Richard J. (Dick) Heckel

Richard J. (Dick) Heckel passed away on August 30, 2016 from complications of a stroke he experienced the week before while playing Bingo at his Rockynol residence. He was 81.
Richard is survived by sister, Elizabeth Faulkner; brother, Frank Heckel (Jerilynn Ferguson); nieces, Christy Heckel (Craig Hart) and Teresa Lindsey (Gary); great-nephews, Hunter and Zachary Hart and Nicholas Lindsey. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elizabeth (Hohl) Heckel; brother, John; and brother-in-law, James Faulkner.
Richard was born June 7, 1935 in Akron, Ohio. He graduated from Garfield High School class of 1953 and served in the United States Army.
Richard "did it his way." He said he didn't always take the best care of himself and thought he probably wouldn't live past 50, so he considered it a bonus to live 31 more years! He enjoyed the many family get-togethers over the years and had quite the spirited personality. Richard had an innate intelligence, loved music, loved to tease and joke with people, liked to ask people questions to start a discussion, dealt some cards in his life, and found a lot of enjoyment going to Internet Cafes for a little coffee, socialization and Keno for many years before Ohio closed most of them.
Visiting hours will be at the Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel from 1:00-200 p.m. Saturday. The funeral service will follow, to begin at 2:00 p.m. Richard will be buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park.
We will miss his warm smiles, the twinkle in his eyes when he greeted you, his beautiful singing voice and his mischievous sense of humor. (Billow FAIRLAWN Chapel)