Richard Deitch

Richard H. Deitch, 80, of Worthington, Ohio, passed away Sunday, October 11, 2020, at home. Survived by beloved wife, Barbara “Bobbi,” daughter, Linda (Andrew) Resnik, granddaughter, Melanie; and brother Louis (Sharon) Deitch, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He is predeceased by his father, Samuel, and his mother, Lea, who passed away this summer at age 107.

Richard grew up in Coney Island (Brooklyn, NY) and married Barbara Fried in 1961 in The Bronx. He later graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in metallurgy. As a materials scientist, he specialized in crystal growth and invented a patented method of growing crystals, "Liquid-Phase Epitaxial Growth Under Transient Thermal Conditions," as part of his work for GTE Labs in Bayside, NY. He moved his family to the Columbus area in 1974 to work for Ashland Chemical and later at Battelle and at Crysteco in Wilmington, Ohio, after which he continued to be a consultant in his field for Virginia Semiconductor, Inc. As part of a three-man team, in 2000 he published "Bulk single crystal growth of silicon-germanium" in the Journal of Electronic Materials.

He was a talented piano player and songwriter and managed a new wave band locally in the late 1970s-80s, pressing singles on vinyl with his company Major Label Records, Inc. He loved solving crossword puzzles, bowling, gardening, watching golf, playing the lottery, and making up puns. He collected rocks and minerals for many decades and enjoyed mining for pyrite specimens in Duff Quarry in Huntsville, Ohio. Richard also was an exceptional grandfather.

The Deitch family would like to thank Columbus Oncology and OhioHealth Hospice for their care and support.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, a private service will be held with interment following in Flint Cemetery in Worthington. A memorial to celebrate Richard's remarkable life will be scheduled after the pandemic ends.

Donations in his memory are preferred to the PAN Foundation, panfoundation.org, to help prostate cancer patients pay for their treatment through grants.