David Warren Wirick

WIRICK David Warren Wirick, age 62, of Columbus, Ohio, died July 19, 2012 at hospice in Columbus. Son of Kenneth D. Wirick and the late Patricia Jenkins Wirick, he was born February 4, 1950, in Defiance, Ohio. David liked to joke that he shared his birthday with such disparate characters as Alice Cooper and Dan Quayle. David's boyhood was spent in Ohio. In 1970 he earned a B.A. in Political Science from Kent State University. Following graduation he served as Lieutenant (First and Second), Regular Army: MOS 1193 (Field Artillery Unit Commander), United States Army. In 1977 he completed an M.A. in public administration from The Ohio State University. With that degree David began a career in public service. From various positions for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, he went on to work with Management Sciences for Health in Boston, Massachusetts. Later returning to Ohio, he held positions at The National Regulatory Research Institute at The Ohio State University and Babbage Simmel and Associates in Columbus. David began his teaching career with professional courses in project management while at Babbage Simmel. This led to writing and teaching management courses at the Dauch College of Business and Economics, Ashland University, and finally to The Ohio State University's John Glenn School of Public Affairs in his more recent years. David was a talented and highly respected teacher. He was most proud of the Outstanding Teacher Award he received three times in the recent past from students at the John Glenn School of Public Affairs. David also spent years in public-sector consulting and mediation in the U.S. and internationally and marketed his expertise via a business formed with his wife and daughter, Kreider-Wirick, LLC. David had a great curiosity about the world. His interests and hobbies were vast, from golf and sports, American humorists, politics and literature to an abiding interest in world religions. He was an accomplished and prolific writer, publishing many professional articles as well as his own books, poetry and fiction. David thrived on dialogue and communication with others and will long be remembered for his skills as a raconteur and anecdotalist. He lived life fully and thoughtfully, and he strove to understand and improve the world around him. As a much loved husband and father, he is survived by his wife, Ellen R. Kreider, and daughter, Katherine Kreider Wirick and her husband Gavin Farnsworth. He is survived as well by his own father Kenneth D. Wirick and wife Ramona of Defiance,Ohio; his sisters Carol (Bill) Corney of Harwichport, Massachusetts and Cathy (Dave) Fuller of Defiance; and numerous aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews. A memorial service is being planned for September, 2012. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to HomeReach Hospice, c/o Ohio Health Foundation, 180 E. Broad, Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215, Columbus KTC (Buddhist Meditation Center) 231 S. Grubb St, Columbus, Ohio 43215, or The Nature Conservancy Suite 100, 4245 North Fairfax Dr, Arlington VA 22203. Arrangements by SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST CHAPEL, 614-457-5481. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to send condolences and share memories.