Farmer was always there to help
11/13/2005LIBERTY CENTER, Ohio - Vernon W. Rohrs, 77, a lifetime farmer who was the director and past president of the Gerald Grain Elevator in Gerald, Ohio, died of cancer Thursday in Henry County Hospital, Napoleon, after a five-year bout with the illness.
Mr. Rohrs farmed corn, beans, and wheat, and raised hogs and cows at the family farm here since he was 5 years old until two years ago when his illness reached an advanced stage.
"He was always there to help out his neighbor," his son, Kurt Rohrs, said. "He was a common guy who never said a bad word about anybody. And everybody had a good word for him because they knew he was always there to help."
Mr. Rohrs, a native of Liberty Center who graduated from Liberty Center High School, was the director and president of the Gerald Grain Elevator for a couple of years in the mid 1970s.
In his free time, Mr. Rohrs liked to watch his grandchildren play high school sports, including football, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and track and field.
Mr. Rohrs was a lifetime member of the Emanuel Lutheran Church, Napoleon, where he was a past Sunday school superintendent, sang in the choir, and was on the church council.
His other memberships included the West Liberty Neighbors Council, Farm Bureau, and Pork Producers neighborhood groups, both in Liberty Center, and the Liberty Center Education Foundation.
Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Janice (Genter) Rohrs; son, Kurt Rohrs; daughters, Dawn Sharpe and Faith Hurst; brothers, Arthur and Norbert; 10 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. today in Emanuel Lutheran Church, Napoleon, where visitation will be after 1 p.m. today. Arrangements are by the Rodenberger Funeral Home, Napoleon.
The family suggests tributes to the Emanuel Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, the Henry County Hospital oncology department, the Liberty Center Education Fund, or a charity of the donor's choice.