John D Battle

John Dillard Battle,III died peacefully at home on September 21, 2020, at age 77. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pa. to Dr. John D. Battle, Jr. and Lauretta W. Battle, he spent most of his life as a resident of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. John was a graduate of Shaker Heights High School, Class of 1961 and Case Western Reserve University. He served in the Marine Corps Reserves. John worked for many years as a journalist; a writer, editor and photographer, starting his career at the Painesville Telegraph, moving on to the Journal Newspapers in Euclid and Collinwood. His later career was spent in the automotive trade industry, working at Babcox Publications in Akron, and Advanstar Communications, in Middleburg Heights. He traveled extensively and gave several speeches for Frost & Sullivan Conferences on the impact of international trade on the automotive industry. John is survived by Carol Zins Battle, his wife of 51 years; son M. Dudley of Sunnyvale, CA; daughter Stephanie Battle and son-in-law Gideon Myles, of Orinda, CA. He was enchanted by his seven year- old twin grandchildren, Cadel and Eliot. His only sister, Lauretta B. Davis, Pacifica, CA passed away in 2019. John and Carol spent an entire year in Europe prior to starting a family. Stories of their adventures touring the Continent in a red Citroen 2-CV sustained them through the trials of child-rearing and career building. They continued to travel throughout the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Europe instilling in their children the importance of learning how others live. John carried on his parent's participation in the Cleveland International Program, hosting more than twenty professional social workers who came from around the world to Cleveland for a year to work with local social agencies. Tennis, biking, canoeing, skating, hockey were favorite activities, but in later years, walking, birding, writing poetry, tending the garden, and grilling on the patio kept him busy. His final year was a whirlwind of travel, visiting friends and family in the San Francisco area, celebrating his 50th Wedding Anniversary in Banff, Canada with children and grandchildren, then a family cruise, spending Christmas Day on a beach in Mexico. Esophageal cancer was the cause of death. No services are planned. If you wish to make a donation in John's name, you might consider supporting Shaker Lakes Regional Nature Center and Dobama Theater, in Cleveland Heights. ARRANGEMENTS BY FIORITTO FUNERAL SERVICE OF NORTHEAST OHIO