For more than three decades, John Henry Ramsey served as a magistrate on the Clark County Fiscal Court, but he served Clark County in a number of other areas.

He was a former member of the Clark County Fair Board. He served on the Winchester Tree Board and helped found the Clark County Saddle Club.

Ramsey passed away Jan. 16 at age 81.

In all, Ramsey spent 32 years on the Clark County Fiscal Court. According to county records, Ramsey was appointed to the court in February 1975 to fill the unexpired term of John Shepherd.

Ramsey served during the time the final judicial powers were removed from the judge-executive’s office when the district courts were created in 1976, former judge-executive Henry Branham said.

Branham said he served with Ramsey while he was county treasurer, and wound up having a good working relationship with him.

“I ran in a Democratic primary in 1993 and beat him,” Branham said. “The unique thing is after John Henry came back on the court in 1999 … we remained friends after that primary. We were close when I was treasurer, but when I became judge, we got really close. He would tell me, ‘There’s only one time I didn’t vote for you.’”

Clark County Fair Board member Frank Hicks said Ramsey served as the liaison between the fiscal court and the fair board.

“He helped facilitate communications between those two organizations,” Hicks said. “His farm was pretty close to (the fairgrounds). AT times, he would make his equipment available.”

Ramsey was often the one who lined up judges for the livestock shows during the fair.

“He had contacts, not just locally, but throughout the state with the angus association and other associations,” he said.

Ramsey left the court after 2010.

Sheila McCord, whose husband Joe served two terms on the fiscal court with Ramsey, said they had a lot in common.

“We used to show polled Hereford (cattle) and John Henry had angus cattle,” she said. “Joe and John Henry have been really good friends. They had a lot in common.”

Both said Ramsey had a particular interest in Clark County history, and that of the county courthouse as well.

“That was one of his pet projects, keeping records on the courthouse,” McCord said.

“He had a great sense of tradition and the history of the court,” Branham said.

Ramsey and fellow magistrate Rick Smith were the ones who championed getting a historical marker placed in front of the county courthouse, Branham said, which was installed during his first term as judge-executive.

“He had a strength of character,” Branham said. :You knew who he was. You respected him. You could talk with him. He was open minded, but he had a strong sense of what his duties were as a person and as a magistrate. He stood by his principles.”

“He never met a stranger,” Hicks said. “He was pretty knowledgeable about a lot of things. He could talk with you about any subject related to agriculture.”

Ramsey is survived by his wife Betty, two daughters, two granddaughters and a brother George, among others.

A service will be at noon Sunday at Holly Rood.