Thursday, September 25, 2014

OBITUARIES


ROBERT J. LYNCH

Robert J. Lynch II, age 48, of Huron, died Monday, Sept. 22, 2014,  as a result of a fire that destroyed his family home.

He was born Jan. 24, 1966 in Norwalk, was a 1984 graduate of Norwalk High School and attended Kent State University. He managed several gas service stations in the area and was a bartender at the Marriott Inn at the Cleveland Airport.  He enjoyed playing chess, reading, listening to music, watching movies, taking walks with his son Bobby, and was an animal lover. He loved all Cleveland sports, including the Browns, Indians, and Cavs.

Robert is survived by his wife, the former Ruby “Tina” Seiber, to whom he was married for 11 years; his son Bobby; mother Virginia Lynch of Norwalk; 3 sisters Susan (Bill) Barnett of Monroeville, Jeanne (Gary) Kloos of Milan, and Mary Edwards of Huron; 2 brothers John (Patty) Lynch of Norwalk, and Patrick Lynch of Fremont; half sister Claranne (William) Schick of Norwalk; and several nieces and nephews.  He was preceded in death by his father Robert J. Lynch, Sr., and a brother Timothy Lynch.

Friends may call from 1:00 PM Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014, until time of memorial services at 3:00 PM in the Foster Funeral Home and Crematory, 410 Main St., Huron. Bill Barnett will officiate. Cremation will take place.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lynch Family Fund, in care of any branch of Citizens Bank. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.fosterfh.com.


JOAN F. CRAPSEY

Joan F. Crapsey, age 85, of Huron, died Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in Stein Hospice Care Center, Sandusky, following a brief illness.

She was born April 12, 1929, in Sandusky, and was a 1948 graduate of Huron High School. She was a bus driver with Huron Schools for 26 years, was a member of St. Peter Catholic Church, Huron.
Joan is survived by one daughter Mary (Mark) Graves of Huron; 3 sons Tim (Michelle) Crapsey, Thomas (Yvonne) Crapsey, and Gary Crapsey all of Huron; 4 grandchildren Billy and Brittany Graves, James (Tiffany) Crapsey, and Melissa (Mike) Griffith; and 3 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Gareth in 1994; her parents; one sister Jean Stout; one brother James Wilkens; and a daughter Joanie in infancy.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am Friday, Sept. 26, 2014, in the Foster Funeral Home and Crematory, 410 Main St., Huron. The Rev. Jeff McBeth will officiate. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery, Sandusky.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Stein Hospice Services, 1200 Sycamore Line, Sandusky, OH 44870. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.fosterfh.com.


SHIRLEY A. BANGO

Shirley A. Bango, age 69, of Huron, died Wednesday morning, Sep. 24, 2014, in Stein Hospice Care Center, Sandusky, following a lengthy illness
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She was born Dec. 18, 1944 in Glen Jean, West Virginia.  She is survived by 2 daughters Rhonda (Scott) Kromer of Bellevue, and April Bango of Berlin Heights; one son Chester Bango of Berlin Heights; 5 grandchildren Simon, Jake, Owen, and Mason Kromer and Nolan Bango; 2 sisters Lena New and Delores Jenkins; and 2 brothers Earl and Phillip West.  Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; brother, Lawrence West, and one sister Phyllis Brown.

Friends may call from 1:00 PM Friday until time of services at 2:00 PM in Foster Funeral Home and Crematory, 410 Main St., Huron, with Chaplain Jane-Ann Clarke officiating. Burial will be in Meadow Green Memorial Park.  Memorials may be made to Stein Hospice Services, 1200 Sycamore Line, Sandusky, OH 44870. Online condolences may be share with the family at www.fosterfh.com.


VIRGINIA T. SULLIVAN

Virginia T. Sullivan, age 87, of Huron, died Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2014, died at the Inn at Joshua Tree in North Olmsted, following a lengthy illness.

She was born Sept. 18, 1927, in Kansas City, Missouri, and was a member of St. Peter Catholic Church in Huron.  She is survived by 2 daughters, Laureen (Owen) Coughlin of Olmsted Township, and Mary Sullivan of Huron; 2 sons, Peter (Becky) Sullivan of Wichita, Kansas, and Robert Sullivan of Littleton, Colorado; 7 grandchildren; 2 sisters and 1 brother.  Virginia was preceded in death by her husband Robert Sullivan in 2001; her parents and one brother.

