Hardin County Business Hall of Famer and Citizen of the Year Passes Away

A longtime business leader of Hardin County has passed away.

Ora “Bud” Winzenried died this past Wednesday.

He was the CEO of Kenton Structural and Ornamental Iron Works.

He worked for the company from 1957 until his retirement in 2004.

Winzenried was active in the Kenton Jaycees and the Kenton Lions Club.

He was a member of the Kenton City Schools Board of Education for 12 years and served on numerous other boards as well.

In 1983, Wenzenried was named Hardin County Citizen of the Year and inducted into the Hardin County Business Hall of Fame in 1997. 

Services will be at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, June 29 at the First United Methodist Church in Kenton, Ohio. 

Friends may call before the service from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m at the church. 

Bud Wenzenried was 88.

Here is the complete obituary:

Ora “Bud” Winzenried 88
of Kenton

Services for Ora Arthur “Bud” Winzenried will be at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at the First United Methodist Church in Kenton, Ohio. Friends may call before the service from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Ora Arthur “Bud” Winzenried, age 88 of Kenton, Ohio, passed away peacefully on June 22, 2022. Bud was born in Columbus, Ohio on August 24, 1933 to the late Ora and Louise (Lynch) Winzenried. He graduated from North High School in 1951 and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology from The Ohio State University (OSU) in 1956. As a student Bud was a varsity wrestler for OSU from 1951 to 1954. and a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

Bud is survived by his wife Barbara (Baker) Winzenried of 65 years. He is also survived by his two (2) children Kirsten-Osbun (Kevin) Manley of Ada, Ohio, and Eric (Caren) Winzenried of California. Bud is also survived by a sister Orlene Louise Evans of Delaware, Ohio, and three (3) grandchildren; Taylor-Os bun Shellhammer, Lucy Winzenried, and Parker Winzenried. Also surviving are two (2) great grandchildren; Lydia Shellhammer and Emma Stransky, (1) brother; Robert Winzenried, and a daughter, Katrina Louise Winzenried, preceded Bud in death.

Following graduation from OSU Bud worked for the Gulf Oil Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. After marriage to Barbara Baker in 1957, Bud and Barbara moved to Kenton, Ohio to work for Kenton Structural and Ornamental Iron Works, Inc., where he served as CEO of the company. Bud retired from Kenton Structural and Ornamental Iron Works, Inc. in 2004.

Bud loved his community and his profession. He was active in the Kenton Jaycees and the Kenton Lions Club. He served for 12 years on the Kenton City School Board, 12 years as chairman of the Hardin County Republican Party, the Ohio Health Hospital Board, Bank One Board of Directors, Housing Development Board for Hardin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD), Scholarship Chairman of the Hardin County OSU Alumni Association, Legislative Chairman of the Hardin County Job Service Employment Committee, Neighborhood Opportunity Board, Kenton City Tree Commission, Hardin County Metropolitan Housing Board, Ohio Northern University Arts and Sciences Advisory Board, Member and past president of the Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance. He received an honorary doctorate of public service from Ohio Northern University in 2001. Bud was also a member of the First United Methodist Church.

In 1983 Bud was named Hardin County Citizen of the Year and inducted into the Hardin County Business Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2008 Bud was honored as Senior Citizen of the Year.

Not only was Bud active in his community, he served as a trustee on the Board of Directors for The Ohio State Alumni Association, and The Ohio State University Extension Advisory Board. Because of his profession in steel fabrication, Bud was active on the Board of the National Institute of Architectural Metal Manufacturers (NAMM) and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), and the Ohio Commodores, where he served as past president. Bud was also a U.S. Army Veteran, serving in the National Guard and retiring as a Captain.

In Lieu of Flowers memorial contributions in Bud’s honor may be made to The Ohio State University Katrina Louise Scholarship.

Online condolences may be expressed at: pricefh.net