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LEBANON — About 100 people from throughout Warren County paid their last respects to former county commissioner Larry Crisenbery during a memorial service Wednesday, Sept. 24, in Lebanon.

Crisenbery, 70, died Sept. 19 at Bethesda North Hospital. However, his life was remembered through comments from his son, David, that was read by the Rev. Thaddeus Griggs.

Griggs, who described Larry Crisenbery as a family-oriented, "fun-loving gentleman," read a copy of Crisenbery's obituary. Among the items listed were notes about his service to the community as a businessman and president of the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce as well as his public service as a six-term Turtlecreek Twp. trustee and a three-term Warren County commissioner, which also included serving as president of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

During his tenure as a county commissioner, he helped in guiding the growth of Ohio's second-fastest growing county.

Griggs read some remembrances that David Crisenbery wrote be shared at Wednesday's service.

Among those remembrances were of him gathering rocks after his dad Roto-Tilled the family garden as well as shared some remembrances of his father; tagging along with his father checking township road conditions and searching for equipment during the Blizzard of 1978; how hard his father worked to take care of his family and his constituents; and that his father "was always doing the right thing."

"I hope that I could be half the man my father was ... Dad cared about the people in his life," said David Crisenbery through Griggs.

Commissioner Mike Kilburn said if Crisenbery said something, "you could take it to the bank."

"He was a fun guy to be around," Kilburn said. "We were great friends."

Kilburn also said that Crisenbery also defeated a fellow Republican incumbent commissioner in the 1992 GOP primary for the first time in several decades and which normally doesn't happen in Warren County.

County Engineer Neil Tunison said Crisenbery was great to work with and was very forward thinking on regional transportation plans. He said Crisenbery's work was key to getting funding for the Fields-Ertel Road interchange improvements.

"He was a good friend and a good public servant," said Clerk of Courts Jim Spaeth. "His actions spoke much louder than his words."

Pat South, who was elected in 1992 with Crisenbery to the county commission, said, "I lost a great friend, a great colleague and a helluva card player."

Crisenbery and his wife, Donna, played a weekly card game of Pitch with several couples, including South and her husband.

Crisenbery was buried Wednesday afternoon in Miami Cemetery in Corwin.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or erichter@coxohio.com.