Richard T. “Tom” Sickel, age 84, of Edgerton, Ohio, passed away at 3:34 A.M. on Thursday, October 21, 2021, at Parkview Randallia Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after a brief illness.
Tom was a 1955 graduate of Caledonia High School and attended the Marion branch of The Ohio State University for a year in business studies.
Tom started working in the family grocery in Caledonia, Ohio, at the age of twelve, where he became an expert meat cutter and worked in the field for many years.
He managed restaurants for the former L&K restaurant chain and specialized in turning underperforming stores into successful ones.
He finished his working career at L.E. Smith Company in Bryan, Ohio, where he was known for his excellent craftsmanship with wood and plastics, and retired with twenty-three years of service to the company.
Tom was an avid Ohio State Buckeye, Cleveland Indians and Browns fan his entire life and always had a game on at home.
He enjoyed being involved in horse racing and was a daily scratch-off lottery player while hanging out with his buddies at the local shops. In his retirement he loved golf, cooking, keeping his lawn pristine and enjoyed woodworking.
He loved making fine furniture pieces that he proudly displayed and gave away. Tom taught his children a fine work ethic and to be self-reliant and independent.
He was a member of the Edgerton Church of Christ and loved and enjoyed his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and looked forward to every visit.
Richard T. “Tom” Sickel was born on July 7, 1937, in Bucyrus, Ohio, the son of Richard Kenneth and Georgianna (Hollenbaugh) Sickel. He married the love his life and wife of nearly forty-four years, Nancy Jo Hopkins, on January 8, 1978, at the Edgerton Church of Christ and she survives.
Surviving in addition to his wife are their children, Eric (Amy) Sickel, of Bryan, Ohio, Heidi (Jerry) Rhodes, of Edgerton, Kirsten (Mike Jordan)Osmun, of Edgerton, Jodee (Ron) Bunce, of Holland, Ohio, and Julie Jewell, of Toledo, Ohio; twelve grandchildren, James, Tanya, Amanda, Derek, Kurt, Tony, Kristopher, Craig, Kelsey, Scott, Jacob, and Kileah; eighteen great-grandchildren; a brother-in-law, Robert Sharrock, of Caledonia, Ohio; and several nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Barbara Sharrock; and one niece, Roxanne Sharrock.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 25, 2021, from 3:00-7:00 P.M. in the Krill Funeral Home, 114 East Hull Street, Edgerton. Services will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2021, at 11:00 A.M. in the Edgerton Church of Christ with Pastor Donny Goff officiating. Interment will follow in Maple Grove Cemetery, Edgerton.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to the Edgerton Church of Christ.
Tom’s entire family wishes to thank the staff at Parkview Hospital Trauma Unit for their love, kindness, compassion and hard work in caring for Tom during his illness, as well as the Williams County EMS First Responders.
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