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Karen Wilhelm

By Rick Schaffer
Reflector Staff Writer

North Fiarfield - The only woman ever elected a Huron County commissioner died Saturday afternoon at her home following a long battle with cancer

karne Wilhelm, 59, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 1998. She underwent several kinds of treatment over the past year.

In September, doctors saw positive signs that she might have the disease beat, but it returned with a vengeance. Because of the latest round of treatments, she had missed every commission meeting, except one, since early December.

She kep a positive attitude throughout her illness, but took a turn for the worse Friday.

"She felt she could beat this cancer," said her husband of 42 years, Walt, who was with her when she died at about 4:30pm Saturday.

"She had a real strong desire to fill out the term. last Wednesday and Thursday, we were talking like you and I are. Then on Firday, it was like the lights were turned off"The Lord took her home."

The county Republican central committee has 45 days to appoint a replacement for Wilhelm's commission position. That person will then face a November 2000 election for the remainder of her term, which was to have eneded in January 2003.

A nurse came to the Wilhelm residence early Saturday afternoon to make her as comfortable as possible.

Funeral services will be hold at 11am Wednesday at the New London Alliance Church on Ohio 162 west of new London.

Wilhelm had tried hard to attend recent commission meetings.

"She'd get up in the morging, take a shower and put on her make-up," Walt Wilhelm said. "but then she'd sit down and start crying. She said she was just too weak. It would rip your heart out."

Wilhelm was first elected a commissioner in November 1990. On Jan 1, 1991, she joined Richard Houck of rural Willard and Thomas Carabin of Norwalk to form an all-Republican board.

Wilhelm won a hard-fought, five-way race, defeating Democrat Tom Kilbane of Greenwich by 119 votes and walloping tow-term incumbent Jim Westerhold, an independent from Norwalk, by 4,000 votes. Two other independents were enven further behind.

Two years later, Kilbane gained a seat on the board.

Wilhelm first ran for commissioner in 1988, losing to Houck in a hotly contested primary. At the time, she had been a clerk in the commissioners office for six years but was fired by Houck, Carbin and Westerhold the day after Houck took office.

"Oh, well, that's politics,"Wilhelm said at the time.

"Karen had her own ideas and her own beliefs," said Carabin, who was a commissioner from 1977 through 1992.

"You always knew where you stood with Karen. Even when she was clerk, she always tried to do what she believed was the best for the county. I think she grew into the position of commissioner very well.

She worked untiringly. A lot of people say they're a full time commissioner, but she really was. Had her health held out, she would have gone down in the records as one of the better commissioners in the state, Carabin said

In 1993, Wilhelm found herself in the political minority on the board as Kilbane and fellow Democrat Jim Seitz Sr. took office

What followed was four years of contentiousness, resulting in Seitz and Kilbane refusing to include Wilhelm in the rotation of commission presedents.

Wilhelm clashed with the Seitz and Kilbane on many issues, especially the handling of the county landfill, and accused them of having secret meetings to decide issues.

Wilhelm's largest electoral victoy came in 1994, when she bested Democrat and now Norwalk City Councilman Stan Obrenovich by some 2,500 votes.

Seitz and Kilbane where bounced from their seats by Terry Boose and Larry Silcox in 1006, and Wilhelm said she enjoyed the job much more with her new colleagues.

Wilhelm won her third four year term last November, defeating Monroeville Democrat Mike Adelman by about 300 votes. Her illness was not an election issue.

She's definityly goin to be missed, Boose said. When Larry and I came on, it was the first time either of us had held elective office. She helped us out tremendously. And she did it without demanding anything.

She would tell us that we may want to look at this or this about that. She was alwasy will to listen to our ideas.

Wilhelm kept up on the issues facing the county right up until the end.

I's sure that if you checked her mailbox this morning, it would be almost empty, Boose said. When she couldn't make it in, she'd send Walt in to pick up her mail. I'd call her and she'd be right up on what was going on.

Boose and Silcox plan on holding their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday morning.

The biggest thing that can be learned from Karen was her love of the county, Silcox said.

Every decision she made was based on what was best for the county. She really enjoyed being a county commissioner. It was a pleasure working with her.

A native of North Fairfield, she was a graduate of North Fiarfield High School. The Wilhelms had four children, Kevin, Eric, Tracy and Brett, and 10 grandchildren.

Obituary - Norwalk Reflector (February 1, 1999)

North Fairfield - Karen E. Wilhlem, 59, of North Fairfield, died Saturday afternoon at her home after a lengthy illness.

She was born Dec. 8, 1939, in Norwalk, to the late Gilbert Burras and Charlotte (Keener) Burras. She was a lifelong area resident.

She was a Huron County Commissioner from 1991 until her death, serving as president in 1997.

She was a member of the United Methodist Church of North Fairfield, where she sang in the choir and served on several committees, including the current building committee.

She enjoyed Monday night volleyball league, camping, traveling, music and singing.

She is survived by her husbank of 42 years, Walt Wilhelm; sons and daughters in law, Kevin and Linda WIlhelm of North Fairfield, Eric and Jodi Wilhelm of Greenwich, and Brett Wilhelm and his fiancee Hope Payne, obth of Norwalk; and daughter and son in law, Tracy and Craig McCombs of Kilbuck.

Friends may call from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 9 pm in the New London Alliance Church, 4525 Ohio 162, New London, wher funeral services will be hold at 11 am Wednesday with the Revs. Ruben Dunckel and Kenneth Williams officiating.

Burial will be in North Fairfield Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Stein Hospice. 1200 Sycamore Line, Sandusky, 44870 or to the Elevator Fund of the United Methodist Church of North Fairfield.

Hinman Tanner & Walker Funeral Home, 98 W Main St. Norwalk, is in charge of arrangements.