We are mourning the loss today of Fred Alspach, who worked 36 years for Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative. He died tragically Wednesday morning, July 19, in a motorcycle accident in the Village of Wellington.

Fred performed a variety of jobs during his time with LMRE. He joined in 1973 and worked as a journeyman line worker until 1979 when he was severely burned over 55 percent of his body in a transformer accident while on an evening service call. After a lengthy recuperation process, he returned as the Director of Member Services and served as the cooperative’s safety director He later became LMRE”s Community and Economic Development Director and then served a joint role as Lorain County Rural Wastewater District’s first executive director until his retirement in 2009. He was instrumental in getting the LMRE People Fund started in 1999.

One of the most significant roles Fred performed was his willingness to travel the state to talk to line workers about the importance of wearing fire retardant clothing. His story helped change the standards in Ohio. He spoke to line crews from electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities and municipal electric systems. He addressed firefighters and oil rig employees. He traveled much of the country telling his story, including the National Safety Council.

In addition to speaking to line crews, He single-handedly gave countless electrical safety education seminars to your and civic groups using tabletop electric safety board. It’s a practice that continues today at LMRE.

He served on the Wellington Village council, Wellington Board of Education and was a current member of the Lorain County Metro Parks board. Without his relentless, and never quit attitude, Wellington would not have its grade separation.

We express our heartfelt sympathy to his wife Susie and daughters Ginny, Amy and Meredith. Fred will indeed by missed.