A celebration of George Voinovich’s life at the Ohio Statehouse

Staff report

COLUMBUS

Gov. John Kasich and other elected officials remembered the late George Voinovich on Wednesday evening during a celebration of his life at the Ohio Statehouse.

Speakers called the former governor and senator a fighter who stood tough on issues of importance, who gave hugs and encouragement to those around him and who was a man of “incredibly deep faith.”

“We’re celebrating George’s life,” Kasich said. “We’re not mourning him any longer. We’re celebrating what he was all about.”

Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine, who served as Voinovich’s lieutenant governor, added later, “George Voinovich was tough, and he knew what it took to win elections and what it took to govern. Yet he always managed to do what he had to do while still keeping true to his integrity, his morality and his faith.”

Voinovich died in June, just shy of his 80th birthday; there was a memorial service for him in Cleveland at that time. The Wednesday evening event was called a Celebration of a Legacy of Public Service and was attended by Voinovich’s wife, Janet; his children and grandchildren; and numerous other officials.

Voinovich’s public service career included stints as mayor of Cleveland, two terms as governor and two terms in the U.S. Senate.