John S. Mires

“Hard work never hurt anyone.” This old proverb was well illustrated by John S. Mires. 93.

A firm believer in being active and busy, Mr. Mires retired from the newspaper field in 1946 and kept busy weaving rugs in his spare time.

For almost 45 years he guided the destinies of The Liberty Press and became nationally famous for his column, “Paragraphs.”

Mr. Mires was born in Franklin County Oct. 25, 1866, on a farm which is now a part of Lockbourne Air Base. He came to Henry County with his father and mother in 1872. In 1889 he left the farm to work in Foncannon's drug store in Liberty Center. From there he went to Columbus and in 1894 passed the Ohio Stale Board of Pharmacy examination. In 1902, while on vacation in Liberty Center, his brother David offered him half interest in The Press.

About 1930 David Mires retired from the business and John became the sole editor and publisher of The Liberty Press. In 1945 he sold the business to Thomas and Cox, who in turn sold it to the present owner in 1949.

Mr. Mires began writing Paragraphs in 1906, when, after reading paragraphs written by Bob Ryder in the Ohio State Journal and by Jack Warwick in the Toledo Blade, he said, “I concluded that I could write that kind of stuff, and I did and they made a hit from the start.”

In his forty years of Paragraph writing he wrote an average of 25 column inches of Paragraphs every week for forty years.

Mr. Mires married Emma E. Crozier in 1909. They purchased a house on Damascus St. where the present school gymnasium now stands. They lived there for forty years and raised a family of three children, Mrs. Cecil Strock, Kingsley, and David.

His wife preceded him in death five months ago.

When interviewed by the Press on the occasion of his 90th birthday, Mr Mires summed up his long, useful life thusly: “At the age of 90 I am well along on the road down the sunny side of life. I am tolerably well satisfied with the course I have run. In my forty four years at the helm of the Press, things were rough at times, and I found considerable comfort in the saying that: ‘All Job had was boils’.”

Mr. Mires was active in civic affairs, serving over the years as a councilman, on the school board, with the former Mutual Telephone Co. and Exchange Club. He was a 50-year member of St. John’s Reformed Church here and taught an adult Bible class for 40 years.

Also surviving are a daughter, Mrs. Louisa Strock, Liberty Center; son; David W., Findlay; ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.