Obrenovich leaves behind quite a story

Mar. 29—NORWALK — He was quite a man.

Stan Obrenovich died on Monday at 85. But he will not soon be forgotten.

From his uptown buildings, his fight for parking spots and a loading space on the street, his fight over a tree on Main Street blocking the view of his restaurant — to his memorial bulletin board for Mayor R. Thomas Cochran, Stan "The Man" always found his way into the Norwalk Reflector.

Here, in his own words and a list he kept, is what Stan said he did for the community.

1. Donated and installed stone veneer at back end of grandstands at Huron County Fairgrounds.

2. Refurbished booth in commercial building at Huron County Fairgrounds with stone veneer and drop ceilings.

3. Campaigned for organizing a volunteer Uptown Association. Recruited 28 paying members.

4. Initiated diagonal parking proposal with cost, drawings and slides of the six communities that currently had diagonal parking. This plan was implemented.

5. Suggested and provided information for installing slot boxes and eliminating parking meters in parking lots. This project was implemented.

6. I walked the Uptown on a weekly basis to keep people informed. Decisions were made by property owners and business people, not by out of town committees. In fact, the decision to call it Uptown was decided this way.

7. Initiated diagonal parking proposal with cost, drawings and slide pictures of six communities I visited.

8. Attended all Council meetings for a year. Organized over 40 people to attend important meetings.

9. Solicited contributions from uptown businesses and elected officials for a sleigh project.

10. Initiated first uptown Christmas Parade with Paul's Hobbies and Mayor Cochran. Over 2,000 gifts were collected and distributed to children along the parade route.

11. Located an old sleigh, repaired and painted, and constructed five reindeer to be used in conjunction with sleigh for parades and displays.

12. Organized first Christmas food drive for Salvation Army. Mark Schaffer provided semi tractor and trailer for transportation. The donated food items were wrapped as Christmas presents. We drove around with police escort while music was provided by various organizations. We did this for three years. The 2nd year, 8,000 food items were collected in one day.

13. The sleigh with food items was taken to Bresson Park. 150 kids received a free picture, sitting in the sleigh with Santa. In the evening, a child from each grade school was selected to light the park which was decorated with colored lights. After the park lighting, a local church sang Christmas songs. This was done for three years. I've been involved with the Christmas season for over 20 years.

14. Paid for and installed "Welcome to Uptown" sign at each corner of our Uptown area.

15. Initiated lighting in the park. Kids at the rate of about 125 to 150 each got free pictures sitting with Santa. Major involvement in Christmas Programs Uptown for fifteen years.

16. Instrumental in getting a flag pole commemorated, along with stone and lighting in Pohl Park.

17. Designed and built original Uptown number plaques. Reorganized revitalization 1998. Subsidized cost of $800 and installed for free.

18. Designed new plastic "Our Town" number plaques.

19. Designed new city limits sign made out of recycled plastic. Manufacturer said it was the most beautiful sign that had been done. It was featured on their number plaque and web page. I had commitments to pay for two signs. It was not accepted by the city. The sign can be seen at The Uptown Cafe.

20. Donated a four foot by eight foot copy of this sign made out of wood to Summit Motorsports Park. Accepted by Bill Bader Sr.

21. Very involved in Uptown Revitalization. Absorbed extra property cost to make this project work.

22. Designed, painted and assisted drive-it installer to erect 1st Ernsthausen Complex sign.

23. Initiated and spearheaded the welcome signs coming into our city recognizing clubs and organizations. This took six months of hands on work.

24. Repaired Worker's Memorial on League Street. Recruited drive-it installer to resurface and paint memorial.

25. Received permission to install "Home of Norwalk Raceway Park" signs at city limit locations. Sold Bill Bader Sr. on idea. He provided signs and we installed.

26. Worked with Bulldog Art and Sign donating sign for Humane Society Cutest Pet Contest. Mounted sign on my pick-up and drove it around throughout contest.

27. Instrumental in designing Veterans Courtyard in front of the courthouse.

28. Took care of all trash in booths and throughout midway for the first Strawberry Festival.

29. Member of Salvation Army advisory board. Spearheaded a soup cookbook project where I gathered more than 80 percent of all recipes and sold the same.

Obrenovich was born in Norwalk and served in the U.S. Army, followed by 20-plus years working in the railroad industry.

Here, in Stan's own words, is his family history:

My Story of a Legal Serbian Migrant Family by Stan Obrenovich

About a hundred years ago, my father George Obrenovich, my mother Stella and brother Mike, left Zagreb Yugoslavia for the United States of America and Norwalk, Ohio. Once here, he hired out on the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad as a section laborer. He built our home at 16 Republic Street, Norwalk, Ohio. My brother Nick and I were both born on Republic Street. Eventually, Mike went out to the country and took up farming and Nick followed along to live with him. I went to League Street grade school, then uptown to Norwalk High, graduating in 1956. After graduation, my father got a job on the railroad as a section laborer as well.

The Wheeling Railroad had steam engines and were hiring steam engine firemen, so I transferred and became a steam engine fireman. When Norfolk and Western bought the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad, they had no steam engines, so I became the last steam engine operator hired out on the railroad. I got laid off that winter so I went to Toledo, Ohio to find work. While working in Toledo, I met my wife Betty. She lived next to the Catholic Church. After a while, we got married and it has now been 60 years.

During this time, there was military conflict going on, so I registered for the draft. I voted for President Kennedy and he drafted me. Betty went to Norwalk to live with my parents. She got a job at Fisher-Titus Hospital as a lab tech retiring after 40 years. I went to Fort Knox, Kentucky for my basic training and became a tank commander. I did a lot of work around the base. I was to be transferred, but the base commander intervened and kept me as a permanent party. I was doing quite well in the military and thought I might re-enlist, but my father passed away and my mother was taking it badly so I got out.

I have three sons. My oldest son is working in Cleveland at the VA. My middle son is self employed in the flooring business and my youngest son works for the City of Norwalk.

I built a home across the street and sold it. I then took on a partner, Dick Striker, a city fireman and we bought the building at 26 W. Main Street in Uptown Norwalk. We remodeled it and rented it out. We then bought the old Holman Building at 1 E. Main Street and rented it out to the Diamond Collection and they are still with me after 35 years. We installed an elevator and rented the upper floors. We remodeled 5 E. Main Street and rented it to the Main Street Cafe and they are doing well. After buying out my partner I sold the building at 26 W. Main Street and paid off the building at 5 E. Main Street.

I then got very involved in the City of Norwalk. Over the last 40 years I have done a lot of work, which includes two terms on City Council."

Obrenovich is survived by his wife of 62 years, Betty, and three sons, Mark, Keith and Kenny. Visitation will be 10 a.m. Friday until the time of his funeral at 11 a.m. at Walker-Eastman-Heydinger Funeral Home in Norwalk.