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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > June > 20 > Entry
Local state senator dies
By Dave Larsen
Staff Writer
DAYTON — Ohio State Sen. Robert Schuler was remembered on Saturday, June 20, as a good man and public servant who helped to rewrite Ohio’s electric industry regulatory system.
Schuler, who represented all of Warren County and parts of Hamilton County, died at 7:13 p.m. Friday after a long battle with cancer. He died peacefully at home surrounded by his family. He was 66.
“Bob was a dear friend, a true public servant and a very good man,” said Senate President Bill Harris, R-Ashland.
Schuler, R-Sycamore Twp., Hamilton County, represented the Senate’s 7th District since 2003. He served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1993 to 2000.
Share your condolences and memories of Sen. Schuler.
“His experience and common sense approach to the most complex of problems were invaluable to our caucus for the more than six years he served in the Senate,” Harris said. “Bob had strong opinions and was never shy about expressing them, but he was never one to grandstand. His constituents benefitted from his effectiveness.”
Harris plans to cancel Tuesday’s session to allow members and staff to attend funeral services.
Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, worked during the last General Assembly with Schuler on legislation to develop a comprehensive energy policy for the state.
Schuler, then-chairman of the Senate Energy & Public Utilities Committee, sponsored the bill that passed last session.
“;I got the chance to know him and he did some quality work on that piece of legislation,” said Husted, who at the time was speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. “We have a new energy law in the state of Ohio that came on his energy bill last year.”
Husted praised Schuler as a good man. “People on both sides of the aisle appreciated his kindness and good nature,” Husted said. “He will be very missed.”
Gov. Ted Strickland called Schuler a committed advocate for the people of Southwest Ohio.
“Sen. Schuler was a sincere, kind man,” Strickland said. “He reached across the aisle, always valuing progress over politics.”
Strickland also noted Schuler’s role in Ohio’s energy legislation. “I deeply appreciated his thoughtful foresight on the importance of this bill for the future progress of Ohio,” Strickland said.
In the Senate, Schuler also served as chairman of the Senate Reference Committee and as a member of the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Ways & Means & Economic Development Committee. In the House, he served as the chairman of the Local Government Committee.
Schuler’s public service career also include terms as a Deer Park Council member and a Sycamore Township trustee.
Born June 15, 1943, in Cincinnati, Schuler worked as a real estate appraiser. He is survived by his wife Shelagh, two children and five grandchildren.
Calling hours are Monday, June 22, from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at Thomas-Justin Memorial Funeral Home, 7500 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati.
The funeral mass will be 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Vincent Ferrer Church, 7754 Montgomery Road, Cincinnati, with a service at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Cincinnati immediately following.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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By Mike
June 20, 2009 5:14 PM | Link to this
Our family’s condolences to The Schuler family. God bless you all