Richard Darwin

Richard J. Darwin, 74, died peacefully at Riverside Methodist Hospital on December 16. Richard was born in Buffalo, New York April 17, 1934. His mother, Katherine Seacon, came to this great country from Poland at the age of six. He married his first true love, Mona Steinig on July 9th 1955. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, his older sister Charlotte and by his younger brother James. He is survived by older sisters Eleanor and Virginia, his wife Mona, son Eric of Columbus, daughters Karen of Maple Grove, Minnesota and Laura of Plain City, Ohio. He had grandchildren from his son Eric and daughter in- law Barbara Tewart-Darwin that include Corey, Allison, and Melissa. Richard served four years in the United States Navy and with benefit from the G.I. Bill was able to get his BA from the University of Buffalo in 1960. An MA followed from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1968 and a PhD from The Ohio State University in 1974. He started his professional life as a teacher in Buffalo, followed by positions as an economic researcher at the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, a market researcher at City National Bank, an economic development professional at the state of Ohio and an independent financial services consultant to the banking industry. In 1979 he joined Battelle Memorial Institute where he was in charge of electronic funds transfer programs. He retired from Battelle in May of 2000. He served one term on the Columbus Board of Education in 1987. In his retirement Richard has been active at St Peter Catholic Church as a Eucharistic Minister that included religious services at Friendship Village. He was an active participant in Program 60 at The Ohio State University and served on the Board of Trustees of Program 60. Since 2005, he has been an active docent at the Columbus Museum of Art. Richard was also a maker of fine furniture and loved to reproduce pieces made by early American cabinetmakers. A mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Peter Catholic Church on Tuesday, December 23’ at 10:00 AM. The church is located at 6899 Smokey Row Road 43235 in Worthington. A private family burial will take place at the Resurrection Cemetery in Lewis Center, Ohio. Donations in his memory can be made to the Columbus Museum of Art.

Richard Darwin

December 16, 2008