Richard W. SLAGLE Sr.

1925 - 2016

News Death Notice

SLAGLE, Sr., Richard W. Age 90, of Middletown, OH; died Tuesday, February 2, 2016, at Berkeley Square Nursing Home. He was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Patricia A (Harmony) Slagle and sisters; Alice Alexander and Margaret Presser. Survivors include a daughter, Susan Cole of Middletown, son Richard Slagle, Jr (Tari Jo) of Hamilton and sister Polly Crawford (William) of Bradenton, FL; grandchildren Kari Cole , Sarah Fryman, Grant (Wendy) Cole, Richard Slagle III, Eryn (Jeremy) Stahlhaber, Kelli and Nate Knipper and nine great-grandchildren. Born November 24, 1925 to William E. and Mildred L. Widener Slagle, he graduated from the Sidney Ohio public high school and enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943. Trained as a cryptographer and stationed at Tinian on the Northern Marians, he coded and decoded messages to and from the Enola Gay as it dropped the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. His military stations also included Chanute Field, IL and Oahu, Hawaii. He was briefly recalled to service for the Korean Police Action in 1950 and was discharged as a Staff Sergeant in 1954. Dick's professional career began at the State of Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and then rose through the ranks of the Chambers of commerce in Marshall, Michigan; Findlay, Ohio and 10 years in Middletown, Ohio. He then joined Armco Steel, 1969-1985, retiring as Vice President of Administrative Services. He was called out of retirement three times to serve as the local Chamber President/CEO during times of transition, most recently February to June 2013. He and his wife Pat formed ULTIMATE Concepts in 1986 which became affiliated with ECG - Executive Communications Group in Englewood, NJ. He has conducted hundreds of seminars on corporate and political presentations across the country. Dick Slagle was well known for his interest in golf - not just as an avid player but as Executive Director of the Wadsworth Golf Charities which encourages children to learn the game of golf and issues grants in several states. He led the team rebuilding Weatherwax Municipal Golf Course and AK Steel assigned him the responsibility for construction of Shaker Run Golf Course in Warren County -both recognized by Golf Digest as being in the Top 100 Golf Courses in the country. And, Dick served as a special consultant for the construction of Pipestone Golf Course in Miamisburg. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, February 5, 2015 at Breitenbach Anderson Funeral home, 517 S. Sutphin St., Middletown, OH, Fr. John Civille, officiating. Ashes will be scattered at Woodside Cemetery at the convenience of the family. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Cincinnati, 4310 Cooper Road, Cincinnati 45242. Visit www.breitenbach-anderson.com to share memories or condolences.