Former Coldwater mayor Cron, 84, dies

COLDWATER - Maurice Cron, a beloved community leader and towering force in local politics, died on Friday at the age of 84 due to complications from COVID-19, according to his obituary.

Cron, who took office in 1972, was Coldwater's longest-serving mayor, with 20 years under his belt, village administrator Eric Thomas said, adding Cron and former village administrator Ray Kremer were a legendary team that had a profound impact on shaping the village.

"Everything we did here in town had his fingerprints on it," Thomas said.

Cron in a 2013 interview with the newspaper recounted some of the highlights of his mayoral stretch.

In 1984, Kremer entered Cron's office with a statement he recalled verbatim: "Mauri, let's go and buy the Penn-Central right of way, and put a bike path on it."

Brief deliberations were held to determine whether the acquisition, which came at a net cost of $80,000, would be feasible. As with the other prominent decisions of his career, Cron knew the land buy would take great consideration.

The eventual plan consisted of a collaboration among the Ohio Department of Transportation, which handled paving, Coldwater and Celina. The village recovered its costs by selling incorporated property to residents that previously had belonged to Penn-Central.

The bike path now belongs to Mercer County.

Cron and his wife, Dolores, were jointly named 2012 Citizen of the Year by the Coldwater Chamber of Commerce. The couple were lauded for their instrumental role in community organizations such as Mercer Health, the cancer association, YMCA and the Agricultural and Industrial Heritage Center.

Then chamber secretary Pete Lisi had joked that it would be easier to list community organizations the couple were not involved in.

Cron was also was heavily involved in the Mercer County Democratic Party. Longtime party member Bill Sell of Celina, a former teacher and city councilman and current school board president, called Cron a very good man and tremendously respected.

Cron offered a wise perspective "on any type of subject related to local politics."

"He was the most committed member of the Democratic party here locally that I'd ever been around," Sell said.

Cron was also a meticulous notetaker and record-keeper, Sell pointed out.

"He had records going back 40, 50 years of like the sheriff's race in 1960 and all of the council races and members of the central and executive committees," Sell reflected. "It was all cataloged and put in perfect presentation form."

Party vice chairperson Deb Sneddon characterized Cron as a distinguished community member and volunteer, who had held many positions, among them party chairman and secretary. He also served on the board of elections, she added.

"My favorite memories will be of him as master of ceremonies," Sneddon said. "He always had a joke or a story to tell and had an infectious smile to go along with his heartfelt laugh. He will be missed by all who knew him."

Cron was also a past president of Ohio Mayors Association, Ohio Municipal League and Auglaize/Mercer County Families YMCA and was Kiwanis governor for Ohio in 2004 and 2005.