Together for 25 years, Mary and Larry Tice had the perfect marriage.

"We did everything together," Mary Tice said.

But in February, her husband took his own life.

"I didn't just lose my husband , but I lost my best friend, too," she said.

The Tices are not alone. In the last five years, eight former Weirton Steel employees committed suicide. And since the beginning of this year, eight people have taken their own lives in Brooke and Hancock counties alone.

While Mary Tice has more questions than answers, she believes her husband felt he had nowhere to turn after he found out his job at Weirton Mittal would change drastically, and, at age 51, would be facing another 14 years of work.

"He'd talk a little bit but then close up," Tice said. "Looking back (at) the desperation, he was 50 (and there was) no buyout yet at that point."

Tice described her husband as the strong, tough type, but she believes Larry became desperate and felt he had nowhere to turn -- a feeling Mary believes Larry's coworkers will face.

At Larry's funeral, a number of his family and friends sprung into action by developing a 24-hour hot line to help anyone who feels they've got no other choice than to end their own life.

Pastor Craig Greathouse, "Hopeline" creator, said the idea stemmed from six willing pastors and grew to 30 volunteers ready to stop someone from making a choice they could never change.

"We realized if someone was going to take their life, they wouldn't wait for us to call them back," Greathouse said. "We want to catch them before they get to that place."

If you or someone you know would benefit from the helpline, please call 304-748-2629 or 304-723-8788.

-Renee Cardelli & Shelby Zarotney, NEWS9