Fr. Harry Cavanaugh, C.PP.S., 85, died on May 21, 2014, at St. Charles Center, Carthagena, Ohio, where he had made his home for several years. He had been in failing health.

He was born July 30, 1928, in Pittsburgh, to Edward and Ann (McCollum) Cavanaugh. He entered the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1942 and was ordained on May 15, 1954.

Fr. Cavanaugh spent most of his life as a priest in parish ministry. His early assignments included St. Remy Church in Russia, Ohio, and St. Andrew Church in Tipton, Mo. In 1963, he was named assistant pastor of St. Michael Church in Kalida, Ohio, and there he ministered until 1974, when he was named pastor of St. Anthony Church, St. Anthony, Ohio. He remained at St. Anthony for 10 years, until his appointment as pastor of St. Paul Church in Sharpsburg, Ohio. In 1990, he was named parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception Church in Celina, Ohio, and a year later became pastor of St. Bernard Church in Burkettsville, Ohio, where he served from 1991-95.

In 1995, he became a chaplain at the Maria-Joseph Center in Dayton, where he ministered for three years, until his appointment as associate pastor of St. Boniface Church in New Riegel, Ohio, in 1998. In 2003, he was appointed senior associate pastor of the Marion Catholic Community in Maria Stein, Ohio, where he ministered until his retirement to St. Charles in 2008.

Throughout his life as a priest, Fr. Cavanaugh “served his people with love and dedication,” said Fr. Ken Schroeder, C.PP.S., who ministered with him in Maria Stein. “Fr. Harry really loved the priesthood and the people he served were well aware of that. He loved his time in the Marion Catholic Community and he felt especially close to the young people, and they to him.”

It was Fr. Cavanaugh’s routine to knock on parishioners’ doors in the evening, stopping by to visit. “He maintained strong relationships with former parishioners dating all the way back to his first assignment,” Fr. Schroeder said. “Fr. Harry was truly a great priest, one of a kind.”

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at St. Charles on May 26, 2014. Burial followed in the Community cemetery.