Obituary of Jerry Rouse

Jerry Rouse, longtime clerk in Boone Co. Fairness, frugality his virtues BY BRENNA R. KELLY | BKELLY@NKY.COM When he took office, Boone County voters dropped paper ballots in a box. When he left 32 years later, they pressed a button. Under Jerry Rouse's leadership, the Boone County Clerk's Office moved into the 21st century but never lost its personal touch. Mr. Rouse, who left office in 1999, died Monday. He was 76. "He was a fine man," said Ken Lucas, who was Boone County Judge-executive from 1992 to 1998. "Everybody really liked Jerry. He was a hard worker, a very conservative guy. If he had any enemies, I don't know who they were." When Mr. Rouse retired in 1999, he was succeeded by his daughter Marilyn Rouse. She is set to leave office next week after not seeking re-election. The clerk's office was unusually quiet Monday after news of Mr. Rouse's death. The call came just moments after his daughter arrived, said Rena Ping, the newly-elected clerk who worked with Mr. Rouse for three years. "He was an awesome, awesome guy," Ping said. "He was out here with us, if we had a body missing he was able to sit in that chair and do that work." In August, Mr. Rouse recalled that his fondest memories of the office were of helping his customers. "People would come in with a problem," he said. "They would be all upset about something. Give me about five minutes with them, and they would go out smiling. "That's what I loved. That's why I loved getting up in the morning and going to work." To most of Boone County, Mr. Rouse was a political figure or the person you made the check out to for your car registration, but to his four daughters he was Dad. "He was the best father you could ask for," said Mr. Rouse's daughter Linda Spencer of Florence. But even his daughters had to understand that their father was a well-respected elected official. "He would never go to any of our ball games," Spencer said. "People back then would be upset if he was on Boone County (High School's) side, they would say, 'Wait a minute, you're from Conner, too.' " So Mr. Rouse would try to remove himself from the situation. "Dad didn't want anyone to think that he wasn't serving the whole county." He was that way in politics, too. Though a Democrat, Mr. Rouse largely stayed out of the political fray. "He never put a yard sign in his yard - ever. He just didn't think that was what you do when you run the elections - you shouldn't be on one side or the other," Spencer said. "He really tried to do what was right." Mr. Rouse was raised in Walton, where his father moved his wife and only child after he got a job as a meat cutter at Kroger. The family later moved back to Florence, where Mr. Rouse attended Florence High School and was a sports standout - so much so that he tried out for the St. Louis Cardinals only to realize the team wanted hitters, not fielders like him. In Florence, he also met and married June. The couple has been married 56 years. Mr. Rouse first worked in the funeral business and served four years as Boone County coroner. During his term he worked the scene of the 1965 American Airlines crash at the airport in which 58 people died. In 1966, he decided to seek the clerk's office when the incumbent decided not to run. After winning the seat and taking office in January 1967, he was unopposed until his final election, which he also won. In 1979, Mr. Rouse helped convince the county to buy electronic voting machines. "We went out on a limb," Mr. Rouse said in August. "The county didn't have the money, so we talked the Fiscal Court into borrowing it." Mr. Rouse was always known for being conservative with the taxpayer's money, Lucas said. "He was very conscientious of the job there," he said. Even when the clerk's office collected more than its budget, Mr. Rouse would want to turn the money over to the county instead of buying fancy equipment for his office, Lucas said. "He was always very concerned about money, which is good," he said. Even after he retired, Mr. Rouse would help his daughter with the complicated work of elections. "I miss it more now than when I first retired," Mr. Rouse said in August. "I don't really miss the work, I miss the people." Funeral arrangements, being handled by Chambers & Grubbs, have not been finalized although the service will be at the family church, Hopeful Lutheran. The family is hoping that Mr. Rouse's grandson, who is serving in Iraq, will be allowed to come home for the service, Spencer said. Mr. Rouse is also survived by daughters Sheila Lloyd and Sandra Rouse, eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. Boone County Judge-executive Gary Moore has ordered that flags at all county office buildings be flown at half-staff in honor of Mr. Rouse. Enquirer staff writer Patrick Crowley contributed.