State Sen. J. Kirk Schuring, the second-longest serving lawmaker in the Ohio Legislature who authored dozens of laws on issues ranging from health care to sports betting, has died. He was 71. He never lost an election for Ohio Senate or House.

Kirk Schuring, 72, died after a long battle with unspecified illness. According to a news release from the Senate, Schuring, who was reelected after running unopposed in 2022, took working phone calls from his hospital bed.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered flags lowered to honor longtime state lawmaker J. Kirk Schuring, a Canton-area Republican.

Ohio and Stark County leaders are remembering state Sen. Kirk Schuring, who died at the age of 72. Schuring, a Republican from Jackson Township, was the second-longest serving member of the state Legislature. He also never lost an election.

“Kirk Schuring was a dedicated legislator, public servant, family man, and champion for Stark County. Serving with Kirk was a pleasure, and he was known as a reliable leader who found a way to work across the aisle, and in support of his constituents everyday,” U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, said in a statement.

Kirk Schuring, a longtime Canton politician and the second-longest serving state lawmaker in Ohio history, has passed away at age 72.

Lawmakers are now mourning the loss of Kirk Schuring, the distinguished three-decade-long serving legislator, who has died. He was 72 years old.