Victor N. Stentz

Victor Neal Stentz passed away peacefully at his home on July 1, 2021, succumbing to his 6 year battle against multiple myeloma. He was born in 1942 in Wooster, OH to Adair C. Stentz and Virginia F. Stentz. The family moved to Columbus in the late ’40’s making Clintonville their home. He was a 1960 graduate of North High School and a 1965 graduate of Rio Grande College where he founded the golf team. He worked at Lennox Corporation and then at Worthington Cylinders after Worthington Industries acquisition of that division. He retired from Worthington Cylinders for the second and final time in 2008. But that’s another story. Vic was loved by all who knew him. He had a way about him which seemed to naturally attract people. He loved his family and friends as they loved him. He was a family man, always there to help or support. He took special joy in his grandchildren’s adventures. He loved to hear about your day. He was an engaged husband, father and grandfather. When he asked how it was going, he wouldn't let you off with “Ehh...it’s going”. Be ready for a follow-up question because he cared and wanted to know. He enjoyed the time he spent with his family whether it was on vacation, at a play, ball game or recital. He wanted to be there to show his support. In his retirement he loved the winters he and his wife Becky spent in Siesta Key, FL. Their group of friends, his regular golf group and dinners out brought them so much joy. He was so proud when he finally joined the Moose Lodge for Bingo Night. Vic truly enjoyed golf. If you played with him you were certain to hear about a Tarpy’s Salami, and keg of beer in a station wagon on the way from Rio Grande to the OSU Golf Course to play in the Kepler Open. If you heard it you laughed. Vic attended Ohio State for his first year of college. As he told it, the university kindly requested he pursue his degree elsewhere primarily as the result of 36 holes every Saturday and Sunday with 18 wherever it fit the schedule. He had an absolutely uncanny ability to remember nearly every hole of golf on every course he played. His recounting of his 1 round at Pebble Beach was a wonder to hear. He even recalled those holes he never played. The 2021 Masters tournament included drones to cover the tournament for the first time. He never played Augusta nor walked it. When the tournament came on for Thursday coverage it included drone footage of a hole from the green sweeping back to the tee. As he sat in bed, not feeling so well, he simply commented “16” while his son’s mouth fell open. “Ehhh…I just know” was his response when he was asked how he figured that out. Beyond golf, he loved Ohio State. There was nothing more predictable than his observations regarding a slow 1st quarter for the Ohio State football team against an inferior opponent. “They better not let this team hang on or they will be in trouble” he would observe. Someone pointing out that 10-3 in the first quarter would equate to 40-12 at the end of the fourth surely heard the reply “You know what | mean.” Then a wry smile would crop up. Vic is survived by his wife Becky, his son Brian (Jill), his step daughters Katy (Jeff) Chilcoat and Felicity Beck, his grandsons Zachary, Owen and Spencer (Dana), granddaughters Claire (Peter), Abby, Tatum, Chioe and Julia (Bradon) his brothers Rex (Sue) and Keith (Joyce). Preceding him in death were his parents Adair C. And Virginia F., and his wife M. Dolly. Vic was a storyteller. He loved to laugh. Stories abound from his days as a young boy playing baseball for the Columbus Warhawks, his days at North High School or Rio Grande College as well as his years at Worthington Industries. There were simply too many to count. The family would encourage and welcome anyone who wishes to share with us your stories about Vic (or Barrel, as he was known) in the space below. We loved him and we know many others did as well. Your joy in his memory would be greatly appreciated. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society at givenow.LLS.org would be appreciated. A letter of remembrance from Vic's brother: Vic was my baby brother. I used to take him for walks in his stroller on Bever Street in Wooster, where he was born. When we moved to Columbus, while us big kids played cowboys, Vic would use a dish towel as a cape and pretend he was Superman and run around with us. When we outgrew such child-ish things, us big kids played baseball in a vacant lot. Meanwhile, Baby Vic played for a real honest-to-goodness Little League team and made his father proud. When I grew up and left to pursue my own life and career, Vic stayed with the family in Columbus. As he achieved success in business, even from a distance, I knew that his accomplishments and the praise of his co-workers, were due to more than his skills and business acumen. It was because of the warmth, compassion and respect my baby brother had for people. It was this love for others and belief in himself that carried him through the many tribulations he faced in life, including the loss of his first wife, Dolly. It made him a good and caring father to Brian. It enabled him to create a new life with his beloved Becky and have the blessing of her love and that of her family as well as his own. And it was this essential humanity that enabled Vic to face his final days with courage and without complaint. And when Becky opened the door and let the love from others come in, Vic returned that love to each and every one of us. Because that’s the kind of man he was. Yes, he was my baby brother. But Vic was more than that, He was the best of us.

Victor N. Stentz

October 3, 1942 - July 1, 2021