Richard A Straus
The Kentucky Post, Wednesday, September 7, 2005
Richard A. Straus was a man of dedication.
"Whatever he decided he wanted to do, he went into full force. There was no
holding back," said his son, Richard Straus II, of Alexandria. Mr. Straus, a
former chief of the Highland Heights Volunteer Fire Department, died Tuesday at
Christ Hospital, Cincinnati. He was 71.
"He was instrumental in the Highland Heights department when it was formed in
the early '60s," Richard Straus II said.
While with the agency, he also worked to
foster cooperation among emergency personnel through the Campbell County
Firefighters Educational Association. "If, God forbid, there was a catastrophic
fire, all the firefighters in the area would know what to do," Richard Straus II
said.
Mr. Straus coached his son's peewee football team, the Campbell County Red
Devils. He also loved to garden. He was a member the Bonsai Society of Greater
Cincinnati. Trees he grew have been displayed at the Krohn Conservatory and the
Cincinnati Zoo.
"The trees are still alive and kicking," Richard Straus II said. Mr. Straus was
a pipefitter retired from Pipefitters Union Local No. 392, He was a member of
the Fort Thomas Masonic Lodge No. 808 F&AM and the Scottish Rite Indra
Consistory, Covington.
Survivors, in addition to his son, are
another son, William Lee Straus of Cincinnati, two grandchildren and one
great-grandchild.
Masonic services will be
at 10:15 a.m. Saturday at Muehlenkamp-Erschell Funeral Home, Fort Thomas, with
regular services following at 10:30 a.m. Visitation will begin there at 9 a.m.
Saturday. Burial will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Taylor Mill.
Memorials are suggested to the Campbell County Firefighters Education
Association, Inc., 10 Fire Training Drive, Highland Heights, Ky. 41076.