Former County Legislator John Sackett died Jan. 2, according to an obituary published today.

He was 94.

Sackett also served as Town Supervisor in Byron.

Born in Riga, Sacket attended Alfred State College, and Kansas State University.

John completed his MS in Education at Cornell University after losing his left hand in a farm accident while harvesting corn. He taught agriculture at Le Roy and Warsaw high schools and then Agricultural Mechanics at Gen-Wyo Co. BOCES until his retirement.

He also served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

He worked as a dairy farm manager before acquiring a farm in Byron.

After his retirement from local politics, Sackett continued to follow local issues closely and frequently showed up at the County Legislature and other public bodies to express his opinions.

The obituary states, "John believed strongly in the value of the exchange of ideas and opinions ... He especially championed personal responsibility, lower taxes and freedom from government interference."

He was a life member of Byron Kiwanis, NRA, Genesee County SCOPE and various agricultural organizations. He was also an avid private pilot and past president of the Genesee County Pilots Association. 

"Ultimately, John was a farmer and teacher who believed that one reaps what one sows," the obituary states. "He spent his life sowing good seeds, pulling weeds and hoping to reap a manifold harvest. He leaves five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren."

For his full obituary, click here.

Photo: File photo by Howard Owens.  In Byron's 200th Anniversary parade in August, Sackett was honored as Byron's oldest living resident.