Timothy A. Riedel

Timothy Alan Riedel, 62, passed away suddenly from a health emergency on March 7, 2023. He will remain an indelible part of the lives of those who knew him. A million memories, hilarious and poignant, survive him.

Tim, or as his close friends called him, “Mr. Riedel,” had an idyllic childhood along the Oswego River in upstate New York. It was the era of free-range children, and to hear him tell it, life was like a cross between Huckleberry Finn and the L’il Rascals. In his early teens, his family moved to Parma, and Tim matriculated at Valley Forge High School. He went on to graduate from the Honors College at Kent State University, as well as from Ray’s Place (“You can’t get a beer at McDonald’s but you can get a burger at Ray’s”). He majored in Philosophy, proving that the world really does need philosophers. After that, law school at Ohio State. As a law clerk during law school, he met Vickie Rush. They were married in 1988, beginning 34 years of what Tim referred to as “ever-increasing marital bliss.”

After law school, he began a 36-year career as an attorney, all of it at a firm that eventually became Bailey Cavalieri. Tim worked primarily in the bankruptcy field. He loved the intricacies of the bankruptcy code, which is understandable because Tim was able to see the beauty in everything. He was the eternal optimist; no situation, however grave, lacked a silver lining, or a way out.

Tim led a distinguished career. There was never a more tenacious advocate, and he took no shortcuts. He loved and respected the rule of law, and couldn’t imagine ever retiring.

Tim was a lector at St. Timothy Church, where he was a longstanding and active member. He volunteered his legal services to a group called Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves, advocating for service members who faced adverse employment situations because of their service.

He did not live his life in the pursuit of public recognition or acclaim. There will be no monuments erected in his name. Much more important to Tim, he will be honored by how he made others feel, and his legacy will be in how they will remember him. He had the world’s most contagious laugh, often beginning as he was in the middle of telling one of his own stories. No one laughed harder or made others laugh as hard. Tim brought a unique joy to every party, the greatest host and the most fun guest. There was no greater road trip companion, no more generous person on a mission of mercy. As Tim might say, poker nights in his gazebo “will always not never be unforgotten,” low stakes but high laughs. Every lunch out with him was a conversational feast. He did not just listen with the intent to reply, he listened with the intent to understand. He was a great tipper. He was an oenophile who enjoyed sharing his bottles with friends. He loved a good P.I.N.O. (Price Is No Object). He studied Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the Three Stooges and Mr. Spock. He loved animals, raised and babysat many, many dogs and had a soft spot for bats. A film buff, he named “the Shining” as his favorite comedy. He was an audiophile who had his own mixing board, and his mix tapes were meticulously curated and recorded. His musical tastes ranged from Gregorian chants to Count Basie to Kraftwerk. But above all were the Beatles. John Lennon once appeared to him on a flaming pie. Or so he said.

He attended a baseball game in every major league city and was a lifelong fan of the Cleveland Indians. To Tim, a Guardian was a bridge abutment. He was the ultimate do-it-yourselfer. On his masonry projects, he dug his footers twice as deep as necessary and rebarred his rebar. The things he built could survive a zombie apocalypse, though he also had a soft spot for zombies, or at least their movies. His lovingly and painstakingly crafted chili was the best anyone had ever tasted, its coveted recipe now forever secret.

He loved his country. He believed in the essential goodness of the United States at its founding and beyond. He believed in Clarence Thomas’s words that “fighting spirit, not just civility, is wanted in American public life today.” During the “times that try men’s souls, “ he was no “sunshine patriot.”

He had firm convictions of right and wrong and lived his life accordingly. His love for the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings was deep and he argued passionately on their behalf. If you stood near Tim at Mass, you know that nobody prayed more loudly.

His belief in God and country were not passing thoughts but firmly held beliefs that animated his entire existence. He was a man of time-honored American and Catholic values and character. Traditional but extraordinary.

Predeceasing Tim were his father, Herbert G. Riedel, stepfather, Ernie Chontos, father-in-law, Bill Rush, and mother-in-law, Ann Rush, and numerous aunts and uncles, including favorite uncles Richard Friedl and Kenny Zychowski. Surviving him are the love of his life, Vickie, his mother, Ann Marie Zimon Riedel Chontos, a sister, Shelley (Bob) Kowalczyk, a brother, Kevin, brothers-in-law Mike (Diane) Rush and Kevin (Vicki) Rush, and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to St. Timothy Church.

Family will hold calling hours on Tuesday, March 14, from 4:00 to 7:00 at the SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST. A mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, March 15 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Timothy Church. Private interment will be held at a later date.