{"id":49215,"date":"2025-10-13T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=49215"},"modified":"2025-10-13T12:39:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T16:39:07","slug":"okuleys-pharmacy-celebrates-75-years-of-family-service-and-community-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/okuleys-pharmacy-celebrates-75-years-of-family-service-and-community-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Okuley\u2019s Pharmacy Celebrates 75 Years of Family Service and Community Care"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Staff picture celebrating the anniversary: Connor Okuley, Gretchen Searfloss, Larry Heiing, Travis Okuley, Kieu\u00a0 Okuley, Blake Vance, Becki Bidlack, Lauren Bosch<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CONTINENTAL, OHIO \u2014 For 75 years, Okuley\u2019s Pharmacy has been a trusted name in healthcare across northwest Ohio. What began in 1949 as a small-town pharmacy founded by Blaine Okuley in his hometown of Continental has grown into a thriving third-generation business serving customers in Putnam, Paulding, Defiance, and surrounding counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now operated by Blaine\u2019s son, Travis Okuley, alongside his son Connor, Okuley\u2019s Pharmacy remains rooted in family values, personal service, and community commitment. With three retail locations \u2014 in Continental, Paulding, and Defiance \u2014 the business has expanded far beyond prescription fills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach of our stores is a full-service pharmacy,\u201d Travis said in an interview. \u201cBut in Defiance, we also specialize in compounding and offer home medical equipment like mobility scooters, lift chairs, CPAP machines, and hospital beds. That location is really popular for custom solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defiance branch, in particular, has become a go-to destination for those in need of compounded medications, which allow pharmacists to tailor prescriptions to individual needs \u2014 something especially important for patients with allergies, pediatric care, or unique dosage requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across the three stores, Okuley\u2019s employs around 50 people, many of them from the local area. Several family members are actively involved, making it a true multigenerational business. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about us,\u201d Travis said. \u201cWe\u2019re blessed to have loyal staff and customers who\u2019ve supported us for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okuley\u2019s Pharmacy also serves numerous assisted living facilities \u2014 more than 25 throughout northwest Ohio \u2014 delivering oxygen, mobility aids, and other durable medical equipment to patients in need. \u201cWe\u2019re in and out of nearly every assisted living community from Paulding to Putnam to Fulton counties,\u201d Connor said. \u201cWe also work closely with hospice providers to make sure patients have what they need during critical times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While they don\u2019t venture into Indiana or Toledo proper, their service area includes Paulding, Putnam, Defiance, Henry, Fulton, Allen, and Williams counties, stretching as far south as Lima and east to the Liberty Center area. Even local facilities like Antwerp Manor benefit from their support. \u201cIt\u2019s not just pharmacy \u2014 it\u2019s full-service care, from delivery to equipment maintenance,\u201d said Travis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But running an independent pharmacy isn\u2019t easy in today\u2019s healthcare climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe insurance companies are putting more and more pressure on small businesses like ours,\u201d Travis explained. \u201cA lot of prescriptions now are being reimbursed at below our cost. It\u2019s tough to survive, and we\u2019re seeing big names like Rite Aid struggle or close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rising property taxes, increasing regulation, and healthcare red tape only add to the challenge. Yet through it all, the Okuley family has stayed committed to their mission: helping people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never wanted to be the biggest. We just want to be the best at serving our communities,\u201d Travis said. \u201cWe work alongside other local providers \u2014 we don\u2019t see them as competitors. We\u2019re all here to help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, October 10, 2025 they celebrated their 75th anniversary with the community invited. Food, drinks, and the traditional soda fountain were all flowing, saying, \u201cWe appreciate our friends and neighbors\u201d. The Okuley family has one message to share with the community:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Representative Jim Hoops, Connor Okuley, Travis Okuley, Kieu Okuley, Representative Roy Klopfenstein, and Matt Miller, Mayor of Continental. Representatives presented the Okuley family with awards for their 75 year – 3 generation business.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you. Thank you for letting us serve you for three generations. Your support means everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With deep roots and a strong sense of purpose, Okuley\u2019s Pharmacy looks ahead to the future \u2014 one filled with challenge, but also hope, as the community keeps supporting local businesses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CONTINENTAL, OHIO \u2014 For 75 years, Okuley\u2019s Pharmacy has been a trusted name in healthcare across northwest Ohio. What began<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":49216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/staff.jpg?fit=1016%2C509&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2YQd9-cNN","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-01 03:53:38","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49218,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49215\/revisions\/49218"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}