohio.  He was a man of faith, having been baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church MO. SYN.. 

John worked as a Counselor at Hope Valley Recovery in Circleville, Ohio, holding CDCA and LCDC II Certifications. John also continued to work as a Farrier in the second generation of a family business founded by his mother as Trudy’s True Trots.

John Uldrich was a true Renaissance Man. He held his Alternative Resident Educator License in Earth Sciences. John was a self-taught craftsman who enjoyed engineering, mechanics, and machining, fabricating his own custom metal lathe from scratch. John was a skilled automotive, small motor/machine, and appliance mechanic. John excelled at woodworking, welding, leatherworking, 3-D printing, interior architectural design, home improvements, metallurgy, and more. Mastery of new skills was a constant in John’s life. Most recently, John completed a knitted blanket as a baby shower gift for his brother's wife.

John expressed his creative drive as a fine artist in a wide range of media including pen and ink, paint, pyrography, photography, needle felting, metal casting, and woodworking. He was a Purchase Award winner at Southern Ohio Museum’s Cream of the Crop exhibition. John created custom wood pieces including furniture, gun cabinets, chests, and rocking chairs, with details in carving, epoxy, hand done upholstery, and cast metal accents produced in house.

John was a talented lead singer and songwriter. He played the guitar. John composed original songs and digital music. Over the years, he performed in the region with many bands from the Portsmouth area.

John was close with his family and enjoyed the company of hundreds of friends. John’s favorite pastime was working on projects and practicing his marksmanship with his life-long best friend, John Michael Mosley.

John Uldrich is survived by his mother, Trudy Uldrich of Portsmouth, his sister, Emily (James Hull) Uldrich of Stout, and his brother Dennis Uldrich Jr. and sister-in-law Courtney Uldrich of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He is also survived by his grandparents, Warren and Donna Griffin of Portsmouth, Ohio, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, and first cousins once removed.

A celebration of life will be held at 4:00PM, Thursday April 23, 2026, at the Roger W. Davis Funeral Home in West Portsmouth with Reverend Christopher McCarthy officiating. A visitation will be held on Thursday starting at 2:30PM. Condolences may be sent to www.rogerwdavisfuneralhome.com