PERRYSVILLE, OHIO – On Tuesday, August 16, 2016, Mansfield Plumbing will host a commemorative service to honor five people killed in a plane crash 50 years ago on that date. Four of the five people who died were employees at Mansfield Plumbing.

The service, which is open to the public, will take place at 4:00pm at the Perrysville United Methodist Church with Pastor Rob Paterson presiding. Remembrances from family and friends of those lost in the crash will be invited during the service.

“The tragedy 50 years ago that took the lives of Kenneth Edmondson, Arthur Young, Theodore Smith, Harry Moyers and the pilot, Paul Root, still touches many of us today,” says Jim Morando, president of Mansfield Plumbing. “This is a tight-knit community. There are family members and people still residing in our area who remember these people. We invite them all to come and share in this honorary service with us.”

One family member who lost his grandfather in the crash is Rod Edmondson, the current Model Shop Manager at Mansfield Plumbing. Edmondson was a child when his grandfather died. He continues the family tradition and is the third generation of Edmondson men who have had careers at the company since it started in 1929.

“It’s really important for myself and my family to honor these men on August 16th, ” says Rod Edmondson, a 32-year employee at Mansfield Plumbing.”This plane crash changed so many families. We’re a ‘Mansfield family’ so the loss of my grandfather truly impacted us.

“During his early years with the company my dad worked alongside my grandfather Kenneth, who was here from 1956 to 1966. My grandfather served on the engineering team and became a liaison between production and manufacturing. This service is especially important for my family members so we can keep his memory alive and honor those lost in the plane crash.”

In addition to the service, leaders at Mansfield Plumbing will dedicate the new employee cafeteria at Mansfield Plumbing in honor of the victims. A plaque will be hung and a display featuring memorabilia and information on the plane crash will be on view for employees to see.

The accident in 1966 involved a twin-engine Cessna plane headed to Chattanooga, Tenn. on company business. Severe weather was believed to have caused the crash, which happened near Granville, Ohio. The wreckage and victims were found in a heavily wooded area on August 17, 1966.

Mansfield Plumbing precision manufactures millions of pieces of sanitaryware and bathware each year at its facilities in Perrysville and Big Prairie, Ohio and in Henderson, Texas. Founded in 1929, Mansfield Plumbing, which is owned by Corona, is a leading producer of top-quality, high-design, performance plumbing fixtures and fittings for use in residential, commercial and institutional markets. For more information, visit www.mansfieldplumbing.com or call 877-850-3060.

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