Richard A. Willis

Richard A. Willis | 1940-2023

STOW - Richard A. Willis was born in Berwyn, Illinois, on July 19, 1940, to Eleanor (Anderson) Willis and Thomas Barbee Willis, and was raised by his mother and stepfather, Otto Wayne Rinehart. A majority of his childhood was spent in El Dorado, Kansas. His family moved to Washington Court House, Ohio, just before his senior year of high school. He maintained strong friendships from both his graduating classes throughout his entire life.

Richard lived and breathed music, playing in bands for events throughout high school. He also breathed the inside of a fertilizer factory after high school, where he began working when college simply was not financially feasible. A chance scholarship application changed the course of his life when the opportunity to attend The Ohio State University suddenly became an option. He pursued a degree in music education, played piccolo trumpet (efer) in “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” and met the love of his life on the way to an audition in the elevator of Hughes Hall.

Richard and Beverly were married in 1965 and taught at Miami Trace High School together in Washington Court House, Ohio. In 1967, they relocated to Stow, Ohio, for teaching positions at Stow High School. As the high school marching band director and a beginning band instructor throughout the elementary schools of Stow, Richard had the unique opportunity to introduce and develop a love of music in thousands of people during his teaching career. His primary love of jazz music and the saxophone led to a lifelong side hustle of professional musicianship long after he retired from teaching, performing in various swing and jazz bands on many stages in the region - from national tours to high school musicals. He took every opportunity to perform seriously no matter how prestigious the act or venue might be and practiced his craft faithfully. His calendar is filled with gigs even now; he was the epitome of a working musician to the end.

Richard was exceedingly proud of his three daughters and was their fiercest champion for whatever they pursued. His only real complaint about any of them is that they didn’t love golf the way he did despite his best efforts to foster an appreciation from a young age. An avid lifelong golfer, he played as much as he possibly could and spent years as a part-time employee at Fox Den Golf Course. He surely thought his sons-in-law or grandchildren might have the golf gene, but when that did not pan out, he simply pivoted to learn about and support the things they did love. He was their fiercest champion as well.

Richard loved team sports with an undying passion, too. As a season ticket holder to Ohio State football since 1965, he rarely missed a home game with Beverly, (or occasionally, a lucky daughter). As a lifelong Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Cleveland baseball fan, he learned life lessons about joy and disappointment like the rest of us. He nearly cried both when Cleveland lost the World Series in 1997 and 2016, and also when the Cavs won the NBA championship in 2016.

Richard made whoever was important to his family important to him, creating a ripple effect of support and encouragement with so many ripples they would be impossible to count. Anyone who knew him would describe him as quick with a smile, a genuine display of interest, and a joke or ridiculous pun. He found people fascinating and always made time to learn more about them, whether it was a friend, a family member's friend, a colleague, or a complete stranger working as a store clerk - he derived great joy from connecting with others.

Richard retired from his second career at the University of Akron in 1994. He spent the rest of his life pursuing the things that made him happiest: time with Beverly, traveling to spend quality time with his children and grandchildren, playing music, golfing, reading, cheering on his favorite teams, integrating the latest and greatest technology into his life, and connecting with the many friends he met along the way. His life was not free from trauma and loss, but he focused on the positive in just about every situation and with his faith and family as support, lived a life of happiness and contentment.

"Finish each day and be done with it.
You have done what you could.
Some blunders and absurdities
no doubt crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day;
begin it well and serenely
with too high a spirit
to be encumbered
with your old nonsense."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Although Richard had experienced health challenges in recent years, his family and friends assumed they would have many years of adventures and laughter left with him. It was a profound shock when his heart stopped unexpectedly on February 2, 2023.

He is survived by his wife, Beverly; daughters, Elizabeth (Matt), Marie, and Katherine (Ben); sisters, Patricia, Marilyn, and Merrilee; brother Tim, and eight beloved grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother, Eleanor; his stepfather, Wayne, and his sister, Sally.

Visitation will be held at Redmon Funeral Home, 3633 Darrow Road, Stow 44224, from 5 - 7 PM, on Thursday, February 9, 2023. A memorial service will be held at Stow United Methodist Church, 5880 Fishcreek Road, Stow 44224, at 1 PM, on Friday, February 10, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Stow-Munroe Falls Band Boosters to support music education and scholarships at Stow-Munroe Falls High School. Checks may be made payable to Stow-Munroe Falls Band Parents and mailed to P.O. Box 2454, Stow, OH 44224, or by donating online at their website, smfband.org