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Maybe you noticed that I didn’t contribute to this column last month. Unfortunately, our family had to say goodbye to my father. Definitely a sad time, but also a great time to reminisce and celebrate his life.

My father, Charles, was born and raised in Thompson in Geauga County. He was the oldest of four children born to John and Dorothy Lausin.

The family farm began as a general farm raising farm animals and crops to feed the family and selling the excess. As my father grew, my grandfather and great-uncle began to focus more on raising dairy cattle.

Despite working on the farm from a young age, my dad was an engaged member of his 4-H club, Junior Leadership Club, and Junior Fair Board. A farm accident that caused him to lose part of his foot didn’t slow him down much and he continued to play on the Thompson High School Redskins basketball team.

Dad met my mom in 1959 at a dance hosted by the local fire department. They wed in 1960 and began their family on the same farm where Dad was raised.

To help make ends meet, Dad took a job driving a school bus for Ledgemont Schools. It was a schedule that worked well with and around the farm work. As busy as his schedule was, he made the time to become a 4-H advisor and an active member of their church.

As a young couple, they were encouraged to join a local Farm Bureau Council, a group of farmers and rural residents that met regularly to develop camaraderie and community while discussing farm topics provided by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. Councils were one of the main ways Ohio Farm Bureau received info from its members on prospective policies that the organization would adopt and act upon. These local councils were the voice of agriculture.

Mom and Dad were encouraged to start another council to build up Farm Bureau grassroots involvement. They were successful but didn’t want to stop going to their original council, so they attended both for many years.

Ohio Farm Bureau advocates for agriculture and the farmer. The organization equips its members through professional development to be the voice of agriculture. This professional development began in the councils and then again as Dad got involved with the local Farm Bureau board, on which he held many officer positions. He also served on the OFBF State Board of Trustees representing Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and Trumbull counties for 11 years.

The professional and personal development was not just within the Farm Bureau organization. OFBF encourages members to get involved in local government, and that is what my dad did. He served as a township trustee for 28 years and over 25 years on the county zoning commission. He also served on the Thompson Ledge Park Board until he passed.

As Dad got more comfortable with his communication skills, his passion for the agricultural industry drove his involvement in other agricultural-based businesses and organizations. He has served as a delegate or director for Milk Marking Inc., Dairy Farmers of America, Ohio Dairy Farmers Federation, SWCD, DHIA, COBA/Select Sires, Geauga Landmark and Western Reserve Farm Co-op.

A legacy is something that is handed down from one generation to the next. Sometimes it is the intangible that is the greatest legacy. Dad was a man who loved God, his family and farming. This alone is quite the legacy, but add the years of agricultural advocacy and his impact becomes even more substantial.

I love you, Dad. Bye for now. Psalm 73:21-26.

Submitted by Mary Smallsreed, a member of the Trumbull County Farm Bureau and grew up on a family dairy farm in northeast Ohio.

OFBF Mission: Working together for Ohio farmers to advance agriculture and strengthen our communities.