POINT PLEASANT — Mason County lost one of its most influential personalities over the weekend.

Walden F. Roush, who celebrated his 101st birthday this summer, passed away on Saturday, Oct. 3. During his long life, Roush was very instrumental in shaping Mason County through education and also founded the West Virginia State Farm Museum.

Roush was born on June 17, 1908, in Wellsville, Ohio. His family moved to West Virginia when was just four weeks old and he lived in the state for the rest of his life. Roush attended a Mason County one-room school before going to Point Pleasant and Graham District High Schools. He graduated from Graham District High School in 1926.

He graduated from Marshall College and also attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He completed extension courses offered by Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and West Virginia University. He also completed special courses given by Rio Grande College in Rio Grande, Ohio.

Roush married Louise Bennett in 1932, and together they had one son, Walden Bennett Roush of San Jose, Calif., and one daughter, Maudellen Roush Henry.

Roush worked several jobs, including stints as an elementary school teacher and principal. He also served as assistant county superintendent of Mason County schools and later was promoted to superintendent.

However, Roush spent much of his life devoted to volunteer work. He assisted in organizing and later chaired the Tri-County Boy Scout District, served on the Tri-State Boy Scout Council, organized and chaired the Mason County Civil Defense Unit, chaired the Mason County Saving Bond Committee, assisted in developing the Tri-County Industrial Development Association, served as president of the Point Pleasant Rotary Club, served three years as executive director of the Point Pleasant-Mason County Chamber of Commerce, served as president of the Mason County Fair and was an active member of his church.

Aside from his other volunteer work, perhaps one of his greatest accomplishments was assisting in the establishment of the West Virginia State Farm Museum. During Roush’s 100th birthday party, which was held last year at the farm museum, Lloyd Akers, museum director, said that the farm museum would not exist without Roush. According to Akers, Roush was the driving force behind the museum and spent a lot of time devoted to it.

Mason County Commissioner Bob Baird also praised Roush for helping to create the farm museum.

“(Roush) was very much an influential person in Mason County. He is credited with starting and organizing the West Virginia State Farm Museum, and I don’t think we would have had a museum without Walden Roush,” Baird said. “This feels like a great loss to Mason County. He was a very gentle, kind and considerate person.”

Mason County Commissioner Rick Handley echoed Baird’s feelings regarding Roush.

“If there was a person who we would call ‘Mr. Mason County,’ it would have to be him. He touched many lives and this made him an inspiration to many younger people,” Handley said. “We are at a big loss losing him. It was just a joy to know him — we’ve lost a gentleman.”

As much as Roush was an influential figure in area education and the creation of the farm museum, he also was a devoted father. Roush’s son, Walden Bennett Roush, said his father helped him achieve many things.

“He taught me the power of compound interest when I was a young boy and gave me some sense of business,” he said. “He got me started raising rabbits and selling Christmas trees in the third grade.”

Roush added that all of the money he made went directly into a savings account, which helped him pay for the majority of his college.

A celebration of Roush’s life will be 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Point Pleasant. Friends and family also may gather from 2 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Crow-Hussell Funeral Home as well as one hour prior to Friday’s service.

To view Roush’s obituary, see page A3.