HR 255: In memory of Mary Rose Oakar.
The resolution honors the memory of Mary Rose Oakar, a dedicated public servant who left a lasting impact on the state of Ohio. She was a teacher, a city council member, and a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving for 16 years. During her tenure, she championed various causes, including improving public housing, fighting elder abuse, and securing funding for breast cancer research. She also advocated for the protection of Lake Erie and the establishment of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Her legacy will endure as a testament to her passion for community service and her positive philosophy on public life. The resolution expresses heartfelt condolences to her family and friends, and recognizes her visionary example of citizenship.
| Oct. 01, 2025 | Adopted |
As Adopted by the House
136th General Assembly
H. R. No. 255
2025-2026
A RESOLUTION
In memory of Mary Rose Oakar.
WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of Ohio were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mary Rose Oakar and pay tribute to her memory; and
WHEREAS, Mary Oakar will be remembered fondly by all those who knew her, and her absence will leave an irreparable void in our society. A teacher at Lourdes Academy and Cuyahoga Community College before being elected to the Cleveland City Council in 1973, she was celebrated for her integrity, her dedication to women's economic equality, and her ability to break barriers, and she brought a wealth of knowledge and a heart for the public welfare into all of her endeavors to benefit the State of Ohio; and
WHEREAS, In 1977, Mary Oakar was sworn into the Ohio House of Representatives, and over the course of her sixteen-year tenure, she served on the Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee, the Banking Subcommittee on Economic Stabilization, the House Select Committee on Aging, the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, and the House Administration Committee, sponsored legislation to improve public housing, fight elder abuse, and secure federal funding for breast cancer research, and advocated for the NASA Glenn Research Center, the protection of Lake Erie, and the campaign to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland. Indeed, she garnered the respect of her peers as well as her constituents, and her stalwart legacy to our state will endure as a testament to her passion for community service as well as her positive philosophy to public life; and
WHEREAS, Also a member of the Ohio House of Representatives and the White House Conference on Aging, Mary Rose Oakar made a lasting impression through her leadership, and she exemplified the belief that the power of elected officials to enrich and strengthen the communities they represented would be best achieved by working together. Without a doubt, she will be remembered for her visionary example of citizenship and her life's work, which has exponentially benefited the State of Ohio; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th General Assembly of Ohio, in adopting this Resolution, offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Mary Rose Oakar and express a profound sense of loss and sincere regret on the sorrowful occasion of her death; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit a duly authenticated copy of this Resolution to the family of Mary Rose Oakar.
H. R. No. 255 - 136th General Assembly - 2025-2026