Donald James Ries

Donald James Ries (85) born February 15, 1940 in Barberton, Ohio, passed away on October 18th, 2025
surrounded by friends and family.
He was the oldest son of Herbert 'Wilson' and Julia (Molnar) Ries of Clinton, Ohio. He grew up in the Clinton/Warwick neighborhoods, where he graduated from Northwest High School in 1959.
He met his beautiful wife Joyce (Staver) when he was a sophomore and she was in eighth grade. They
were married on September 22, 1962. They spent a majority of their life in Canal Fulton, raising their four
boys. In 2010, they moved to Danville, Ohio and have resided there ever since.
Donald is proceeded in death by his parents, his brother Dana (Bobbi), and his great-grandson Daniel.
He is survived by his wife, Joyce and sons Eric (Christine), Kevin, Kirk (Amy) and Sean (Julie). He is also
survived by his grandchildren: Bruce (Mandy), Kirsten (Jonathan), Matt (Emily), Kelsey (Karly), Nick,
Lonna, Fr. Peter 'Jared' (Sophie), Hilary and great-grandchildren: Kaison, Braxton, Axl, Asher, August,
Nizhoni, Juliette, Jacob, Aria, Owen, Emersyn, Otto and Milo.
Don joined the Ohio National Guard soon after high school. He also started working at Firestone in Akron
and was quickly recruited into the lab. He remained in the lab for 33 years, compounding and testing
rubber. After leaving Firestone, he worked at PolyOne and a couple of other rubber manufacturers before
finally retiring in 2000.
One of Don's favorite activities was watching his boys play sports. You could always find him coaching,
whether officially or unofficially. He was their biggest advocate and supporter. He enjoyed coaching, and
considered every kid he coached as part of the family. Many will remember his catch phrases: "Throw the
ball, Alice!", "Get your bat off your shoulder!" or "Quit picking the flowers!".
You could always count on Don for a good dad joke. He had an amazing sense of humor and loved to
make people laugh. He enjoyed being part of Sunday School, where he would roam around to make sure
everyone was being respectful to the teachers. He loved kids and spoiled them at every opportunity. He
was always there with a smile and ready to give a 'squeeze' if they needed it.
Don was the uncle that everyone loved. His nieces and nephews were spoiled and always knew that Uncle
Donnie had their back, no matter what kind of craziness they got into. He loved being part of their life.
Per Don's request, there will be no calling hours or funeral. However, the family will hold a Celebration of
Life/Memorial Service at Chapel of the Cross (14411 Orrville Street, NW – North Lawrence, Ohio 44666) on
Saturday October 25th. The family will receive visitors from 12:30 – 1:30, and the service will follow. There
will be light refreshments in the hall at the conclusion of the service.
Condolences may be sent to Joyce at:
The Laurels of Mt. Vernon
Attn: Joyce Ries – Rm 206
13 Avalon Road
Mt. Vernon, Ohio 43050
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to Northwest Junior Baseball & Softball League
Scholarship Fund (P.O. Box 332, Canal Fulton, Ohio 44614) or St. Herman House – FOCUS Cleveland
(4410 Franklin Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio 44113).
The Snyder Funeral Home - Lasater Chapel is assisting the family with arrangements.
To express a condolence to the Ries family, please visit www.snyderfuneralhomes.com