Richard O Zeigler

Mr. Richard O. Zeigler was born December 5, 1927 in Orangeburg, Kentucky, the second son of the late Emerson Mayhugh Zeigler and Hilda Tucker Zeigler. He was preceded in death by his brothers Emerson M. Zeigler, Jr., Thomas A. Zeigler, and Jerry L. Zeigler. He passed to eternal life peacefully at home at Wesley Village in Wilmore, Kentucky on Saturday April 30, 2022 at the age of 94. Richard will be remembered and celebrated for his sense of humor, love of family and friends, and his generous heart.

Richard was raised in Mason County on a beautiful family farm and graduated from Orangeburg High School in 1945. He attended Butler University in Indianapolis and Miami University in Middletown, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky during the Korean War (1950-1952). After military service he worked for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Lexington, then became the assistant sales manager of R.J. Reynolds in Indianapolis, where he met and married his wife, Diana Loer Hawkins, in 1959. Richard was a natural salesman, marketer and advertiser, and he eventually purchased the Miami Ohio Milling Company and formed R.O. Zeigler Enterprises, Incorporated, serving as president.

Richard enjoyed many interests in life, including auctioneering, Kentucky basketball and thoroughbred horse racing. He formed a racing partnership, WBBZ Racing Stable, with horses racing at Turfway Park, Keeneland and Churchill Downs. He was an avid tennis player and honed his skills at the Dayton Indoor Tennis Club and at the annual neighborhood tennis tournaments in Brittany Hills, Dayton.

He took great delight in music and the arts and served as vice president of the Dayton Opera Association. Richard sang throughout his life in church choirs in Dayton, Indianapolis, the Bay View Music Festival in Petoskey Michigan, and in Naples Florida. His more eclectic musical talents included playing the harmonica, violin, piano, banjo and the saw (with a violin bow!)

Richard Zeigler is survived by Diana H. Zeigler, his loving wife of 62 years, and three adult children: Dr. Margaret Mayhugh Zeigler of Alexandria, Virginia; The Rev. Richard Kimball Zeigler of Nashville, Tennessee; and Eleanor Loer Krieger, RD, LDN (Timothy) of Delmont, Pennsylvania. Six grandchildren called him Pappaw: Sarah, Libby, Abigail and Jack Krieger; and Jordan and Braden Zeigler. His family is especially grateful to his faithful caregivers, including George Wilson, Jessica Turley, Charlotte Scott and Sherry Fishback.

Services for Richard Zeigler will be held at the Knox and Brothers Funeral Home at 11:30 AM Saturday, May 7, 2022 with burial to follow in the Maysville Cemetery, Maysville, Kentucky. Visitation will be held at the funeral home on Saturday from 10:00 AM until the scheduled service time. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Orangeburg Christian Church in Orangeburg, Kentucky or Wesley Village in Wilmore, Kentucky. Condolences at knoxbrothersfuneralhome.com