Richard Duane KRIENS, Ph.D.

KRIENS, HAZEL, MYERS, VESTWEBER, CLARK, MEINTS, BUCHWALTER, QUINT, BAUMGARDNER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/10/2024 at 13:06:56

October 16, 1932 --- June 13, 2009

Richard Duane Kriens, age 86, passed away peacefully Thursday morning, June 13, 2019 at Brethren Care Village following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Richard was born October 16, 1932 in rural Belmond, Iowa. Born to German immigrants, he was the first in his family to earn a college degree and was always a champion of the value of education. Richard graduated from Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) in December of 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. He earned a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) in November of 1963. Prior to receiving his BA, Richard took a break in his education when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, serving from August 1953 to June 1955. He earned a National Defense Service Medal during his enlistment. Soon after earning his BA, Richard started his professional career by teaching junior and senior high school science and math courses at Ruthven Consolidated School in Ruthven, Iowa from 1957 to 1958. While he was completing his Ph.D., Richard started work as an assistant professor of chemistry at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where he taught from 1963 to 1965. Richard moved to Ashland, Ohio in 1965 to teach organic chemistry at Ashland College (now Ashland University). After thirty-one years of teaching at Ashland University (AU), Richard retired in 1996, earning the title of Emeritus Professor of Chemistry. Following his retirement from AU, Richard worked for ten years in a part-time position at the quality control lab at Hess and Clark.

Richard married Linda (Hazel) Kriens on March 30, 1967. They raised three children; John, Heidi, and Rebecca; and recently celebrated their 52nd anniversary.

Richard is survived by his devoted wife Linda of Ashland, Ohio; children John Kriens of New York, New York; Heidi (Alan) Myers of New Philadelphia, Ohio; and Rebecca Kriens of Brecksville, Ohio; grandsons Eric Myers and Justin Myers of New Philadelphia, Ohio and Chase Kriens of Montclair, New Jersey; sisters Wilhelmine Vestweber and Joan Clark of Belmond, Iowa; sister-in-law Florence Kriens of Clear Lake, Iowa; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents John and Minnie (Meints) Kriens; parents-in-law Edward and Vanita (Buchwalter) Hazel; siblings Kenneth Kriens, Dorothy Quint, and Phyllis Baumgardner; brothers-in-law Otto Vestweber, John Quint, Jim Baumgardner and Airell Clark.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at 12:00 PM at Denbow-Gasche Funeral Home, 313 Center Street in Ashland, Ohio. Friends may call two hours prior to the service, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the funeral home. Interment at Dalton Cemetery in Dalton, Ohio will follow the services. Memorials may be made in Richard D. Kriens' name to the Alzheimer's Association. Denbow-Gasche Funeral Home & Crematory is handling the arrangements.

Times Reporter --- New Philadelphia, Ohio
June 29, 2019