NEWTON FALLS, Ohio — George Eli Sharec, 85, a lifelong resident of Newton Falls, died May 2, 2008, at Laurie Ann Nursing Home in Newton Falls.
Mr. Sharec was born Feb. 12, 1923, on the family farm, a son of the late Eli Andrew and Mary Regina Botak Sharec.
He graduated from Newton Falls High School in 1942 and began working the family farm with his father. In 1947, he went to work for Rockwell and was employed there as a tinner until he retired in 1976 after 29 years.
In 1953, Mr. Sharec married Ruth Eileen Sowers, who survives.
Farm ownership became a reality for George and Ruth when they purchased the first portion of the farm from his father in 1960. Awareness of conservation practices began when George, Ruth and George’s father, Eli, acquired their first Conservation Farming Guide from the Trumbull Soil and Water Conservation District in 1961.
In 1978, the Sharecs pioneered and implemented no-till conservation tillage, which continues today. They constructed grassed waterways, and in 1987 they installed concrete fabric forms to prevent soils eroding into Kale Creek, which flows through their farm.
Mr. Sharec set aside 10 acres surrounding a pond for a wildlife area and completed timber programs to control grapevines. In 1976, George was named Conservation Farmer by the Trumbull Soil and Water Conservation District and a subsequent award was presented in 1998.
He was elected supervisor of the Trumbull SWCD beginning in 1977 and retired after 21 years. The couple hosted Trumbull County Fall Foliage tours on the farm for many years.
Mr. Sharec was named Ohio Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1984 and one of the Top 10 finalists awarded by the National Endowment for Soil and Water Conservation.
He chaired the county’s Farm Service Agency committee, formerly known as the USDA’s Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, for 26 years. He was a longtime member of Trumbull County Farm Bureau and served as president and state trustee representing Trumbull, Ashtabula, Lake and Geauga counties.
He was a Newton Township trustee for 12 years, member of the Mahoning Valley Grange and delegate to Ohio State Grange, life member of Crossroads Resource Conservation and Development Council, and citizens advisory board member of EDATA, the Eastgate Development and Transportation Agency.
In May 2003, Mr. and Mrs. Sharec donated an agricultural easement of 249 acres to the Ohio Department of Agriculture to preserve the farm and keep the land in agricultural production.
Mr. Sharec received the Goodyear/NACD conservation award, received the Newton Falls Sportsman’s Club Award as Conservation Farmer of the 1990s and Trumbull County Farm Bureau Environmentally Friendly Farmer Award in 2003.
He was an active member of First Congregational Church in Newton Falls.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Eli and Mary; sisters Helen Pfeil and Stephanie Berta and a brother, Eli G. Sharec.
Funeral services were May 7, 2008, at First Congregational Church Newton Falls with the Rev. Ed Carter officiating. Cremation will follow, and his ashes will be scattered on the farm. Arrangements were made with James Funeral Home, Newton Falls.
Contributions may be made to First Congregational Church, 612 W. Broad St., Newton Falls, OH 44444, or to The Newton Falls Public Library, 204 S. Canal St., Newton Falls, OH 44444.
