Richard E. Schumacher

 

Richard, age 79, of Upper Arlington, died unexpectedly Saturday, January 5, 2019, at University Hospital in Cleveland.  He was devoted to his Catholic faith, family, and friends.  He was the first person everyone called when they needed guidance and support.  He was a man of incredible ethical character, amazing integrity, and moral compass, and was a confidante to many.  He was a great listener and stopped whatever he was doing when he was needed.  He was fiercely competitive and an avid Ohio State Football fan and all UA athletics, especially those sports in which his children and grandchildren participated.

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He will be missed by many who considered him a father/grandfather figure. Preceded in death by parents Alfred and Nellie.

 

Survived by Carol, his high school sweetheart who was his beloved wife of 57 years; children Rick (Lori), Stephen (Erin), and Sarah (Patrick) John, all of Upper Arlington; grandchildren Nicole and Jason Schumacher, Davis and Marygrace Kurz, and Nicholas and Elizabeth Schumacher; step-grandchildren Rachael, Jessica, Jordan, Mack, and Hunter John; brothers Frank (Ann) of Lewis Center, Alfred Jr. of Louisville, KY, George (Debbie) of Dover, and John of Ashley; brother-in-law Steve (Joyce) Heft of Gahanna; and many nieces and nephews.  Graduate of Woodsfield High School and Strayer College in Washington DC. He was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

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Following a short career with the F.B.I., he joined the Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) where he worked for nearly 40 years before retiring as its Executive Director in 1999.  Past President of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA).  Former board member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).  Past President of the Amateur Wine Makers Guild, past Director of the Upper Arlington High School Boosters, former Commissioner of Upper Arlington Cub Scout Baseball for 25 years, and was inducted into the UA Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. Member of St. Andrew Catholic Church, Trustee of the Serra Club, member of the Ohio Genealogical Society, Ohio Historical Society, OSU Buckeye Club, UA Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, and American Wine Society.

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Life member of OSU Alumni Association and life member of Public Employee Retirees, Inc. (PERI). His family received friends Sunday, January 13, at the Schoedinger Northwest Chapel. Mass of Christian Burial Monday, January 14, at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Upper Arlington, OH. Contributions may be made in his memory to The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins, 1915 McElderry Street, Baltimore MD  21205. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.Schoedinger.com.