As Dave Wert spoke about the honor his older brother was receiving, he reflected on the decades since his brother James Wert gave his life serving as a Ravenna police officer.
“It’s been a long time, long time coming; 44 years, 44 years,” he said. “Long time. Jan. 31, 1981 was the end of watch for Jim. And even though it happened 44 years ago, it still affects our family in a way that most people don’t understand.”
Dave Wert was speaking to dozens of people, including family members and current and retired Ravenna police officers, at Maplewood Career Center on Saturday morning. They gathered together for a dedication ceremony marking the renaming of a section of state Route 88, from state Route 14 to Loomis Parkway, as the Patrolman James R. Wert Memorial Highway.
It was in that short stretch that Wert was struck and killed by a drunk driver.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 251 in July, authorizing the renaming and bringing to a conclusion an effort that began before the COVID shutdown. State Rep. Gail Pavliga of Portage County was the bill’s primary sponsor.