Richard Leroy Votaw

Richard Leroy Votaw, age 88, passed away September 6, 2022. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, on August 20, 1934 to the late Lester and Janice Votaw. In addition to his parents Richard was preceded in death by his son, Larry Votaw; his wife and mother of his three children, June Votaw; and brother, Edward Votaw. After June's death Dick was remarried to Beverly Tarzinski who also preceded him in death.

Dick is survived by his children: Linda (Peter) Herrmann and Adam (Sharon) Votaw; grandchildren: Danielle (Todd) Clemmer, Candace (David) Hartman, Pete (Jennifer) Herrmann, Caleb Herrmann, Sam (Paige) Herrmann, Alison (Kevin) Knieriemen, Audrey (Corey) Colligan, Jeremy (Vallee) Votaw, Elizabeth (Mark) Poe, and Nathan Votaw; 12 great-grandchildren; sister, Carol Jean Colchin; nieces and nephews: Katrina and Christopher, Martyn, Christopher, Barnaby, and Damian, and Janet; life-long friend, Fred Cronin, and many other family and friends all over the world.

Dick grew up in Dayton and graduated from Wilber Wright High School, class of 1952. Shortly after graduating he served in the navy as an electronics technician in Naval Aviation. He was stationed in London, England, where he met his beloved wife, June. After returning to the states, Dick continued his career in engineering on the East Coast, eventually making his way back to Dayton, where he spent several years working for NCR.

Dick always had a deep love for two things, ice cream and people. He found the perfect marriage through the ownership of three Baskin Robbins Ice Cream stores in the Dayton area. He and his wife, June, enjoyed 15 years scooping up plenty of double dip cones and hot fudge sundaes, along with being innovative and compassionate community leaders in Dayton during the 70s and 80s. In his later years, Dick worked for the US Postal Service and Think TV.

Gramps, the name given to him by his grandchildren, will always be remembered for his love and devotion to his family, his love for adventure and travel, and his love for old movies and R&B music. He had an uncontested ability to enjoy life with an invitation for all to enjoy with him. His witty humor created this inviting space and will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Richard's name to either the CLOVES foundation, https://clovessyndrome.org/ or the Dayton Alzheimer's Association https://www.alz.org/dayton.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, October 22, 2022 from 10:00am to 11:00am at the Newcomer North Chapel, 4104 Needmore Road, Dayton. A celebration of Life will follow at 11:00am.

To share a memory of Richard, or leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.