Sanner died Sunday, according to the city. He was 68 years old. A cause of death was not immediately available.
Sanner, the son of the late Wade and Doris Sanner, opened Sanner Funeral Home in 1980.
He ended up on West Carrollton council in 1988 to fill a seat vacated by council member Maxine Gilman, who had been elected mayor.
Sanner told the Dayton Daily News last December that he “just felt that it was time to step aside and not run again after 36 years.”
“I was on council 20 years, and then was mayor 16 years, so I think that’s long enough,” he said.
Angie Fryman, the city’s deputy mayor, served with Sanner for 21 years, the longest of any current council member. She said she went to high school with him and remembered him as “extremely well liked,” trusted and respected.
“He was friends and social with people from all walks of life,” Fryman said. “He remembered and knew everybody.”
Sanner also was “totally committed to the community,” provided guidance to council members on what they could or could not do and served as a kind of de facto historian for West Carrollton, Fryman said. “It was like, ‘Go ask Jeff. He’ll remember’,” she said. “He remembered everything.”
Fryman said she cannot think of another person who has been a symbol of West Carrollton like Sanner was, partially due to his family being so heavily rooted in the community and the school system.
“It’s been a lifelong commitment for him,” she said. “It’s just such a loss and so unexpected.”
Mayor Rick Barnhart, who was West Carrollton police chief from 1982 to 2013, served with Sanner on city council from 2014 to 2023. He said Sanner’s 36 years of service “shaped the city of West Carrollton.”
“Jeff was a pillar of our community whose leadership and vision set a strong foundation for our city’s growth and development,” Barnhart said in a statement. “His legacy will continue to be an inspiration to us all.”
City Manager Amber Holloway echoed Fryman and Barnhart’s praise of Sanner.
“Jeff’s leadership, vision, and unwavering commitment to the people of West Carrollton have left an indelible mark on our city,” Holloway said in a statement. “His legacy of service and dedication will be deeply missed.”
Sanner is survived by his wife of 36 years, Leigh Ann, his daughter Mollie (Austin) Whitt, and three granddaughters, Evelyn, Lydia, and Vivian.
Funeral arrangements are pending and will be private and for family.
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