Dan Ross, former Bucyrus fire chief, mayor and council member, dies at age 69

Dan Ross, former Bucyrus mayor, fire chief and council member, has died.

According to his obituary, Ross, 69, died Tuesday morning at Avita Health System-Bucyrus Hospital after suffering "recent health complications."

Wanda Sharrock, head of the Crawford County Democratic Party, said Ross, also a Democrat, was "a good guy."

"He was our fire department chief for a long time, did a wonderful job for the city," she said. "And he did a good job as mayor."

Even after leaving office, "he still participated and worried about his town," Sharrock said. "He was always concerned about whether Bucyrus was moving ahead instead of backward.

"He was a good public servant and a good individual."

Ross, a Bucyrus native, was born in 1952 and graduated from Bucyrus High School in 1970, according to previous T-F reports.

Ross became fire chief in June 1996

According to Bucyrus fire Chief Chad Schwemley and department historian Barry Herschler, Ross joined the department on Nov. 1, 1976, and became chief in June 1996. He retired on March 8, 2002.

"He was always concerned about the department and stuff, even after he retired," Schwemley said. "He always stopped in and checked in on everybody."

Ross was always highly involved in the union, Schwemley added. "And obviously then went on to be mayor."

A longtime friend, Ron Bores, remembered encouraging Ross to run for mayor.

"I did it on my wedding night, when he was at our reception," Bores said, chuckling. "He wasn't gonna run for mayor, but I told him he'd make a good mayor if he'd run."

They were neighbors in apartments near Bucyrus City Hall back when Ross was a brand-new firefighter. Later, Bores' wife, Lisa, was Ross' secretary. Bores worked for the city for 30 years, serving as the city's mechanic before taking over utility maintenance.

"We had a lot of great times together, a lot of good times together," he said of Ross.

"I think he was a good mayor; I really do," said Bores, who unsuccessfully sought the same office in 2019. "People liked him, he was always involved in everything. He was involved in the school and school board, and always helping the schools out. He always went uptown and talked to the people, and asked them. He was good."

'He was a great mayor'

Ross served as mayor from 2004 to 2010, with Sid Seevers as his service-safety director.

"It's kind of a shock," Seevers said Tuesday evening. While he didn't socialize regularly with his old boss, he often saw him around town, he said.

"He was a great boss; he was a great mayor," Seevers said. "He knew so much about the city, how it ran."

Ross' background as fire chief gave him a great understanding of how city government was supposed to work, he said.

"It was just a pleasure working for him," Seevers said. "I learned a lot about public service and things like that. We had a great working relationship. I believe we got a lot of things done for the city with his leadership. We're going to miss him."

The city's major downtown revitalization project was a high point for the administration. Seevers said he was able to line up state grants that covered the entire cost of the project.

Another hallmark of Ross' administration was strict adherence to the city's codified ordinances, Seevers said.

"We worked hard and we treated everybody as fair as we could, and I think the people respected Dan for that," he said. "He was always out and about, visiting the downtown people. He'd take a walk every day, checking out how things are going downtown and things like that. He was a great mayor."

Ross resigned from office on May 21, 2010, after it was determined he did not live within the city limits. The Crawford County Board of Elections ruled his true address was outside city limits. Ross appealed, but the Ohio Supreme Court ruled against him.

"I think the community lost a good person when Dan was no longer the mayor," Sharrock said. "He was doing a fine job. Sid was able to bring a lot of grants into the community we didn't have before that. Between him and Sid, they did a good job for the city."

Other service to the community

In May 2017, Ross was appointed to an at-large seat on Bucyrus City Council, following Sharrock's resignation. He served until the end of that year.

Ross served in the Ohio National Guard from 1971-1976, and was a former member of the Bucyrus City Schools Board of Education, according to his obituary. He is survived by four sons, seven grandchildren, two sisters and extended family.

Calling hours will be 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Wise Funeral Service in Bucyrus, where the funeral will take place at 10:30 a.m. Monday with the Rev. Mike Corwin officiating, according to the obituary. He will be laid to rest in Oakwood Cemetery.

"I have prayers for the family during this stressful time in their lives," Sharrock said.

ggoble@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Dan Ross dies; served Bucyrus as fire chief, mayor and council member