Richard Harold Wettach

Dr. Richard Harold Wettach was born on November 27, 1943 in Canton, Ohio. From an early age he had always expressed a fascination for science and the natural world. His curiosity at a young age lead him to hunt fossils, catch and identify insects and other local flora and fauna as well as read and learn about the flora and fauna of the world. As he grew older he developed and interest in chemistry as well as electronics. Salvaging old electronic devices to construct new gadgets as well as learn and experiment with chemistry in his parent's basement, often to the amusement and entertainment of his sister and cousins. This interest in the natural world and the sciences would lead him to become quite an adept student in those subjects as well as mathematics. Upon graduating he attended college, initially pursuing a degree in engineering but found this subject to not be the fit he was looking for in what we know today as STEM fields. His early college experience was interrupted by a conscription notice for the Vietnam War, which he received as he withdrew for a semester. From 1964 to 1966 he served in the US Army stationed in Saigon with the 9th Med Lab. After being honorably discharged he eventually enrolled in the University of Akron where he pursued his undergraduate degree in chemistry, recalling his lifelong interest in the subject. It was as a graduate student, teaching Organic Chemistry courses that he met the woman whom would be his wife for 45 years, Mimi. They would fall in love and get married on December 8th, 1979. A year later Richard would obtain his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Akron, teach briefly at the University of Toledo before going into industry. Richard and Mimi had a son on September 9th, 1983 named Bryan whom would find a similar interest in the natural world and the sciences. Working in both agriculture and pharmaceuticals, Richard would retire early and spend his time pursuing his hobbies in collecting, studying paleontology and botany as well as other cerebral and intellectual pursuits as well as doting on his beloved silver tabby cat, Lucky. On August 23, 2025 he passed away at the age of 81, greeting a golden sunrise and surrounded by his family. He will be missed and his memory cherished by his wife, son and all his extended family and friends.