In the years that Harry Menhorn Jr. held elected office, he gained a reputation as someone who would do what he could to help.

"Even when he was out of office, people would still call him because they knew if he could, he would help," said Mr. Menhorn's wife, Helen, of Ross.

Mr. Menhorn, who was a Ross commissioner for 12 years and a state legislator for one, died March 10 of cancer. He was 86.

He served three terms as township commissioner, a total of 12 years, with his first term starting in the late 1960s. He served in the state House of Representatives as a Democrat from Allegheny County from 1975-76.

Mr. Menhorn also served on the Girty's Run Sewer Authority and Ross planning commission.

"One of the things that always struck me about my dad was some people didn't care for his personality," said Mr. Menhorn's son, Ronald Menhorn, of Ross. "They considered him very abrasive and opinionated. But I always knew my dad to be very nonjudgmental, and he accepted everyone as is."

Mr. Menhorn served during World War II, where he received training at Tulane Medical School in New Orleans to be a medical orderly.

"The Army was originally training him to be an engineer," Mrs. Menhorn recalled. "But then they decided they didn't need any more engineers."

Ronald Menhorn said his dad, like other engineers in training, was given a choice: train to be a medical orderly or a dentist.

"All those who checked the box for dentist got sent back into the infantry, So I guess my dad checked the right box."

Mr. Menhorn spent his time tending to wounded soldiers who were returning from the war.

On the last official day of the war -- May 8, 1945 -- Mr. Menhorn had one more reason to celebrate. His son, H. George Menhorn, was born. The date was also the birthday of former President Harry Truman, so the boy was named after him.

"Dad was so excited about the birth of my brother that he sent President Truman a birth announcement," Ronald Menhorn recalled.

H. George Menhorn now lives in Cumming, Ga.

When Mr. Menhorn was discharged from service in 1946, he worked for Koppers Co., retiring 34 years later.

In his spare time, Mr. Men- horn liked to garden and trav- el with his wife. He also enjoy- ed duckpin bowling.

In the 1950s and '60s, Mr. Men- horn played for a men's league that one year won the Greater Pittsburgh championship.

Mr. Menhorn got interested in duckpin bowling as a teenager, working as a pin setter at a bowling alley in Wilkinsburg.

"It was right after the Depression," Ronald Menhorn said. "His family had actually been separated at that time, so this was how he helped earn some money for the family. He'd keep a few pennies for himself and give the rest to his mother." Mr. Menhorn continued to bowl until the late '60s.

"He said he'd lost his touch and just couldn't score as high as he used to, so he quit," Ronald Menhorn said.

Mr. Menhorn and his wife were charter members of North Park Church in McCandless. They helped start the church after their former church was dissolved.

In addition to his wife and two sons, Mr. Menhorn is survived by a daughter, Donna Maloney, of Ross; a brother, Kenneth Menhorn, of Phoenix; nine grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Services were held Saturday at North Park Church.