It Happened in Crawford County: Sue Adams goes above and beyond to support local veterans

Sue Lohr Adams has a passion for helping veterans. She is a daughter of Harley and Melvey Shope Lohr and sister to Chuck, David, Pam Barker and Peggy Cavallo. Sue grew up going to Wynford Schools, where she was the most valuable player in her junior year of volleyball and held the county record for throwing discus for two years. Sue began volunteering at a young age and worked at Sunset Springs, doing the chores at the campground. Her parents' rules were to get up very early, mow the grass, feed the animals, tend the garden and then you could swim. She graduated from Wynford H. S. in 1975 and began working at the old L and K restaurant, waiting tables from 1976 to1996. Next, she went to work at BPT as their safety and environmental team leader and later as quality team leader, oftentimes on 12-hour shifts for over 24 years until they closed.

In 2009, after some rough patches in life, Sue met her special friend, Rodney Millington, a veteran of the Vietnam Era. He was active in the Village of Prospect’s American Legion until he moved to Bucyrus. Millington was then influential in getting Sue active in the American Legion Auxiliary, supporting the needs of over 1,000 members (at that time) of Post 181. Rod passed away in 2020, but Sue is still helping our vets. In 2012 she was selected as one of 10 Outstanding Women of Crawford County, having been recognized for her work with veterans’ programs and volunteering. She has been poppy chairperson since 2014, under the mentorship of long-time Auxiliary leader Frances Ruth. Frances was an active matriarch of the Legion until she died at age 97. Under her leadership, Unit 181 always collected in excess of $2,000 by donation, and Sue continues achieving that goal today.

Sue enjoys planning the casino trips to Columbus to raise money for the Poppy Fund. She arranges for a bus and takes reservations to fill the seats. They start playing games right away, up until and during the return trip home with "weary heads" and empty pockets. Sue and Rod started their Post’s annual Memorial Day hog roast over 10 years ago. The Hord Farms donate the hog; the Legion, Sons, and Auxiliary of the Legion cook and serve the free meal to the vets. It also has desserts and picnic-style food for a donation. A fun day for all.

Sue started the “Bratwurst and Hot Dog Day” for the Bucyrus First Fridays, and those proceeds go to worthy causes. She also volunteers for the city’s Spooktacular, when the Legion serves 1,000 hot dogs. It’s their community project for the city and everyone enjoys it. The kids are really lucky to have such a fun-filled event. Sue remarked she probably wouldn’t be doing any of these things without Denny and Alice Teynor, who help prepare the food; both are big supporters at the Legion. Sue also helped serve the brats for the “Bicentennial Fly-In” at the airport for the City of Bucyrus in 2021.

Never done volunteering, Sue also helps with the Unit’s annual patriotic dinner show held upstairs in the Legion each spring. United in Harmony performs as well as many other talented members of the community. The cost is $25 per person and, after the expenses for food, the balance goes to the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Ohio special projects.

Now that Sue is semi-retired, she is a server at the Post’s canteen, offering breakfast and lunch three days a week and open to the public. She volunteers to make desserts for Friday night’s meals, also open to the public in the evening. “First Friday Fish Fry” is for the “Gifts for Yanks” and the money goes to the Ohio Veteran’s Home in Sandusky for their needs. Sue also prepares food for funeral luncheons and helps during other special occasions held at the Legion; good food and desserts such as pumpkin bars, cream puff cake, monkey bread and lots of cookies. The Legion recently sponsored its annual Make & Bake benefit. This year’s auction helped local veteran Jack Zornes, who is undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Sue was proud that her peanut butter bars sold for $35 each. In her spare time, when she’s not baking, cooking, or volunteering at the Legion, she’s busy doing the same thing at the AMVETS Post 27 in Bucyrus.

Sue was nominated for the Colonel Crawford Unit 181’s Member of the Year Award at the State of Ohio Convention for her years of volunteerism and committee projects for 2021-22. Before the award, there were little hints from Brandy Robertson and Alice Teynor, causing Sue to be suspicious what was going on. The award was such a big honor, it represented 14 districts in the entire state. She was also named the Central Division Unit Member of the Year at the ALA National Convention in Milwaukee at the end of August.

In closing, Sue is thankful for our veterans who give her freedom as well as for all Americans. She is also very thankful for her “Legion Family” and their friendships.

Go online for more of Mary Fox’s stories and photos on bucyrustelegraphforum.com. If you are interested in sharing a story, write Mary Fox, 931 Marion Road, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or email littlefoxfactory@columbus.rr.com.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: The ways Sue Adams supports veterans in Crawford County and beyond