Remembering Jerry Cross

I suppose there’s no easy way to write this. I’ll just simply say it. Hardin County lost one of its all-time greats yesterday, and personally, I lost one of my mentors, and friends. Jerry Cross passed away yesterday at the age of 72.

The first time I really met Jerry was when I was working on Ed Elliott’s campaign for Ohio State Representative. We would go on campaign walking tours to get the word out about Ed and let people know who he was. Jerry’s son Jon organized much of the campaign and each morning before one of these tours, we would meet at Jerry’s house. Jerry was always welcoming, inviting us in and asking about what was going on in our lives. His wife Judy would make a breakfast casserole of sorts (which my friend Elliot absolutely LOVED) and we would get our marching orders for the day.

At the end of each day’s walk, we would meet up again, either at Jerry’s or somewhere else, and Jerry would relate stories from his days working in the corporate world which were always interesting to hear. While Ed’s campaign didn’t pan out in the end, I was fortunate to have worked on it because it introduced me to many different types of people from all walks of life. Jerry being chief among them.

Later on, Jerry decided that he wanted to run for Hardin County Commissioner. So Jon called up most of the old team from before and we would once again embark on walking tours around Hardin County, getting the word out about Jerry and what he wanted to do as county commissioner. I was tasked with organizing many high school students who volunteered their time for the event. It wasn’t easy, but we put together a great campaign, which was quite successful. Jerry was elected and went on to serve two terms as Hardin County Commissioner.

Commissioners Ed Elliott, Ron Wyss, and Jerry at the Hardin County Fair to present an award.

As I mentioned above, in the entire time I’ve known him, Jerry always seemed genuinely interested in our lives and what we were concerned about. After he was elected, I was experiencing some turmoil in my life. I’d rather not get too specific about it, but I was concerned for someone else. I really didn’t know what to do because the person I knew was going through a work transition and was having trouble finding the right position. I knew Jerry had some experience in the corporate world, so I went to him and asked him for advice as to how to help this person. He listened intently, asked pertinent questions, and gave me some great advice. It was something I never forgot.

Hardin County couldn’t have picked a better ambassador for itself, because he loved Hardin County, the people who live here, and was always looking toward the future to see what new developments were on the horizon. Not everyone would agree with the result (after all, this is politics) but they couldn’t discount Jerry’s commitment to Hardin County and the people who live here. He truly believed it was a great place to call home, and he worked to ensure that it remained so as long as he could.

The night Jerry was elected County Commissioner. It was a great night.

Jerry Cross played a significant part in my life. He always would smile when we ran into each other, and would always ask something similar to “How are you doing young man?” and would offer a hearty handshake. Jerry was genuine, caring, a tireless worker and promoter of Hardin County, and I know that he loved his family very much. I could see that in the way he would look at Judy when we would go to his house, and how he would relate to his family when they would be there as well. He set an example for all of us, and it’s a lesson that I’ve taken to heart.

For now, I’ll close by simply saying Thank You Jerry! For everything.