Funeral and memorial arrangements will be announced later following the passing today of Summit County Executive Russ Pry.
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(Summit County Executive) Summit County Executive Russ Pry passed away peacefully today at the age of 58. Russ was diagnosed with colon cancer in June and has been recovering since surgery on June 14th. Unfortunately, a series of setbacks in his recovery became too much for him to overcome and he passed away today shortly after 5pm.
Russ will be remembered as a leader who helped restore stability in County government, led the County through the Great Recession, cared and honored the men and women who served in the military, created and kept jobs in Summit County for thousands of people, and made all of us think more about the children and less fortunate in Summit County. He was a leader that came along at the right time, and will be sorely missed by this community.
Pursuant to the Summit County Charter, County Council President, Ilene Shapiro, will be sworn in immediately as interim County Executive until such time as the Central Committee of the Summit County Democratic Party meets to appoint a person to serve as Executive for the balance of Russ’s term, which expires on December 31, 2016.
At this time, the Executive’s Office does not intend to make any further comment. Details regarding a memorial service and celebration of Russ’s life will be announced in the near future.