Richard Andrew Haller

Richard Andrew Haller, Sr

Obituary

Richard Andrew Haller, age 86 formerly of Middletown, passed away Friday, March 31, 2017 at Gardens of Gainesville in Gainesville, Georgia. He was born October 10, 1930 in Cincinnati, the son of Hugo A. Haller and Alma Louise (Geisler) Haller. Richard was a veteran, serving in the U.S. Army.

He graduated from Walnut Hills High School in June of 1948, and attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. At DePauw, Richard was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and graduated with his B.A. in 1952. He completed his MBA in 1955 at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana.

He began his career at Armco, Inc. in 1955 as a Co-Buyer for construction equipment and over the course of almost 30 years held several purchasing and management positions in raw materials. While there he played a key role in the acquisition and development of several major coal and mineral projects, developed worldwide marketing strategies for coal and minerals and realized success in the export and sales of coal and iron ore contracts. Richard ended his tenure at Armco in 1984 as the Manager of Sales, Eastern Steel Division, where he was responsible for the sale of coal and iron ore. He continued his career in natural resources with Riverton Coal Company headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia.

A longtime member of Church of the Ascension in Middletown, he served on the vestry and was chairman of Every Member Canvass. Active in the community, he served as Troop Committee Chairman and Finance Chairman for the Boy Scouts, worked as Chairman of the Bicentennial Pageant and was on the Charity Ball Committee. Richard’s love of the outdoors was honed at an early age when he first attended Camp Fairview on Torch Light Lake in Michigan where he met his mentor Bernard Mason, who was the camp’s program director. Following his experience at Fairview he spent his summers as a camper and then a counselor at Camp Kooch-i-Ching located on Rainy Lake in Minnesota. The trips, experiences and awards he received at Kooch-i-Ching left an indelible impression on Richard and his friendship with Mason, who served as Kooch Director, was a very positive force in his life. Richard was the last remaining alum to have attended both Camp Fairview and Kooch-i-Ching. He was an avid collector of early American antiques and oriental rugs and accumulated a beautiful collection over the course of his life. Perhaps one of his most prized possessions was a small cannon he received as a gift from a business colleague. He loved being able to set it off on holidays and parties, which always made the celebration much more entertaining and at times brought a visit from the Middletown Police Department!

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 53 years, June Leighton Haller and his brother Hugh Robert Haller.

Richard is survived by two daughters, Margot (husband, Colin) Strong and Haven Sellars; a son, Richard A. Haller, Jr; six grandchildren, Kelli Brooks, Sarah Brooks, Leighton Strong, Brower Strong, Rye Haller and Jasmine Haller; two great grandchildren, Caris Daly and Maci Dunn.

Memorial services will be 1:00 pm Saturday, June 10, 2017 at the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 2709 McGee Avenue, Middletown, with Father David Bailey officiating. Burial, with military honors, will be at the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Please visit www.breitenbach-anderson.com to share a memory or condolence.