Berrien County lost “a brilliant, skilled and dedicated leader” today when an early morning crash claimed the life of the Berrien County Register of Deeds, Lori Jarvis.
Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey was traveling to a national conference in New Orleans when he described his colleague in county government in that way after learning that his long time, close friend Lori had been the one involved in a fatal crash on M-63 near Eaman Road when it is feared she may have suffered from some medical condition and left the roadway, crashing into what Bailey called “the former Oasis service station building.”
The incident happened around 10am, and Jarvis was reportedly northbound when her vehicle left the travel portion of the road and collided with the garage portion of the former station on the side of the road.
Authorities have been investigating the incident throughout the day, and Bailey says an autopsy has been scheduled for tomorrow morning, Friday, June 15th, at the Western Michigan University School of Medicine. Jarvis was 57 years old at the time of her death today. Her vehicle was the only one involved in the fatal crash.
The Register of Deeds department will be severely impacted by her loss, not only because of her knowledge and talents there, but the irony that she was already engaged in a strong campaign to hire a Deputy Register of Deeds to help keep the departments business advancing. She had been recruiting for a second in command since for better than a year for a full-time role in the department which is critical to real estate transactions county-wide every day.
This fall she and her husband, Eugene…affectionately known as Butch…would have marked their 25th wedding anniversary. She was originally for Nebraska, and attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She was elected to the Berrien County Register of Deeds position in 2000 and started the job in January of 2001.
Her office at the county closed early today and will remain closed tomorrow, Friday, June 15th. Additional closures of the office will be announced as determined. The flags at all county facilities will be flown at half-staff beginning tomorrow and remain so until her interment following funeral ceremonies.
Berrien County Administrator Bill Wolf is asking that all citizens of Berrien County keep the Jarvis family in their thoughts and prayers.
