Richard D. Weiss
Richard D. Weiss, age 89, of Canfield, Wooster and Sanibel, left this Earth early Saturday morning, August 23, 2025.
Richard was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Gail, and is survived by daughters Laura (Michael) Critchfield, Julie (Scott) Adams, and sons Tom Weiss and Rick Weiss, grandchildren Dajah Greene and Sierra Weiss, Ryan and Nick (Carmen) Critchfield, Katie and Will Adams, and Clio and Leni Weiss, great grandchildren Sophia Johnson and Nandi Lewis, and Sensae Davidson, as well as his friend Lois Gries.
The youngest of seven children, Babe was preceded in death by his five brothers; Harry Jr., Clair, Darryl, Bill, Jim, and his sister, Evelyn Gerber. He is survived by two sisters in law: Burnetta (Junior) Weiss and Marjorie (Jim) Weiss.
Richard graduated from Millersburg High School in 1954 and was Class President his freshman and junior years, and President of the Student Senate his senior year, graduating third in his class. All the Weiss boys were strongly encouraged to play sports and the family holds the distinction of having a Weiss on the MHS football team for nineteen years straight. Excelling at sports, Babe was a four-year starter in basketball (4 letters) a three-year starter in football (3 letters) and a two-year starter in baseball. As co-captain of both the football and basketball teams, he was selected as Millersburg High School’s most outstanding athlete.
He went on to Wooster College, where he played football, basketball and baseball.
After graduation, he continued his studies at Ohio State University, Kent State University, Youngstown State University and Westminster College, receiving a Masters of Education in secondary administration.
Richard’s philosophy in life was twofold: never be afraid of hard work and live your life in service to others, a personal mantra he practiced every day.
His hard work is evidenced in his over thirty jobs over 84 years, beginning at age five, doing yardwork for Mrs. Cary and continuing well after his second retirement as editor of the OIAAA newsletter and president of the Mariner Pointe condo association.
These jobs included: Rodhe’s IGA in Millersburg, Itner’s Junkyard, Briar Hill Country Club, State of Ohio Highway Dept., Fred Rowe Concrete, Nichols Stone, Rice & Chadwick and OSU Intramurals, followed by a long and illustrious career at Canfield High School. As part of the “Dream Team” with administrators Bill Kay, Jim Watkins, and Phil Bova, Richard was Canfield High School’s athletic director for over 31 years. As the director, Richard built the athletic department from seven boys’ sports to over 22 varsity sports, 49 individual teams and 75 coaching positions, and he was one of the first AD’s in Ohio to include a variety of girls’ sports and took great pride in turning CHS into one of the finest athletic facilities in Northeastern Ohio. Richard also taught biology, anatomy and physiology, and he periodically coached football and basketball during his tenure at Canfield.
Richard’s service to others resulted in good deeds far too many to list here, but of note: planting more than a hundred trees at the Groves in Wooster, teaching Rhodes Scholars at the Baily-
Matthews Shell Museum, spearheading the “Dark Skies” initiative on Sanibel Island, stepping in to give the church sermon at Canfield Presbyterian Church whenever needed, and forever being willing to take on the hard jobs no one else wanted, always with a smile on his face and enthusiasm to match.
Receiving many awards and accolades over the years, (especially from the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association) some of Richard’s favorites were: Canfield’s “Man of the Year” award in 1994, Grand Marshall at the 1997 Canfield Fourth of July Parade, induction into the Holmes County High School Hall of Fame in 1998, Mahoning Valley Coaches Association “Contribution to Sports” award in 2001, and the Canfield High School Hall of Fame in 2004.
He loved to eat, loved to travel, and spent his retirement exploring the globe with Gail, visiting no less than ten countries, hiking and biking their way through most of them. No matter where he was in the world, Richard always seemed to run into someone he knew, or who knew him.
A heartfelt thanks goes to the staff at Waltonwood on Main and Oakland Hospice for making his transition from this life to the next peaceful.
A service will be held in the summer of 2026 in Millersburg, Ohio. Details to be announced.
Memorial donations in Richard’s name can be made to:
American Cancer Society P.O. Box 6704
Hagerstown, MD 21741
https://donate.cancer.org/?campaign
Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum Aquarium
Educational Programs
P.O. Box 1580
Sanibel FL, 33957
https://donorbox.org/bmnsmeducation
or call (239) 347-5112
Alzheimer’s Foundation
322 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10001