Late former county deputy auditor Ed Laramee remembered as "great public servant"

LANCASTER — Retired Fairfield County Auditor Jon Slater called his late former deputy auditor Ed Laramee a great public servant and strong advocate for local governments.

"He went over and beyond to help people at the local level," Slater said. "That's just who Ed was. He'll be missed. I'll miss our conversations. In the evenings after work, we'd talk about everything from family to politics to the office. Ed has a place in my heart for sure."

Current auditor Carri Brown said she learned of Laramee's death Friday morning. Laramee was 80.

"It was a sad day for all of us to learn of his passing," she said. "His last day with the county auditor’s office was Jan. 14, 2022. We know that he had some serious health concerns at the end of 2021, and we pray that he is at peace now."

Former auditor Barbara Curtiss hired Laramee in March 1995 from the corporate world. He then worked under Slater for many years thereafter.

Laramee retired for a brief time in 2015 and Scott Zody replaced him. But Zody died the following year and Laramee came back to temporarily replace him. But he stayed on the job until early this year.

County commissioner Jeff Fix said Laramee once reminded him that office holders work for the people and not themselves.

"It's not an easy thing, he would say, to put your name out there and have people take shots at you," Fix said. "Ed lived his life this way. He always did what he thought was right and often knowing that behind his back people would be rolling their eyes or shaking their head. I'm not here to tell you he was always right. Just that he believed he was doing the right thing all the time every time."

Laramee was a Pickerington resident and moved to the Columbus area in 1970 when Shoe Corporations of America hired him. He was the father of two children and married to his wife, Sandy.

"Basically, there's not been a day since I started in '95 that I didn't, in a sense, look forward to going to work," Laramee said in 2016. "I never expected that I would be in public employment. I was always in private up to that point."

Laramee was from Weymouth, Massachusetts, and still had a strong New England accent.

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He was a fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots and Boston Bruins.

"You can't be from Massachusetts and not be a fan of the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins," he said.

jbarron@gannett.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Late former county deputy auditor remembered as "great public servant"