Dennis A. Rosier (1953-2017)

Dennis “Denny” Rosier, owner of Rosier’s Deli Mart, of New Riegel, OH died unexpectedly on Friday, November 17 at the age of 63.

Dennis A. Rosier, who was well known in the Tiffin area as a business owner and public servant, died Friday in Mercy Health-Tiffin Hospital. He was 63.

Mr. Rosier was taken to the hospital after his pickup truck crashed Friday morning on U.S. 224 at State Rt. 18, authorities said. A medical episode caused the crash, troopers at the Fremont post of the Ohio Highway Patrol said. He had been treated for heart disease, his daughter Jami Mullholand said.

His pickup was pulling a trailer full of beverages bound for an event near Bascom, Ohio.  He and his wife, Brenda, were partners in Rosier’s, which has a market, offers catering, and includes an ice and beverage subsidiary.

Mr. Rosier was clerk of Seneca Township, a post to which he’d been elected since the 1990s. He also had served on the McCutchenville fire board and as a member of New Riegel’s emergency medical service. He was on the board of CROSSWEAH, the community-based correctional facility named for the counties it serves — Crawford, Richland, Ottawa, Seneca, Sandusky, Wyandot, Ashland, Erie, and Huron.

“Everybody you talked to knew Denny,” said Kenneth Palmer, a former Seneca Township trustee who grew up with Mr. Rosier. “Everybody loved the meat market and the store.”

Mr. Rosier remained a co-owner, with his wife, Brenda, of Rosier’s on the south edge of Tiffin, which they bought in 1981. The market became known for its deli and meat counters, but also sold grocery and convenience store staples — and had gas pumps outside. His wife is a hairdresser in the adjoining salon.

“He was the do-everything guy,” their daughter said. “He did the maintenance and refrigeration and compressor work. He could do the hot deli and any of the butcher work.”

The store has been open year-round, even holidays, “to make sure they serve their customers,” their daughter said. And most often, the husband and wife were on duty when a patron ran out of eggs or milk on Christmas, or needed a single bratwurst on Independence Day.

“He built so many relationships with so many people, crossed paths with so many people,” his daughter said. “He liked being part of the community and being able to serve the community.

“A lot of people didn’t know how much sentiment he had for his wife and children and grandchildren,” his daughter said.

He and his wife made sure they took time to volunteer, said Greg Smith, a Seneca Township trustee.

“He was all the time on the go,” Mr. Smith said. And through it all, “he was fun to be around,” Mr. Smith added.

The couple formerly owned a market in McCutchenville and a service station in Sycamore, Ohio.

He was born Dec. 14, 1953, to Jean and Morris Rosier and was a 1972 graduate of Mohawk High School. 

“He’s always been motivated to succeed in life,” his daughter said. As a 16-year-old, he received a private pilot’s license. 

Surviving are his wife, the former Brenda Snyder, whom he married June 28, 1974; son, Bryan Rosier; daughter, Jami Mullholand; mother Jean Rosier; sister, Carole Cook, and five grandchildren. 

Visitation will be from 1-8 p.m. Tuesday at Hoffmann-Gottfried-Mack Funeral Home, Tiffin. Funeral services will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the First Lutheran Church, Tiffin, where the body will be after 9:30 a.m. 

The family suggests tributes to New Riegel EMS or FACT — Financial Aid Cancer Treatment — which offers financial assistance to Seneca County residents who had been diagnosed with cancer, according to its Facebook page.

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