Displaying items by tag: Don Robart

Former Cuyahoga Falls and Stow Chief of Police Louis Dirker Jr., 67, died on Friday, after battling cancer.

"We just admired him. He was an excellent chief, an excellent family man and we're going to miss him," former Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Robart said.

Dirker started his career with the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department in 1974, retiring as chief in 2001. He then served for two years as deputy director of safety and security with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

"The only reason he left the city of Cuyahoga Falls is he had to acquire that PERS retirement and he needed to send some of his kids to school, Robart said. "That's just kind of guy Lou was. Family came first."

He added, "I hated to see him leave because he was an excellent chief and I knew we were going to miss him and we did."

Dirker later became Chief of the Stow Police Department, retiring again in 2014.

Funeral arrangments will be announced at a later date. 

The race for Stow Municipal Court clerks has been among the most hotly contested local races of the year. Democrat Diana Colavecchio, independent Kevin Coughlin, and Republican Don Robart all sat down with Jasen to talk about their ideas for the court and the highly negative tone of the campaign.