Longtime Reily Township Trustee C. Nicholas “Nick” Schwab, whose public service in Butler County spanned more than four decades, died Oct. 1. Schwab, 83, served as a Reily Township trustee for 43 years and remained in office until his death. His service extended well beyond township government, including decades as a volunteer emergency medical responder and leadership positions in agricultural, township and community organizations at both the county and state levels. For Schwab, his attachment to Reily Township was also personal. In his township biography, he said his favorite part of living in Reily was its people. He also enjoyed the township’s open spaces and fresh air. Schwab spent 38 years as a volunteer National Registered EMT with the Reily Fire Department and served 27 years as a lieutenant with the Reily Township Volunteer Life Squad before retiring in December 2025. He was also an EMS continuing education instructor for the state of Ohio and a member of the Society of Fire Service Instructors. Schwab's involvement in township government extended to the state level. He was active in the Ohio Township Association and graduated from its Leadership Academy. He was also one of four township officials from across Ohio elected to the Ohio Township Association Risk Management Authority Board. Schwab was elected to a fifth term on the OTARMA board in 2025 and served at various times as chair, vice-chair and secretary. Locally, Schwab was a member of the Butler County Trustee and Fiscal Officer Association, where he had served as vice president, president and executive committeeman. Agriculture was another major part of Schwab's life. After earning a bachelor's degree in agriculture from The Ohio State University and taking postgraduate classes at Miami University, Schwab operated his family's Reily Township farm, raising beef cattle and hogs and growing crops. His township biography also noted his enjoyment of attending cattle shows around the country.

Schwab served as president of the Butler County Farm Bureau and the Extension Support Committee and was a past member of the Butler County Emergency Management Association Executive Committee. His agricultural and community work brought several honors, including the Butler County Farm Bureau's Golden Tractor Award, the Butler County Soil and Water Conservation District's Cooperator of the Year award and recognition as a Friend of Agriculture by the Butler County Farm Bureau. Schwab and his late wife, Carol, were also longtime supporters of Butler County 4-H and the Butler County Junior Fair. They received the Ed Zorn Memorial Family Extension Award in 2008 for their involvement with 4-H. Born Oct. 18, 1942, in Cincinnati, Schwab grew up in Colerain Township and graduated from Roger Bacon High School. He met Carol while attending Ohio State, and the couple married in 1965 before settling in Reily Township more than 50 years ago. They were married for 51 years before Carol's death in 2016. Schwab is survived by four sons, 12 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and a great-great-granddaughter, along with his siblings and extended family. A longtime member of St. Mary Church in Oxford, Schwab's Mass of Christian Burial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Burial will follow at St. Aloysius Church Cemetery in Shandon. His family has requested memorial contributions be made to the Reily Township Fire and Life Squad or Shared Harvest Foodbank.

(Editor's Note: AI-Assisted Copy)