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HUDSON, Fla. -- John Mrus passed away Tuesday, July 4, 2023, after a short illness.
He was born July 31, 1943. He was the son of William "Bill" and Betty Jane Mrus of Warren.
John lived a fulfilling life in public safety, first as a Howland Township police officer, where he was wounded in the line of duty. He then left law enforcement and began a career in both fire service and public safety education. He worked at several fire departments before working for the Ohio Division of Vocational Education where he became one of the first Emergency Medical Services, EMS coordinators / educators in the state.
John was proud of the fact that he was the second person to achieve the certification as a paramedic through the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, NREMT, receiving the certification card # 0002.
When he left the state and came back to Howland, his goal was to bring advanced life support to the citizens of Trumbull County. This was not an easy task. John had an incredibly high standard and would make sure that his firefighters always sought to exceed expectations. His true impact can only be accurately measured by the hearts and minds of the people whom he inspired, motivated and engaged on a daily basis. Many people in this county can thank John for the care they received, either from him or from the hundreds of students he trained.
Among the many awards he received was a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Trumbull County Emergency Medical Services committee and was also presented the Ohio EMS Hall of Fame Award. John was promoted to the rank of assistant chief of the Howland Fire Department, where he remained until his retirement.
Many lives were enriched with his take on life. He wasn't perfect, but none of us are. He was blunt and had, at times, a biting wit. He called it as he saw it, and let his actions do much of the talking for him. He had his own command of the English language, with his special colorful pronunciations. Regardless of this, you always knew John's position on both EMS and life.
John is survived by his wife, Jane Laughlin Mrus, to whom he was married the past 37 years. John is also survived by his sister, Linda Mrus Glunt; and his three children, his son, Shon and wife, Susan, a daughter, Dawn Hoffman and her husband, Ron, and his daughter, Lisa Holbrook. John also had four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
"You can shed tears because he is gone, or you can smile because he was in our lives. You can close your eyes and pray he will come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that he left for us."
Contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to the Howland Fire Department, 169 Niles Cortland Road, Warren, OH 44484.
Private funeral services will be Monday, Sept. 25, 2023. A celebration of life is to be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at the Old Avalon pavilion. If you plan to attend, please email IAFFlocal2786@gmail.com.
"Your strength of character is to be admired. There will never be anyone like you. Your spirit lives on in your family and the many students you taught. You have attained rightful professional immortality in your beloved profession."
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