Dennis Oswald

Denny Oswald was born in Dayton, Ohio to James Oswald, a 40-year employee of Ohio Bell, and Donna Jessiop, a draftswoman at TRW Globe. His teenage years were spent with his mother, step father, Al Caton, and step brother Allen on their farm north of Dayton learning the hard work of grooming, raising and breeding Arabian horses, along with the joy of riding and showing them at horse shows around the state.

He graduated from Wright State University “on the 10-year plan” majoring in mathematics and computer science. He was very active in his fraternity, serving as President and developing close friendships and brothers for life. He worked as a programmer at the University and various companies around the Dayton area. He spent a year in Phoenix, but felt called to come back to Dayton, and got a job at Third National Bank. It was there that he connected with one of his IBM Systems Engineers and asked her out for a drink. Ten years later, he married Carol Johnson Oswald who was his wife for 34 years.

After moving to Columbus in 1991, he and Carol bought bikes to find an easy way to get some exercise. Denny was always seeking ways to make his bike more comfortable, which led to taking them apart, rebuilding them, finding new parts, new frames, and exploring the world of recumbent bicycles - the ultimate comfort machine.

His skills in maintaining bikes meant he could help others get their bikes in good shape. He began consulting at Bicycle One in Gahanna to support them selling and spreading the word about recumbent bikes. Many of those who brought those bikes wanted to ride with others. Thus began the Sunday ride group that explored together the many rail trails around Ohio and beyond. Some of Denny’s favorite cycling trips were to Niagara Falls, Washington, DC, and along the Allegheny River.

When Denny’s neighbor and good friend, Roland Hall, worked for the city of Gahanna, they discovered that they could refurbish used and discarded bikes and donate them to various charities and those in need. Denny would do the mechanical work, and Roland would polish them and pump the tires. They were quite a team, and made many, many people over the years happy to have wheels to get them around.

Denny’s collection of bicycle parts and frames made him renowned in the area. He would regularly get calls to see if he had a particular part of a special vintage. He kept the bikes for everyone around him in good repair, and built up new bikes for anyone who needed one. There was never any charge for his services, though the appreciation of the owner would often be shown in home-grown tomatoes, baked goods and a six-pack of his favorite beer.

He was known as the Bicycle Repair Man, though his family also dubbed him a Bicycle Evangelist.

He put up the biggest fight of his life against pancreatic cancer. He continued to ride as long as he could, riding many miles in the neighborhood throughout his difficult treatments. He succumbed to the spread of the cancer peacefully at home with his wife, sister-in-law, and a longtime friend.

Surviving are his wife, Carol, brother-in-law Gary (Fran) Johnson, sister-in-law, Gail (Joe) Rinderknecht, sister-in-law Kathy Caton, and six loving nephews and nieces along with their spouses and partners and a great-nephew and niece.

Donations can be made in his honor to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy or The James Cancer Hospital at the Ohio State University.