City Manager Joshua Smith said he enjoyed hearing stories from Marcum “of working at Champion Paper, and how his future father-in-law encouraged him to come work at Ohio Casualty, and what he did for the community quietly over the years, and even when you think about Marcum Park and what that has meant to the resurgence of our downtown.”
Mayor Pat Moeller added, “Joe Marcum really helped build Ohio Casualty,” adding that social media posts from former employees “were just absolutely glowing, about a good man.” He noted many people helped raise their families and put their children through school with their work at the insurance company.
Marcum started with Ohio Casualty in 1947 and retired in 1993.
“Joe Marcum’s leadership did do so much for the city of Hamilton," Moeller said.
A granddaughter described him as “husband and lover of one, father of five, grandfather to 12, great-grandfather to 13, maker of a million memories, friend of 2 million, benefactor to many,” and noted he “passed peacefully at home in his sleep after bidding goodbye to the gathered family.”
The site of the award-winning park was meaningful to the couple, because three of their five children were born at the former Mercy Hospital that had been there. In 2018 the American Planning Association named it one of the Great Public Spaces in America, along with such areas as New York’s Central Park and Cleveland’s Public Square.
Joe Marcum was a founding member of the Boys and Girls Club of Hamilton and also a founding member of the Senior Citizens organization, now known as Partners in Prime. He also served on the boards of the Hamilton Community Foundation, Lane Libraries, Fort Hamilton Hospital, United Way, Fitton Center and TVHamilton, this media outlet reported in 2016.
Information about funeral arrangements was not immediately available.
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