Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 21, 1995 TAG: 9509210066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: |By CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Obenshain hanged himself, said Dr. William Masselo, assistant deputy chief medical examiner for Western Virginia.
Obenshain was last seen about 7:30 a.m. leaving his Botetourt County home after telling his wife he was going for a walk, according to Sheriff Reed Kelly. His wife found him in the basement about an hour later, Kelly said.
Employees at the Department of Environmental Quality's water division office, where Obenshain had worked almost two decades, were stunned by the news.
"He was a tremendous person to work for, always kind," said Bonnie Martin, who worked with the Roanoke native for 18 years.
Obenshain started out writing water pollution permits and later headed the region's water division. More recently, under a reorganization in the department, he oversaw air and water permits in the Roanoke region as assistant division director.
Kelly said Obenshain had recently resigned from the DEQ.
Tom Henderson, DEQ regional director and Obenshain's immediate supervisor, said that earlier this week, "he had brought it up, then retracted it."
The agency called in a counselor to help employees cope with Obenshain's suicide.
Three of the agency's top officials also were at the Roanoke office Wednesday, including director Peter Schmidt, who drove from Richmond.
"We had one of our most outstanding employees pass away," Schmidt said. He spent the day informally talking with Obenshain's co-workers to see how they were doing.
Jim McDaniel, head of human resources, and Bob Burnley, head of the statewide water division and Obenshain's former boss, also were in town. They had been at a meeting in Lynchburg with Obenshain on Tuesday, and were there again Wednesday morning when they got the call.
"We were good friends," Burnley said. "Who knows why somebody does this? I wish I did, but I don't." He noticed nothing unusual about his friend's demeanor, he said.
Several employees were blinking back tears, others openly cried, and some wandered the halls, not knowing whether to leave or stay. During the day, as word spread among the local government officials, industry executives and others he worked with, faxes poured in expressing sorrow and shock.
"He liked fishing, and he cared about the quality of his fishing waters," said Don Shepherd, who formerly headed Roanoke's air division. Other friends say Obenshain was an avid canoeist who also enjoyed gardening and wildlife.
Staff writer Ron Brown contributed to this report.
by CNB