Erika R. Konowalow

January 6, 1969 – May 9, 2026

Erika Reuben Konowalow, 57, of Circleville, passed away May 9, 2026, at OhioHealth Hospice House (Kobacker House) in Columbus, after a seven-year battle with cancer. She will be remembered by those who knew and loved her for her intelligence, empathy, humanity, wit, and attention to detail.

Born January 6, 1969, in Bay City, Michigan, Erika was beloved by all who met her. A born copy editor and writer, the message on a favorite sweatshirt spoke volumes about her personality and passion for the English language: “I am silently correcting your grammar.”

A journalist by trade and temperament, Erika began working as a clerk in the newsroom at her hometown newspaper, the Bay City Times, during her junior year at John Glenn High School. After graduating, she continued working at the Times while earning an associate degree at Delta College, where her father, Stephen, was a professor and counselor. At Delta, Erika served as editor of the student newspaper.

She completed her bachelor's degree at Kent State University while working as a copy editor at the Medina County Gazette in Medina, Ohio. At the Gazette, she met and fell in love with future husband, Craig Lovelace, then a reporter.

At every stop, Erika attracted an eclectic group of co-workers and loyal, lifelong friends.

Erika and Craig married in Akron on September 5, 1993, and shared a life of love, laughter, and love of film.

Their careers took them to Cincinnati, where she worked on the business desk at the Cincinnati Enquirer. Their next stop was Myrtle Beach, SC at The Sun News, where Erika was a copy editor and Craig was a reporter.

In 1999, she moved to Columbus, Ohio to become a copy editor for the Columbus Dispatch. She earned a Master of Science degree in marketing and communication at Franklin University while working at the Dispatch.

She left traditional journalism in the early 2000s, serving as a managing editor at School-Age Notes for several years before becoming communication specialist for the Pickaway County Educational Service Center (ESC) from 2013 to 2024. In addition to the ESC, Erika was public relations and marketing coordinator

at Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center in Chillicothe, Ohio … where she was known to the students as “Ms. K.”

She was a member of the Circleville Sunrise Rotary Club for 13 years, where she was a Paul Harris Fellow. She organized the Rotary Readers Book Club in 2024, where she shared her passion for reading with like-minded friends.

Erika was also a member of the Pickaway County Family YMCA, serving on its community advisory board as a member, including a stint as chairperson.

She continued working until days before entering hospice care, never allowing cancer to slow her down.

Lastly, those who knew Erika understood her decades-long “happy place” was in the whelping box caring for and playing with Boxer puppies bred by close friends, Jeff Phillips and Kari Hammer-Phillips.

Erika is survived by her husband, Craig; mother, Cinnamon Landman of Austin, Texas; father and step-mother, Dr. Stephen, and Dr. Kathy Konowalow; sisters, Rhonda Konowalow Angell of Santa Clarita, Calif. and Chaya Ben Shimon of Tel Aviv, Israel; brother, Robert Konowalow of North Hollywood, Calif.; and 13 nieces and nephews.

Memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the Circleville Community Church.  Visitation will be on Thursday from 10-11.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Erika’s memory can be made to OhioHealth Hospice House (Kobacker House), or the Pickaway County Family YMCA