Ted Bearth, Washington County commissioner, dies at 77

Ted Bearth, a Washington County commissioner who represented Oakdale and the surrounding area, died Thursday after an extended illness. He was 77.

Bearth had been chosen by the other four commissioners to chair the County Board this year, but had missed board meetings since Jan. 5 due to declining health from obstructive lung disease.

However, until a week ago, he had been in touch with county staffers and fellow commissioners almost daily by phone and e-mail, said County Administrator Molly O'Rourke. "He was such a kind and devoted person," she said.

Bearth, of Oakdale, was elected to the County Board in 2012 and re-elected in 2014. He represented the county's Second District.

"The thoughts of the County Board members and county employees are with the family of Commissioner Bearth," said Commissioner Fran Miron, the board's vice chairman. "While his time representing District 2 was relatively short, he had a tremendous impact on the organization and a lot has been accomplished under his leadership."

Bearth was known for helping forge strong ties between the county and city governments, particularly in economic development. He was collegial in nature, favoring public-private partnerships on various projects to reduce costs to taxpayers, and pushed for collaboration among east-metro counties on issues of mutual concern.

O'Rourke said county officials had been optimistic that Bearth would recover and return to the board, and hadn't yet discussed how to fill his seat because "right now the focus is on Ted and his family."

Bearth's public service began more than 40 years ago, when he was elected to the Oakdale City Council in 1974. He spent 26 years as either a City Council member or mayor.

He was active in the annual Oakdale Summerfest celebrations and helped launch the Oakdale Athletic Association, where he coached for 13 years. He served on the foundation board for School District 622 and the district's Community Education advisory board, and was park manager at Landfall, the manufactured home community, for several years.

Bearth was a Marine Corps veteran and involved with the Oakdale Veterans Memorial Committee. He was retired from the American Can manufacturing company in St. Paul, where he had worked his way from the factory floor to the main office.

Bearth is survived by his wife, Agnes; sons, Glen, of Woodbury; Gregory, of Lake Elmo; Gene, of New Richmond, Wis.; and Jeff, of Cottage Grove; daughters, Dawn Holmen, of Eden Prairie, and Jill Meier, of Beroun, Minn.; sisters, Helen Hall and Leona Lynch, both of St. Paul; Karen Morehead, of Forest Lake, and Mary Tarnowski, of Seattle; 20 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Guardian Angels Catholic Church, 8260 4th St. N., Oakdale. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Guardian Angels, with visitation at the church one hour before.