James Appold

1939 - 2020

(News story) James Appold, an engineer who created popular snacks through his baking company and who with his wife developed the historic Oliver House dining, residential, bar, and brewery complex, died Thursday at St. Luke's Hospital. He was 81.

His son Jonn Appold said Mr. Appold suffered from complications of various illnesses.

Mr. Appold had suffered a fall and was staying in a rehabilitation facility where he was tested for coronavirus. The test was negative, his son said.

Mr. Appold, of Rossford, with his wife, Patricia Appold, developed the Oliver House and Maumee Bay Brewing Co., after buying the historic building at 27 Broadway, near downtown Toledo, in 1990. The structure is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The building, Toledo's first hotel, opened in 1859, and now houses a brew pub, along with the brewery, Rockwell's steak house and Mutz bar, and apartments.

"He felt it was an ongoing gift to the community to maintain [the Oliver House] in business as an example of historic preservation and adaptive re-use," Mrs. Appold said. "He would say, 'it's just a neat old building.' He liked neat old buildings. He was very proud of it and what it means to Toledo."

As plant manager and then owner of the Consolidated Biscuit Co. in McComb, Ohio, Mr. Appold contributed to expanding the business from three ovens to 10 plants. He was credited with developing the process to make the Ritz Bits snack, a small sandwich of cracker and cheese, and other popular products sold by Nabisco.

Friend and business associate John Szuch said Mr. Appold was a "mechanical genius" who had his own fabricating shop at the business with as many as 30 employees to make the tools and systems to make new products.

Mr. Szuch said his talents made him indispensable to Nabisco, for which the bakery made Oreos dipped in chocolate, Fig Newtons, and Teddy Grahams. It also baked for Famous Amos and Keebler.

"Nobody could put something together like him. He could tell how something could be enhanced just by looking at it. Unbelievable," Mr. Szuch said.

He and other friends said Mr. Appold was a considerate person with a strong sense of loyalty.

He said Mr. Appold supported his wife's interest in the Oliver House. He also contributed collections, including beer cans and other items related to the brewing industry, and purchased the rights to Buckeye Beer, an old Toledo brand, to be made by the Maumee Bay Brewing Co. He also collected music boxes and slide rules.

Mr. and Mrs. Appold, in 2014 received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award in Ohio recognizing philanthropic efforts that have made a difference in the Northwest Ohio community.

Mr. Appold served on the University of Findlay Board of Trustees, and as a member of the University of Toledo Foundation, Imagination Station, and Mud Hens advisory boards.

In addition to collecting, his interests included the Detroit Tigers - the Appolds were longtime season ticket holders - and travel. Their destinations included Africa and Cuba.

Gary Murphy, a friends since high school, described Mr. Appold as "a giving man."

"If he talked to someone about something he would think about it until the next day then come back with an answer that was best for the person and everyone," Mr. Murphy said.

Bill Carroll, a former president of Dana Corp., and a neighbor, said he and his wife, Cathy, and the Appolds visited Cuba five years ago together.

"If you were a friend of Jim you were a friend for life. He did an awful lot of good," Mr. Carroll said. He said Mr. Appold liked to tell jokes and tinker and was proud of having acquired the Buckeye Beer brand.

He was born April 10, 1939 in Saginaw, Mich., to Martin and Louise Appold, where he and Mrs. Appold were married and started a family. They moved to Toledo in 1975 when Mr. Appold went to work for The Andersons as manager of technical services, including maintenance and building development. He was involved in building the fertilizer buildings in Maumee and the storage units in Toledo near the I-75 Bridge, according to Mrs. Appold.

He graduated from the former General Motors Institute, now known as Kettering University, with a degree in industrial engineering and worked for General Motors for nine years, including four years as a co-op student. He later earned masters' degrees from the University of Toledo in electrical engineering and business administration.

The family lived in Old Orchard and the Old West End before moving to Rossford in 1995.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia Appold; sons Jonn and Andrew Appold and daughters Karen Kerr, Melinda Appold, and Caitlin Fry, and 13 grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements are by Walker Funeral. Services will be private.