GREENFIELD — Hancock County Sheriff Brad Burkhart worked with Ronnie Mohr as a member of the sheriff’s department merit board, but that’s not where their relationship started. Growing up as a member of a farming family, Burkhart had known Mohr for most of his life.
“Everybody knows everybody in the farming community, it seems like,” Burkhart said.
When Burkhart’s father was dying of cancer in 2005, he and his brothers took over the operation of the family farm. The brothers were struggling to finish the year’s harvest while their father was in the hospital when Mohr stepped in.
“Ronnie and his family, they took it upon themselves just to gather up their equipment, called me and said, ‘Hey, we’ll finish this up for you.’ I had a 70-acre field of corn that I needed to shell, and he came in and got it done, took care of it. He was a good guy,” Burkhart said.
Mohr, 72, died Monday, Dec. 14, after being hospitalized with COVID-19. A dedicated advocate for agriculture and a community leader, his loss leaves a hole in the Hancock County community, friends say.
Burkhart worked with Mohr on the merit board for years, first as chief deputy and then as sheriff. Mohr was a knowledgeable voice on financial issues, he said, and was always helpful on investment issues. Mohr served as merit board president for several terms.
“I feel bad for the family. I feel bad for all the families that are going through the same situation, in this country and in Hancock County,” Burkhart said.
In addition to his work on the merit board, Mohr was also a longtime member of the NineStar Connect board of directors. He had served on the board since the company was formed as a merger between Central Indiana Power and Hancock Telecom in 2010. He was on the Central Indiana Power board for 16 years before that.
Mike Burrow, president and CEO of NineStar, recalled that when the merger first took place, Mohr was a powerful voice helping achieve unity between the two cooperatives.
“He challenged all of the senior management team to think of us as one company, one cooperative,” Burrow said. “…He was so wise in that respect. I give him lots and lots of credit for that.”
Board chairman Philip Hayes said Mohr was also instrumental in the board’s decision to get into the water and wastewater business. His biggest impact on the company, though, Hayes said, was the amount of thought he always put into how NineStar’s decisions would impact everyone in Hancock County.
“He was a good man who cared deeply about his community, other people, and farming,” Hayes said.
Mohr’s shoes on the NineStar board, Burrow said, will be hard to fill.
Mohr also spent time advocating for agricultural issues, working with the National Corn Growers Association and lobbying for farmers’ concerns to members of Indiana state government.
“He was always working for the benefit of agriculture,” said Jonathan Sparks, president of the Hancock County Farm Bureau. “Rarely was there a conversation I had with Ronnie where I didn’t learn something.”
In recent years, Mohr became an advocate for greater visibility at rural intersections in response to concerns about crops obstructing drivers’ views, leading to vehicle crashes.
Rep. Bob Cherry, Hancock County’s representative in the Indiana House, attended high school with Mohr and was well-acquainted with his family. Years later, the two worked together on a bill that would discourage farmers from planting crops close to rural roads. Though the bill failed, Mohr continued to work to raise awareness of the issue.
Cherry said Mohr had a good mind for policy and was always thinking about what would make life better for Hancock County residents.
“He was such a positive role model for our community,” Cherry said.
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An obituary for Ronnie Mohr is on Page A3.
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