Robert E. Sprinkel

A gentle, humble man, Bob loved his family and friends. His wife of 35 years, Antoinette (Toni) Miller Sprinkel, was by his side as he fought cancer and Parkinson’s-like Multiple System Atrophy for the last ten years, and will miss him so much. His son, Michael (wife, Mary), daughter, Katharina Stewart and grandchildren Jonathan, Erik and Laura, were very special to him. He is also survived by his sister, Jane New, of Knoxville, Tennessee, and his niece Elizabeth New and nephew David. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Agnes and Eugene Sprinkel.

He graduated from Germantown High School, University of Cincinnati, and earned an MBA from the University of Dayton. His career was spent at Frigidaire before he retired and became an entrepreneur as part owner of a laundromat in Riverside, Ohio.

For many years, he was a weekly reader for WORDS (now part of the Goodwill in Dayton), where he would read on the radio for an hour to help sight-impaired people. He enjoyed the arts, and Toni and Bob often hosted visiting Dayton Opera singers in their home. He really liked going to the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performances, too. As a supporter of the community, he was a member of the Dayton Art Institute and a donor for many local charities including Culture Works, Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, the Dayton Foundation, Goodwill, Hospice of Dayton, University of Dayton, Think TV, WDPR public radio, University of Cincinnati, DayBreak, the Salvation Army, the Parkinson’s Foundation and Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Bob was a generous man with both his time and his money.

Bob enjoyed watching sports—he called it educational. A big supporter of University of Dayton Basketball, he rarely missed a game in person or on television. College football was also a favorite, and he was a season ticket holder to the Dayton Dragon’s baseball games since they first began in 2000.

There was hardly a person that Bob didn’t know—he had no trouble making friends of everyone he met. He was curious and always learning as an avid reader and viewer of The Travel Channel and Story TV. He enjoyed traveling in all fifty states and over 70 countries—seeing the Pyramids in Egypt was a highlight. If he was invited to a wedding or event out of town, he always made an effort to go. He brought people together. For years, he has hosted a family reunion for both his mother’s and his father’s families. Some cousins would never have known each other, except for Bob’s efforts. On Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, friends and sometimes family who didn’t have a place to go that holiday, would get together at the Sprinkel home for dinner.

Visitation at Tobias Funeral Home 2-4pm on Sunday, January 7th, 5471 Far Hills Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45429, as well as from 10-10:30am on Monday, January 8th with a Celebration of Life service to follow at 10:30am, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 4865 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, Ohio. The service on Monday will be live streamed at https://emmanuellc.org/ with burial following at Germantown Union Cemetery.

Bob will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Emmanuel Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, the Agnes M. and Eugene R. Sprinkel Memorial Scholarship at the University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, Ohio 45469-7052, or to your favorite charity.