HILLSBORO, Ohio — A longtime former mayor of Hillsboro, city manager of Greenfield, and overall pillar of the community has passed away.
Betty Bishop died on Monday in Hillsboro. She was 84.
Bishop was the mayor of Hillsboro from 1980-95 and was also the city manager of Greenfield from 2009-12. In addition, she served as community development director of Greenfield from 1997-2000; coordinator/executive director of Turning Point Applied Learning Center from 2001-04; and organized and led an economic development trip to Japan and Hong Kong, leading to Weastec coming to Hillsboro in 1988.
Former Hillsboro City Council member John Levo remembers serving with Bishop. “Betty was mayor when I first became a councilman,” Levo told The Highland County Press. “And even before that, she tapped Richard Vanzant and me to do a city celebration that became the Festival of the Bells a few years later.
“She has to have been the best modern-day mayor the city of Hillsboro ever had. I always had the impression she had no place for politics when it came to serving the citizens. They sure don’t make them like her any more.”
Former State Rep. Cliff Rosenberger, who represented Highland County in the Ohio House of Representatives, read his final proclamation in the 129th General Assembly, written in Bishop’s honor upon her retirement from the village of Greenfield.
“If there was a Hall of Fame for public officials in Highland County, Betty would be the first person inducted,” Rosenberger said.
“There is no harder worker or better advocate for the county. To Betty, it’s not about numbers, it’s about putting food on people’s plates; it’s about educating children; and it’s about finding jobs for the people,” Rosenberger said.
Six years after her retirement, Bishop continued to offer her advice – on occasion – to active public servants.
That spirit of cooperation was the epitome of Bishop’s years as a true public servant for Hillsboro, Greenfield and all of Highland County. Whether it was coaching Little League baseball or representing Highland County as the honorary captain at a Cincinnati Reds baseball game in 2014 at Highland County Day at Great American Ball Park, she has always been there for the citizens of Highland County.
Former Greenfield City Manager Ron Coffey called Bishop “totally selfless,” and “has shown outstanding leadership and helped bring faith, prosperity and hope to our citizens.”
Bishop coached boys Little League baseball for 15 years and also organized and implemented girls Little League softball in Hillsboro as well as arranged and coordinated for a ball field to be built for the girls’ teams.
Bishop successfully organized four campaigns and was elected to four terms as mayor. She was a past president of the Ohio Mayors Association and served on the Ohio Municipal League Board of Directors. She also served on many boards and commissions in and around Highland County. Bishop retired as a school bus driver for Hillsboro City Schools. She graduated from Southern State Community College.
When Bishop stepped down as Greenfield city manager a decade ago, the first woman Highland County commissioner – the late Harriet Fenner – offered her congratulations to Bishop on a well-deserved “retirement.”
“Those of us who know you, know that you will never stop working for the improvement of Highland County,” Fenner said. “‘Retirement’ isn’t really in your vocabulary or your way of life. I know we’ll be hearing much more from you. Your forward thinking and working toward the goals you’ve set for yourself, Hillsboro, Greenfield and Highland County have not gone unnoticed.”
Former Hillsboro City Auditor Rosemary Ryan considered Bishop a friend in community service and said, “Betty left Hillsboro in better shape than she found it.”
Betty Bishop was married to Leslie Bishop for more than 55 years. She was the mother of seven. She was a faithful member of the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene. She has been inducted into the Highland County Women’s Hall of Fame and the Highland County Historical Hall of Fame.
Visitation will be 4-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9 at the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Hillsboro Church of the Nazarene. The Turner and Son Funeral Home in Hillsboro is serving the family.
