Galen Ash, 83, of Bowling Green, Ohio passed away Thursday March 3, 2022. He was born on February 16, 1939 in Weston, Ohio to Ernest and Opal Ash (Kidwell). He married Carol Ash (Orwig) on May 5, 1979 and they celebrated nearly 43 years of marriage together and she survives.
Galen was raised on a farm in Weston, Ohio which instilled a strong work ethic from a young age. He served in the United States Marine Corps in the late 1950’s and knew as a teenager that he eventually wanted to be a police officer.
After he had applied to be a state highway patrolman and was accepted, Galen decided to wait to see if he could get into the Bowling Green Police Division with his eyes set early on working his way to become the chief. He was the first in the BGPD to graduate from the FBI Academy. Galen fulfilled his goal to become the Chief of Police for the BGPD on October 16, 1978 and was fortunate to meet 11 United States presidents and vice presidents. He was president of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, where he worked with a group to start the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in the state. Galen also had helped start the Ohio Organized Crime Association as a governor appointee and was appointed by the state attorney general to the Ohio DNA Council. Retiring on February 14, 1997, Galen is the longest standing police chief in Bowling Green history, serving as chief for 18 years.
Though unbeknownst to most, while serving on the BGPD, Galen also was an adjunct assistant professor at Bowling Green State University for numerous years. He was the chair of the traffic and planning commissions, was a member of the Bowling Green Kiwanis Club for 45 years, and was a past chair for the American Cancer Society and the Salvation Army.
Galen was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award in 2001 by the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce and was also the very first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award as a chamber ambassador. However, the honor he was most touched by over the years was the local Jefferson Award he received in 1985, which celebrates the best in public service.
Galen once said, “You never know how many people you’ve helped, or not helped. But you hope you’ve done something good. That’s what a person should be all about.”
He is survived by his wife, Carol, as well as his three daughters Marcia (Jim) Eiseman, Pam Ash and Kim (Tony) Haan and step-son Tom (Deane) Patterson.
Visitation for Galen will be held on Wednesday March 9, 2022 from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. with a Patrolman’s Service beginning at 7:00 P.M. at Dunn Funeral Home, located in the Historical District of Bowling Green at 408 West Wooster Street. The funeral service will be held on Thursday March 10, 2022 at 11:00 A.M. at the funeral home. Rev. Scott Estep will officiate. Interment will follow at Webster Township Cemetery, where military honors will be rendered by the Wood County Honor Detail and a Last Call Ceremony conducted by the Bowling Green Police Division.
Funeral services have been entrusted to Dunn Funeral Home.
