FORMER STATE REP EHARDT REMEMBERED

PHARMACY ADVOCATE DIES AT 66

BY MARY WARDELL, communications manager, Michigan Pharmacists Association

Stephen R. Ehardt, past president of the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) and former state representative, died Thursday, July 29, 2021, in Boyne City, leaving behind a legacy of advocacy and service. A longtime resident of Lexington, Mich., Ehardt was 66 and had been diagnosed with cancer.

President and CEO of Ehardt’s Pharmacy, Inc. for 36 years, Ehardt served as MPA president in 1999 and received MPA’s Pharmacist of the Year Award in 2005. He was born June 13, 1955, in Port Huron to the late Robert and Catherine (Matthews) Ehardt, and he married Ardis Adams in 1979. Ehardt earned a pharmacy degree from Ferris State University and did postgraduate work in geriatric pharmacy and nutrition.

Ehardt served as a Republican State House representative from 1999- 2004. He was memorialized in an article by Gongwer News Service as “a big man with a distinct coiffe of red hair” who cut an imposing figure at the Capitol and brought unmatched passion to his priorities.

In his final term in the House, Ehardt was chair of the Health Policy Committee where he spearheaded a series of bills designed to relieve local pharmacies of some insurer-imposed requirements, according to Gongwer. Insurance lobbyists mounted a furious effort to block Ehardt’s approach in favor of rival legislation. His fellow House Republicans followed Ehardt for most of the debate, but eventually, the lobbyists won over most House Republicans, along with the Democrats and the Senate.

It was an incredible, emotional scene on the House floor, according to Gongwer. Ehardt gave an impassioned, tearful speech warning against the rival legislation. He received a standing ovation, followed by a loss in the vote. Then-Rep. Charlie LaSata, a fellow Republican who stood with Ehardt, derided the standing ovation as a “clap and screw.” His speech concluded, Ehardt collapsed into his seat, inconsolable, as fellow members tried to buck him up.

Ehardt’s start in politics began in local government as a member of the Lexington Planning Commission. He later was elected to the village council, where he served for 10 years, and was a member of the Cros- Lex Chamber of Commerce. He was CEO of Your Primary Care, LLC, created in 2017, and was also a member of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).

Paul Schmansky, a fraternity brother and fellow MPA board member, knew Ehardt since the early 1970s.

“He paid attention to what needed to be done and did whatever he could do to get it done – that’s why he went to the Legislature,” Schmansky recalled. “He put in a lot of time for the community and for the profession. He was an outstanding, quality individual, a dear friend, and a great advocate. He leaves behind a powerful legacy.”

Ehardt enjoyed golf, tennis, motorcycles, fishing and sailing, and he was an instrument rated pilot. He is survived by his wife Ardie; son Allen and daughter Erica (Scott) Hooker; three grandchildren Colton, Easton and Sutton; brothers Paul (Helen), John (Robin) and Philip (Kelly).