Donald R. Schick

Donald “Don” R. Schick crossed the finish line on March 23, 2020. Don started his race on April 24, 1934 in Cleveland, Ohio as the first child of the late Nancy (Kelso) and Roland Schick.

Don, for the most part, grew up in the “Old Brooklyn’ area of the west side of Cleveland, with a few stints in Florida as well. He attended Rhodes High School but graduated from Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida. He went to the boarding school so he could play sports. His father was travelling the eastern US doing books for the Federal Government and his mother would not sign the permission slips to play. While in the ROTC program, he earned a bachelor degree from The Ohio State University in Comprehensive Social Studies and a master degree in education from Kent State University. In the Army Reserve, Don was stationed at Fort Knox in the 3rd Armored Division and rose to the rank of Captain.

Don married the late Mary E. Dzuranin on August 25, 1956. They had four children, Roland, Elizabeth, Christopher and Barbara. There are/were five grandchildren. Roland and Mary (Quinlan) had three children, Carley, Donald “DJ” and Paul. Barbara and the late Eric Puder had two sons, Justin and the late Jason. There are three great grandchildren: two from DJ and Ashley (Ragland), Maddox and Cohen; one from Justin, Finn. Chris is married to Gina (Woodling). Elizabeth is married to Kim Kelly.

Don and Mary enjoyed having large gatherings of family and friends. The fall clam bake was regularly attended by Carol and the late Tony Schick, Anna and Ed Plotnikiewicz, Carol and Mike Dzuranin, and Dolores and John Wenrick.

Before beginning his long career in public education, Don sold insurance, Schick and Sons Insurance. Neither son nor daughter ever sold insurance. In his educational career, he served as a teacher, counselor, principal and superintendent at numerous public schools including Westlake, North Ridgeville, Brookside, Oberlin, New London, Hicksville and Huron County Schools Office. Three of the four children work in education.

Don was a sports fan of whatever sports his children and grandchildren were playing. He was also a fan of ALL the Cleveland professional sports teams and The Ohio State Buckeyes. He had season’s tickets to the Browns and Buckeye football. In his fifties, Don renewed his personal participation in sports as he entered many road races from 5K all the way to the Columbus Marathon. He also competed in Senior Olympics all over the USA.

Don’s celebration of life will be Sunday, November 20, 2022 at the Eastman Funeral Home, 200 West Main Street, New London.  There will be a rosary at 3:00 p.m., with calling hours from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A funeral mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, November 21, 2022 at Our Ladies of Lourdes Catholic Church, 18 Park Avenue, New London. Burial will be at Grove Street Cemetery in New London immediately after the mass.

A luncheon will be provided at Our Lady of Lourdes after the burial.  Online condolences may be shared at www.eastmanfuneralhome.com.

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