Adam J. Orebaugh

Adam Johnston Orebaugh of Worthington, Ohio passed away the evening of Thursday, February 1st surrounded by loved ones. Adam was born and raised in Worthington, Ohio and recently moved to his dream property in Centerburg, Ohio where he lived for the last year with his wife and three beautiful beagle boys, Cooper, Grover, and Cash. Adam had the biggest heart to match his big smile. He was always available to lend a hand, provide a shoulder to cry on or just be there to listen. He packed a lot into his short life, from his drumming days playing with some of his best friends and working at Columbus Pro Percussion, to his days working in the animal welfare community and serving as the practice manager for Lifetime Pet Wellness. Adam made lifelong friends wherever he went. If you were lucky enough to meet him, you could guarantee you would have a friend for life. After adopting their first dog, Hailey, Adam and his wife became active in the animal welfare community. Adam was instrumental in helping end breed specific legislation in Whitehall and he worked to help other communities to do the same. Adam was a big part of starting a shelter diversion program at Franklin County Dog Shelter to help owners obtain the resources to keep their dogs and also to be an advocate for dogs to make it out of the shelter into loving homes. Adam was also a founding member of Worthington Organized Offleash Friends, a group formed to create the Worthington Dog Park. He loved spending his vacations with his wife in Kanab, Utah volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. It was a home away from home and he made some amazing friends during his time there. Adam is preceded in death by his grandparents William and Mildred Orebaugh and John and Genevieve Bartos, his mother-in-law Marsha Mathews, and a brother-in-law, Otto Berk. He also met several canine companions at the rainbow bridge including Max, Hailey, Wendel, and Zack. He is survived by his loving wife of 18 years, Jamie (Mathews) Orebaugh, his parents Cheryl and Carlton Orebaugh, his sister Elizabeth (Dan) Beck, his Father-in-Law James Mathews, sister-in-law Janice Mathews, brothers- in-law Chris, JP (Sarah) Mathews and Alex (Heidi) Berk. He is also survived by his amazing nephews Aidan, Brendan, and Colby Beck; Charlie Mathews and Kade Berk. Adam also leaves behind several aunts, uncles and cousins as well as an enormous community of friends. The family would like to thank the doctors and staff of the OSU MICU, especially those who had a direct line of care to Adam over these last several days of his life. Their caring and compassion is unmatched and helped his family and friends navigate an extremely difficult time. In lieu of flowers, Adam’s family would like donations to be made in his memory to two local animal organizations that were close to his heart, Hospets and CHA Animal Shelter. Family and friends are all welcome to come and say farewell to Adam on Saturday, February 10th, 2024 from 2:00pm-5:00pm at Rutherford Funeral Home in Worthington, 515 High Street. A short service will immediately follow calling hours.

Adam J. Orebaugh

May 12, 1978 - February 1, 2024