When the 2019 Cross Village Community Parade lines up on July 6 at 1:00 PM, riding as
Grand Marshalls at the front of the parade in a wagon pulled by Joe and Becky Serrano’s
Clydesdales will be Larry and Barb Disher. There could be no better choice. When anyone
mentions the Dishers they are most commonly referred to as people who care about others
and do whatever they can to be helpful to their friends and to the community. They are
highly respected and exemplify the spirit of what makes Cross Village a special place.
According to one community member, “Larry has always been someone you can go to for
help, cutting down a tree over the road, giving you a tool.”
Barb’s ties to Cross Village go back to 1940 when her parents, Paul and Jean Schaller,
began renting a cottage in the summers from Will and Sadie Morris, great grandparents of
Becky Serrano. M119 was a dirt road at that time, Barb explained. They chose this spot as
a respite from hay fever for Paul. Barb was 6 at the time. She shared a wealth of
fascinating stories with me about what Cross Village was like back then including buying
candy at Nellie’s store. She said that Nellie Pinterelli was like a grandmother to her. She
also talked about the 100-site campground just south of Cross Village on M119. The
campsite closed in 1994.
Barb and Larry’s connection to the area began when Barb says that she convinced Larry
to spend their honeymoon here in 1958. Larry loved the area too and they began to follow
the tradition of summering here with their own family. Both Barb and Larry graduated from
Ohio State where Larry played football under the legendary Woody Hayes. Larry became
a veterinarian and Barb taught kindergarten in Columbus, Ohio. Upon retirement, the
Dishers began spending their winters in Texas and their summers in Cross Village and now
are full-time residents here where their lovely home at the edge of the lake on M119 is next
to the cottage where Bard spent her summers as a child. Their own grown children are
continuing the connection with our area and their son has a home next to theirs.
Barb and Larry have played a uniquely important role in Cross Village for many years.
While the camp was operating, Larry worked to keep it maintained and Barb worked in the
camp’s coffee shop. Barb was also a founding member of the Cross Village Community
Service Council which started as a group of community-minded residents organized to
remove litter from M119. The group also organized the original large trash pickup days and
provided help to people in the community. Barb had the idea for the Cross Village
Reading Room. She collaborated with her very close friend, Audrey Keller, to bring the idea
of a library for Cross Village into reality.
I am always interested in what brings people to our area. When I asked the Dishers what
they most valued about living here they responded, “the lake of course,” the people, and
the tranquility. We are so glad they found those qualities here as they have contributed so
much to Cross Village.
The Dishers told me their grandchildren still love to sleep in the cabin where Barb stayed as
a child. I saw the wall in that cottage where children have written messages through the
years. Then when I learned of the many ways Larry and Barb have contributed to our
community, I thought of how important it is to have people who have roots here as well as
a willingness to pitch in and make it a good place. Barb and Larry are those kind of
people. One of the privileges of writing the caller is to have the opportunity to get to know
people like Barb and Larry Disher. I can’t wait to see them in the parade!
Edy Stoughton
Cross Village