Friends may call from 5-8 PM Sunday, September 28, 2014, in the Foster Funeral Home and Crematory, 410 Main St., Huron. A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 AM Monday, Sept. 29, 2014 in St. Peter Catholic Church, 430 Main St., Huron, with the Rev. Jeff McBeth officiating. Cremation will follow.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Peter Catholic Church, Huron. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.foster fh.com.

News from St. Peter School

From St. Peter School

We are excited to announce our new logo.  On Thursday September 18, 2014, St. Peter School unveiled a new school logo.  The new crest was designed from several symbols previously used.  The logo is a round design with a crest in the middle.  The crest is divided into four quadrants.  The fisherman’s net in the bottom two quadrants represents St. Peter being the fisher of men.  The fish in the upper left quadrant is an early Christian symbol.  In the upper right quadrant, the keys represent the “the keys to the kingdom of heaven.”  The logo also includes the name of the school and establishment in 1952 around the crest.

The logo was presented to the student body at a launch ceremony on Thursday September 18.  Each student was given a zipper pull with the logo.  In addition, St Peter School has launched a new website at huronstpeterschool.org.  The web site has the new logo and updated information about the school.


Sunday, September 21, 2014

Recent Real Estate Transactions

9/15/2014- 521 Center Street; Bradley & Sheri Budd to Rhonda R. Redman; $75,000

9/16/2014- 908 Falcon Circle; Mark A. Hyde to Dennis L. & Jacqueline M. Antonelli; $251,000

9/16/2014- 5211 West Waterbury Drive; John M. & Debbie K. Weatherford to Ronald T. & Debby J. Novak; $174,000


The Future of Main Street

After living in Huron for 17 years, I have truly come to appreciate this quaint, small town.  Nonetheless, I have always yearned for a Norman Rockwell-like Main Street that teamed with retail shops, bakeries, and coffee shops.   As I travel to different small towns in Ohio, I am envious of their Main Street district and sad that Huron lost its commercial district many years ago. 

As a result of Urban Renewal, which began in Huron in 1965, the “old” Huron was dismantled and the boat basin became the focal point of the downtown, leaving North Main Street disjointed.  In the City’s new master plan, entitled Vision 2020, one of the goals is to reconnect Main Street and establish a thriving business district.  Though great plans often take time to come to fruition, our City officials are well on their way towards achieving this goal.  Initially, the plan was to first re-connect Main Street and then make improvements along the whole of the northern part of the street.  However, negotiations for acquiring the property that would allow Main Street to once again be a contiguous stretch have taken longer than anticipated.  In addition, because the section that will be the connector between the two parts of North Main Street is not currently an existing road, the City was not able to apply for grant money for the necessary improvements.  According to City Manager, Andy White, the City has received $500,000 in grants for improvements to the existing parts which will include new signage and landscaping.  Work on these projects will begin in the spring of 2015.  By 2016, these projects and the connection will be completed. 

In an effort to supplement future development along the newly-established Main Street, the City plans to replace the two existing pavilions near the boat basin building with one 3-season building.  By the end of 2017, the City will have the Showboat property reconstructed, and this and other parcels along Main Street will be ready for development.  White stated “We are putting out a lot of investment proactively in anticipation of development.”  Finally, the City is in the process of updating their zoning codes so future and existing development will be in line with the City’s Master Plan. 


Have a look at the City’s master plan (http://cityofhuron.org/files/2012-council/strategic-plan.pdf) and the architectural renderings.  Certainly, one cannot go back to what was, but the potential for rebuilding the small-town commercial component of Huron is well on track to becoming a reality.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Annual Brew Ha-Ha to Support Milan Historical Museum

Looking for something fun to do on a sunny Saturday afternoon?  Do you like craft beer?  The Milan Historical Museum will be holding their annual beer tasting afternoon on the museum grounds tomorrow afternoon from 2:00-5:00 PM.  Though this is not a Huron event, it is definitely an enjoyable and worthwhile affair.  Here is a link to the museum's web site for more information: http://milanhistory.org/?tribe_events=annual-brew-ha-ha.