He asked his wife if he should run for county treasurer. She told him that was a bad idea since he couldn’t balance the family’s checkbook.
So Mary Law ran for office after being endorsed by the Republican party. She won the 1980 election by capturing 59% of the vote. Since the treasurer had to wait 10 months after election to assume office, Law traveled around the state and met with other county treasurers to better understand the mechanics of the office, said her son, Greg Law.
Law, a Hamilton High School graduate and 1950 homecoming queen, served the county until she retired in 2001. She died on Nov. 1. She was 90.
Greg Law said his mother became “a political powerhouse” and family friend and former House Speaker John Boehner once said he’d run against anyone but her.
Nancy Nix, who was appointed county treasurer in 2007, said Law constantly was concerned about her employees. Nix said half of her staff, seven of the 14, were hired by Law.
“Her presence is still alive in this office,” Nix said. “She cared for every-day citizens.”
Law also took steps to make a professional life easier for working mothers like herself. She adjusted their schedules so they could balance work and home.
“She was a woman of the times,” Nix said.
Nix said the 5-foot-1 Law was “so dang cute and she never aged.” Despite her small stature, Law had “a big presence,” Nix said.
“She lit up a room,” Nix said. “When she walked in, all eyes were on her.”
Greg Law recounted a story he once heard about his mother. A Middletown man said he didn’t pay enough on his county taxes. He asked if the county should send the check back, then he could mail in a different check.
That was a waste of taxpayers’ money so Law made up the difference out of her pocket, only a few dollars, her son said.
“That’s who she was,” he said.
He was asked what he’ll miss most about his mother.
“Someone to talk to,” he said, his voice cracking. “Someone who loves you unconditionally. No matter how bad of day I was having, or how I had screwed up, I always knew she loved me. She was the most genuine person I know.”
At West Side Baptist Church, Law taught Sunday school for 19 years and later at First Baptist Church, she served as a Deaconess.
She is survived by two sons, Rick (Bev) Law of Hamilton and Greg Law of Beavercreek; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, Richard.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Weigel Funeral Home, 980 N.W. Washington Blvd. Hamilton, followed by burial at 12:15 p.m. at Rose Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the Richard C. and Mary C. Law Scholarship Foundation managed by the Hamilton Community Foundation.
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