Richard E. Piriczky

Richard E. Piriczky, 79, of Toledo, died on June 22, 2011.

Born in Toledo during the Depression, a Hungarian brought up in the close Ethnic neighborhood of Birmingham. An average student who answered the call of the Air Force at seventeen before he graduated high school, like many of his friends. Richard left Toledo to enter into a conflict halfway around the world in a country he had never heard of, Korea. Trained as a Military Policeman he became fluent in Japanese and Korean and was honorably discharged in 1952 from the war with the Bronze Star and five Battle Stars.

A glass worker by trade, Richard was born with the gift of gab and also enjoyed working as a successful salesman during layoffs. One of his passions was baseball and whatever team Jimmie Leyland was coaching. He loved the Air Force, traveling, his family, watching the Science Channel, Military History and trying to read his way through all of the Stephen Ambrose books. However, he was no couch potato, workouts always came first and he had a lifelong affair with running and lifting weights with personal bests of 405 lb dead lifts, 415 lb squats and 330 lb bench press.

After the Korean War, Richard became a Cessna pilot, acquired his high school diploma and attended The University of Toledo. On his 75th birthday he walked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for the fourth time. He was a proud patron of the National Aviation Hall of Fame, was voted into the Birmingham Hall of Fame and still had time to be a Little League coach for his son. After retirement from LOF/Pilkington, he found many new interests, embracing his wife's love of science fiction and became a proud member of the International William Shatner Fan Club where he made many treasured friendships around the world.

Richard is survived by his wife of 25 years, Vickie; his three children Terry (Deb) Piriczky, Cindy (Ed) Brewer and Jackie Hill; six grandchildren, Chad (Mary) Piriczky, Brooke (Anthony) Varwig, Hollie Piriczky, Carrie Warchol , Nick (Jolene) Brewer, Sabrina (Jason) Cherry; and eleven great-grandchildren, Hallie, Bryson, Josie, Gia, Claire, Charlie, Kaleb, Alysia, Gene, Cheyenn and Zoe.

Richard remained close to his friends in the Birmingham neighborhood; although many of them preceded him in death. He was proud of his family and enjoyed the company of his wife's cousins and the Grubb-Royer family. He always had a joke or a way to make you smile. He will be dearly missed by everyone.

Friends and Family may meet at the front gates of Ottawa Hills Memorial Park, Central Ave. on Monday at 10:50 a.m. to join the family for a mausoleum service.

The family asks that anyone wishing to make contributions in Richard's honor to consider his love of animals and contribute to the Toledo Humane Society or your favorite animal charity.