Former Clark County Commissioner James E. Sheehan dies

Funeral services have been set for a lifelong Springfield resident, business owner and former Clark County Commissioner.

James E. Sheehan, 84, passed away on Jan. 4 in his home.

“Dad was a faith-filled man who deeply loved my mom, our entire family and this community,” said Sheehan’s daughter, Maureen Sheehan Massaro. “He had a larger than life personality with a direct and simple message, ‘Take care of your faith, your family, your community and your health. When you have that, you have it all.’”

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Sheehan was elected to the Clark County Board of Commissioners in 1992 and served for 12 years.

“Jimmy was a man of principal and always made value-based decisions,” said Clark County Commission President Melanie Flax Wilt. “He was able to work with every kind of person from the halls of Congress to the assembly lines, regardless of their political leanings. Clark County has lost one of its finest leaders and a true gentleman.”

State Rep. Kyle Koehler said Sheehan “was a great man.”

“I will never forget in the Spring of 2012 when former County Commissioner Jim Sheehan visited me at K.K. Tool Co. I was in the midst of running for County Commissioner. Jim was a lifelong Democrat. I am a lifelong Republican,” Koehler wrote in a Facebook post. “He wasn’t there to endorse me or admonish me. He just wanted to talk and relay what he thought were important things I should know about being a County Commissioner and in public service.”

Sheehan was also a co-founder of Sheehan Brothers Vending.

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“After colorful years working on the railroad and at International Harvester, Jim and his brother, Dennis Sheehan, turned part-time jobs servicing gumball machines into the largest vending and catering business in the area,” according to his obituary. “Sheehan Brothers continues to be a family owned business employing almost 100 people in Springfield.”

Sheehan also served as chief financial officer for Avetec from 2005 to 2011.

In addition to his daughter, Sheehan is survived by his sister, his wife, three other children, 10 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews, according to his obituary.

Services for Sheehan will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 801 Kenton St., followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery, 3155 E. Possum Rd., and a celebration at 3:30 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, 100 S. Fountain Ave. all in Springfield, according to his obituary.

In lieu of flowers, Sheehan “would have appreciated support for” Catholic Central School, 1200 E. High Street in Springfield, or Second Harvest Food Bank, 31 N. Sycamore St. in Springfield, his obituary says.

Memorial contributions and condolences can be made on the Conroy Funeral Home website.

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