Early this morning, I was in a hotel in Canfield, Ohio. I poured a cup of coffee and chose a table with a Cleveland Plain Dealer on it. The front page's second item made me gasp, quite literally! Mitzi Jerman, who ran the St. Clair Avenue bar known as Mitzi's, died on Sunday!

Mitzi's is a gem of a bar. There are cheap drinks, an awesome jukebox, a pool table. You even have to get buzzed in the front door. Once in, it's welcoming and comfortable. Well into this year, Mitzi would be there in slippers, with tennis balls covering the feet of her walker.

She'd call you "honey" and offer a bowl of pretzels or chips. In the pool room: "D'you need more light?" "Oh, no, Mitzi, we're fine!" "No, no, no, here, let me just turn this light on for you." Her dog would be there, too, either hanging out or running around the bar.

Last time I was there, some smart friends and I had a long Blogging Ohio-worthy conversation about Cleveland and its merits and lack thereof. The bartender kept the beers and the bags of Cheetos flowing. (Dinner. Once every few years, it has to be done.)

Mitzi was born in the apartment above the bar her parents started and ran even through Prohibition. My condolences go out to her family and friends. What a full life that lady led! We'll miss seeing her. But we'll keep drinking at Mitzi's, which lives squarely in the "merit" category of this town.

Read the Plain Dealer article: