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Former commissioner, sports announcer passes away

A longtime fixture of both public service and sports in Marietta passed away this week.

“He was kind of the voice of Marietta,” said Steve McCarthy of McCarthy Real Estate. “The voice of Larry Steinel was an icon in this town. That’s what I think we’ll remember him most for, his voice, his community mind. He was just a huge fixture in town when I was very young, and we grew up hearing him on WMOA.”

That voice then led Steinel, who passed away Tuesday at his home in Marietta at age 82, to serve not only as the announcer for many of the Marietta Noon Lions Club track meets but also became the well-known voice of the Marietta College Pioneers. Steinel also served two terms as a Washington County commissioner starting in 1997.

“Larry was our longtime men’s basketball public announcer all the way back to when Phil Roach was our men’s coach and then-athletic director,” recalled Assistant Athletic Director Jeff Schaly. “He started mid- to late-1970s or early 80s and stayed clear through 2012-13 right around when I came back.”

Schaly recalled the passion Steinel brought to announcing, staying part of the Pioneer family for several decades.

“He was also a part of our (Division III) World Series committee with baseball, and all of those years, he did that for us as a volunteer,” said Schaly.

Sports wasn’t Steinel’s only legacy.

“Larry was also a very astute businessman,” recalled Bob Kirkbride, of Marietta. “He was a tenant of Frank Christy and myself for many years with his travel agency out at the Lafayette Center.”

Steinel opened Uniglobe Marietta Travel and later added Hertz Car Rental to the family business with his wife, Janet Pottmeyer.

And with that business, Kirkbride recalled, Steinel brought the same energy one could hear in his broadcast voice.

“He was dedicated to serving the community, there’s no question about it,” added Kirkbride. “And he was calm in difficult circumstances. But I think most will remember that rich radio voice when broadcasting those games.”

Lawrence “Larry” Paul Steinel, Jr., 82, of Marietta, was born on Sept. 6, 1937, on the family farm in Akron, as the son of Lawrence Sr. and Marvel Steinel.

According to his obituary with Cawley and Peoples Funeral Home, Steinel graduated from Greensburg High and then joined the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.

He later graduated from the Electronics Institute of Akron and spent the next six years as a regional manager for the St. Louis Terminal Field Warehouse.

But his career then switched to radio before 1961, when he moved to Marietta, and both worked as a morning disc jockey and general manager of WMOA Radio.

“It’s sad to see him go,” added McCarthy. “He’s like the last of his generation to go from the Lions. Larry was good friends with my dad through the station and Lions Club. He is going to be missed.”

Steinel is survived by his wife, Janet; children, Jeff of Lowell, Michael (Lynne) of Louisville, Ky., Scott (Mary Beth) of Lowell, Juli of Oregon, Ohio, Amy (Jason) Huck, and Adam, both of Marietta, and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Funeral Liturgy with Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday at The Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption, with The Rev. Msgr. John Michael Campbell celebrating. Burial of his ashes will follow in St. John’s Cemetery in Churchtown. At Steinel’s request, there will be no visitation. Everyone is invited to lunch at The Basilica following the burial.

According to Cawley and Peoples, contributions in Larry’s memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 8180 Greensboro Drive, McLean, VA 22102 or online at alz.org.

Janelle Patterson can be reached at jpatterson@mariettatimes.com.

About Larry Steinel

• Lawrence “Larry” Paul Steinel, Jr., 82, of Marietta, died Tuesday at his residence.

• Steinel was born on Sept. 6, 1937.

• He served two terms as a Washington County commissioner.

• He was a member of The Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption.

• He was also involved in the following community organizations:

• Marietta Noon Lions Club.

• Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce.

• Marietta-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

• Easter Seal Society of SE Ohio.

• NCAA Division III Baseball World Series Corp.

• Mid-Ohio Valley Chapter of the American Marketing Association.

• Marietta High School Band Boosters.

• Marietta Board of Realtors.

• Uniglobe Owners Association.

Source: Cawley and Peoples.

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