Gire, Joshua S.

Joshua S. Gire

Chillicothe, Ohio

Feather Location: Row I, #12

Chillicothe Gazette, by David Berman

Amy Smith first met Gire in elementary school, and they remained close friends throughout their years at Huntington. She called him “Bub” and he called her “Sis,” she said.

“He was a sweetheart ... he was always the quiet one sitting in the corner [of the classroom], but you knew he was there for you no matter what,” she said.

“He was not one to call attention to himself, but not someone you would forget, either,” said Huntington Middle School Principal Alice Kellough, who taught Gire in high school English class.

“It was surprising to me how focused, dedicated and competitive he was on the baseball field given how reserved he was in the classroom,” she said…

Gire’s sister, Sandra Hunt Bourne, said in her eulogy she forever will see her little brother in every Little League player.

“He was really good,” friend Cassie Cahill said of Gire’s skills on the baseball diamond.

Gire, who played third base for the Huntsmen, dreamed of playing professionally, Smith said.

Playing catch was a favorite childhood pastime of Gire and Huntington classmate Steve Leist. The pair became fast friends at the age of 2 when Leist’s parents would baby-sit Gire and his brother, P.J.  If Gire and Leist were playing together, chances are they were tossing a baseball, tinkering with an old moped or riding their bikes through the woods, Leist said.

Carver: Larry Spaun carves with the Carvers Den in Bellevue Oho.

Wood:  Basswood