The Akrotarian
eBulletin

Thomas Geopfert Sr., our much-loved husband, father, grand and great-grand father died peacefully, at home, with his family beside him on November 23, 2020 at the age of 91.

Thomas was born February 28, 1929 in Massillon, Ohio. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Canton and went on to Fenn College (now known as Cleveland State University) to earn a degree in Electrical Engineering. He married the love of his life, Roberta (Sue) Eden, on February 24, 1951 and they spent 69 incredible years together with their children and their families. Besides his wife he leaves behind, Karen (Everett) Woodall, Thomas (Jean) Geopfert Jr., Joseph (Linda) Geopfert, Kathie Callies, James (Ashley) Geopfert and their 14 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren who were the light of his life.

Thomas was the 2nd generation owner of The Geopfert Company in Akron which has been in business now for 67 years. It is family owned Commercial HVAC business where he served as President and Chairman of the Board. He also served on many organizations and committees to improve the HVAC industry.

He proudly served his country as a Sergeant in the US Army Air Corps from 1947 to 1950.

He contributed to many worthy causes. He was a lifelong member and President of Akron Rotary. He worked tirelessly for the Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs. He served on the Boards of American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Center for Economic Education at University of Akron and Junior Achievement.

He served as President of ARDB and Small Business Council. He was a long-standing member of the First Christian Church of Kent where he served as Chairman of the Board, Deacon and Elder. He received the First Small Businessperson of the Year Award in 1983 and an Honorary Alumni Award from the University of Akron.

Thomas was the family patriarch and the inspiration for his children’s efforts to give back to their communities. He was a man with a smile that could brighten any day. He was an avid reader and he lived for family gatherings big and small. How blessed we have been and how thankful we are for the love of God and family that he gave us.

A private family service will be held with burial at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. A celebration of his life will be scheduled for a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs (In Honor of Thomas Geopfert Sr.) 4460 Rex Lake Dr, New Franklin, OH 44319 or First Christian Church of Kent (In Honor of Thomas Geopfert Sr.) 335 West Main Street, Kent, Ohio 44240. Services in care of Bissler and Son's Funeral Home.

 

Mr. Brandenburg, father of Akron Rotarian Richard Brandenburg.

 

On November 27th, Richard wrote:

 

"Rest In Peace, Dad! You will be missed!  My dad went to be with the Lord early this morning after fighting an extended illness. Heaven gained a wonderful soul this morning."

 

 

 

Henry B. "Hank" Raber, father of Akron Rotarian Wanda Raber Whipkey, passed away on November 28, 2020.

 

Cards may be sent to Wanda at 18101 Jamesway, Doylestown, OH 44230

 

He was born April 10, 1941 in Orville, Ohio to Ben & Lizzie Raber. He was preceded in death by his wife, Veronica L. Raber.

Henry was the youngest of his 5 siblings. He appreciated the outdoors and was an avid lover of birds. He also enjoyed fishing and spending time at his lake home in Lakeville, Ohio.He retired from Bulkmatic Trucking where he spent 15 years driving truck in the Northeast Ohio and surrounding states. He shared memories that his old country songs brought to mind from his younger years and they made him smile. He also made a friend in Barney Hale; the dog who always loved him!

He was a member of the Orrville American Legion Post 282 and VFW Post 3446. Henry is survived by his 3 daughters; Wanda Whipkey (Gary, Jr.), Caryn Hale (Brian), Julie Frase (Stacy) son; Jerry Raber. 11 grandchildren; Autumn Carraher, Derek Sommers, Gary Whipkey III, Zachary Hale, Jordyn Williams, Amber Spitler, Paige Raber, Jerry Raber Jr., Dominic Frase, Aiden Raber, Richard Raber and 9 Great Grandchildren. The family would like to express our thanks for the support of Ohio Hospice Lifecare (Wooster Office).

Friends may call Thursday, December 3, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Auble Funeral Home, 512 E. Oak St., Orrville. Private family services will be held. Burial will take place at Rock of Ages Mennonite Church Cemetery. Visitors are asked to wear masks, practice social distancing, and adhere to the posted signs and spacing limitations. Seating may be limited.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Ohio Hospice LifeCare, 1900 Akron Rd., Wooster, OH 44691.

 

 

Guido Ralph Margida, father of Akron Rotarian John Margida, passed away on November 29, 2020.

