Prosecutor was known for his intensity

2/12/2005

OAK HARBOR, Ohio - Myron A. Rosentreter, a past Ottawa County prosecutor known for his fiery court demeanor and sharp, meticulous mind, died yesterday at Riverview Healthcare Campus. He was 100.

Mr. Rosentreter died of respiratory failure, family members said.

Born in Oak Harbor, the son of a leather worker, Mr. Rosentreter graduated from Oak Harbor High School, went on to study and graduate from the then-Toledo University, the Judge Advocate General's school in Ann Arbor, and finally from the Ohio State University College of Law in 1935.

After he graduated from law school, Mr. Rosentreter took over the law firm of his brother, Norton - an Oak Harbor practice known as the Rosentreter Law Offices.

"He was known as 'Iron Mike' in the courtroom - he got fired up, shook his fist, was very intense and animated," said his granddaughter, Lori Chapin. "He was a real little guy, not too tall, but he didn't back down from anybody."

When World War II broke out, Mr. Rosentreter joined the U.S. Army and served as a Judge Advocate in Orlando, Fla. While there, in 1944, he was married to Margaret Tucker, a friend from Toledo. He left the Army with the rank of captain, and returned to his Oak Harbor law practice.

"That practice was a cradle for judges," said his granddaughter, remembering that a total of seven of the practice's attorneys went on to serve on the bench.

In 1953, Mr. Rosentreter was elected prosecuting attorney of Ottawa County. But after two years he again returned to the practice he loved, where he remained until he was in his 80s.

To occupy his free time, Mr. Rosentreter picked hobbies that meshed with his sharp mind and frugal habits.

"Stocks were his hobby," his granddaughter said. "He was a brilliant investor, smart and frugal and financially wise."

His reputation for keen investing landed him a position as chairman of the board of directors of the National Bank of Oak Harbor, where he remained chairman emeritus until he died.

His home, like his finances, was maintained with meticulous care.

"He was a perfectionist: He took care of his lawn until he broke his back," his granddaughter said. "Then it was my turn, and it was very hard to measure up," she laughed.

Mr. Rosentreter was a council member of St. Paul United Church of Christ; 75-year member and past district deputy grand master of Oak Harbor Masonic Lodge 495; a member of the Knights of Pythias; charter member and past president of Oak Harbor Rotary Club; member of the Ohio State, Ottawa County, and American Bar Associations, and of the Oak Harbor Board of Public Affairs.

Four granddaughters survive.

Visitation will be after 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Crosser Funeral Home. Services will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the St. Paul United Church of Christ.

The family suggests tributes to the church or to a charity of the donor's choice.