Pillar of Austintown community has died

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

Dr. Thomas J. Stellers, a man who those close to him revered as a pillar of the Austintown community, has died. He was 78.

Stellers, a 1958 Austintown Fitch graduate, was a 14-year member of the Austintown Board of Zoning Appeals and also served four years on the district school board.

“Tom was always about doing things to help make Austintown a better community,” said township trustee Jim Davis, who learned Spanish from Thomas’ wife of 47 years, the former Carol Crichton. “He was just a stand-up kind of person people in the community respected. You were proud to call him your friend.”

David Ditzler, Mahoning County commissioner and former township trustee, said he’d known Stellers for 45 years, and joined him in the township administration.

“He was active in everything in Austintown and really involved – not one of the people who just joined clubs. He worked hard on everything,” he said. “One of the finest people I’ve ever met. It’s a huge loss for our community and for the [Mahoning] Valley.”