Gary L. Cashin; 1944-2014: Business owner was an educator

5/31/2014

A spring afternoon picnic will be the occasion Sunday for the Harbor View Historical Society to commemorate the life of its co-founder.

The memorial event is to take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the historical society’s museum, 2083 Autokee St. in Oregon, just a street over from its tiny namesake village.

Gary L. Cashin, 70, an educator and retired business owner, died Feb. 24 in his Whitehouse home. He had cancer, his wife, Dale, said.

He and Michael Joseph started the society to help preserve local history, including the history of the communities within the former Oregon Township — the village of Harbor View being the only surviving independent entity. Mr. Cashin and Mr. Joseph turned a former church building into a museum that also serves as a community center and meeting place. Boy Scouts put together a library, and tutoring is offered for young people.

The aim was “to involve the community,” his wife said. “He loved to do and be out there.”

He was retired president and chief financial officer of MCM Precision Castings in Weston, Ohio, which he and two partners started.

He was born Feb. 24, 1944, in Cleveland to Eleanor and Harry Cashin and was a graduate of Lakewood, Ohio, High School. He was a Coast Guard veteran and had bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Bowling Green State University and a doctorate from the University of Toledo. He worked for the Sandusky City Schools and was an instructor at State University of New York Cortland.

He was a longtime Boy Scout leader and in retirement, he was a tutor at Fallen Timbers Middle School.

His daughter, Laurel Ann Cashin, died Dec. 28, 1990.

Surviving are his wife, Dale, whom he married Sept. 11, 1965; son, Andrew; brother, Dale; sister, Janet Switzer, and two granddaughters.

Contact Mark Zaborney at: mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.