Robert William Dague

Robert William Dague, age 98 and a lifelong resident of Medina, passed away on December 20, 2025. He was born Medina on April 13, 1927 to the late Hugh and Evelyn (Holtzburg) Dague.

Robert graduated Medina High School in 1945 and served in the US Navy. He went on to earn his master's degree and began his career with Medina as an English teacher in 1949. He was responsible for starting the Advanced Placement program in English, establishing humanities programs for the public school system, and representing the district at national educational conferences. Robert studied administration at Columbia University and later became an assistant high school principal. He spent 23 summers teaching journalistic writing at Ohio University.

Robert was a quiet, behind-the-scenes force in the district who accomplished any task quickly, efficiently and competently. Even after retirement in 1984 he continued to work for the district in a variety of capacities. He was a member of the Medina County Retired Teachers Association and the Ohio Retired Teachers Association. Robert was named Man of the Year in 1962 by the Jaycee's and became a Martha Holden Jennings Scholar in 1967. He later started the "Dollars for Scholars" program in which students went out to engage the community to raise money for scholarships. In 2003, Robert was inducted into the Medina City Schools Foundation for his reliability, integrity, work ethic and total commitment to education in Medina. He was truly the "unsung hero" of Medina City Schools.

Viewing will be held from 2:00-4:00 pm Monday, January 5, 2026, at Waite Funeral Home, 765 N. Court St., Medina. A service will immediately follow at 4:00 pm Monday at the funeral home. He will be laid to rest at Spring Grove Cemetery in Medina.

Donations may be made to the scholarship fund with the Medina County Retired Teachers Association at MCRTA, c/o Dena Rising, 1034 Beechwood Drive, Medina, Ohio 44256.