ASHTABULA — After bad weather caused the cancellation of a mile swim in Lake Erie last weekend, area swimmers took to the water Saturday morning to celebrate the life of a man who touched many of their lives personally.

Bob Ward, who was a swim instructor for decades at the Ashtabula County YMCA, died earlier this year, and organizers named the event, which he founded 11 years ago, “Bob’s Miracle Mile.”

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