 

Cards may be sent to John at 55 Nantucket Drive, Hudson, OH 44236

 

On Sunday, November 29, 2020, Guido Ralph Margida, 92, loving husband and father of six children, passed into the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will be remembered for his strong faith in God, his endless love and sacrifice for family, his passion for cooking, his compassion for feeding the hungry, and the cherished friendships of countless lives that he touched. Guido was born on January 15, 1928, in Akron, Ohio, to Antonio and Raffaella Margida. He married his sweetheart, Rose Sanfilippo, on June 30, 1949. This past year, they celebrated 71 years of marriage!

 

Guido and Rose lived in the Highland Square area of Akron for many years and moved to Manchester in 1972 and then to Coventry in 1997. Guido's life-long adventure in building his culinary skills began in the 1940's working at the Mayflower Hotel in Akron, serving our country in Japan as a cook for the U.S. Army and then at the Diamond Grille in Akron. Guido literally went from washing dishes to cooking the finest steaks in Akron. He would brag that in two years of cooking steaks at the Diamond Grille, he only had one steak returned to the kitchen! His work in the restaurant industry continued and several years later he and his brother-in-law, Jim Sanfilippo, opened the Regency Wine and Deli in Highland Square. In 1962, Guido started his long career in the tire industry working for General Tire and then Jetzon Tire in Akron. In 1972, he joined Goodyear Tire & Rubber and in 1981 was promoted to Rail System Manager for the entire U.S. It was then that he first learned how to use a computer and was tasked to travel the country to train other Goodyear employees on the use of that system. In 1985, Guido won an award for a product storage idea that provided Goodyear's customers with improved service and cost savings. In Goodyear in 1988, Guido organized an Adopt-A-Family program to help families in need. It was around this time that he realized his calling was "feeding hungry people". Responding to a newspaper ad later that year, Guido started cooking and serving food as a volunteer at the Haven of Rest in Akron. He formed the "Turkey Team", annually preparing 250 turkeys over Thanksgiving and Christmas for 15 years. A cherished family tradition was time spent with his children and grandchildren at the Haven of Rest on Thanksgiving mornings to prepare and serve meals for needy families. In 2007, he and Reverend Ben Walker started a fundraiser at the Haven of Rest, entitled "Dinner with Guido", feeding over 1000 people each year for five years.

 

Throughout their lives together, Guido and Rose participated in many organizations. Guido would generously give his time and talents as a servant leader, with Rose faithfully serving by his side. One such organization was the Sons of Italy. They were long time members and Guido served as the Vice President and then as President for several years. Guido was proud of his Italian heritage and loved to share it with others. Guido's instructions the minute hot food was served was always "Mangia!", an Italian word meaning "Eat!".

 

Guido believed in the Gospel message of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. Jesus Christ gave him peace, and Guido knew that he could call on Jesus at any time for help in this life which fueled his desire for others to know Jesus as their Savior. Guido and Rose were active members of The Chapel in Akron and their Adult Bible Fellowship family for over 30 years. Guido was preceded in death by his father, Antonio; mother, Raffaella; brother, Frank; sister, Rosie and grandson, Antonio. He is survived by his wife, Rose and their 6 children: Frank (Jan), Guido Jr. (Diane), Lynn (Scott), Anthony (Andrea), John (Mary), Jim (Paula); 18 grandchildren, Julie (Mark), Damon (Kasy), Dustin (Marissa), Nicholas, Angela (Billy), Meghan, Nick (Jennifer), Vince (Lindy), Lauren (Dan), Guido III (Natalie), Michaela, Benjamin (Kelly), Gregory, Maria (Matt), Matthew (Molly), Michael, John Jr., Joseph; 15 great-grandchildren, Noah, Guido IV, Mark, Katelyn, Tyler, Judah, Cecilia, Reagan, Dominick, Leo, Miles, Giuliana, Layla, Jaxon and Beatrice. Guido and Rose lived with and were lovingly cared for by Lynn Margida and Scott McKinney for four years prior to moving to The Village of St. Edward at Green. A heartfelt thank you is extended to all the caregivers at St. Edward and Summa Akron City Hospital for the care given to Guido over the last few months. Deepest appreciation and gratitude are also extended to Dr. Troy Bishop, who provided exceptional care for Guido as his primary care physician for the last 19 years. Private Funeral services will be held Friday, December 4, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. at the Anthony Funeral Home and private interment with Military Honors will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. The funeral and cemetery services will be live streamed at facebook.com/AnthonyFuneralHome. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Haven of Rest Ministries in Akron.