Richard Harold Ostberg

OSTBERG, Richard Harold, age 77, of Centerville passed away at his home on June 23, 2025, after a two year battle with cancer. He left this world peacefully and calmly, surrounded with the love and support of family.

Richard was born on July 16, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. He frequently expressed his gratitude about being born into a home filled with laughter and kindness. It was in this home where his father, Richard Senior, and his mother, Margaret Ferne, taught him the value of generosity, gratitude, and doing the “right thing.”

Richard spent his childhood in Cleveland but frequently visited his extended family in Dayton during the summer months. He graduated from St. Peter Chanel High School in Cleveland and continued his education at the University of Dayton where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering. Upon his graduation from UD, Richard served in the Army Corps of Engineers. Following his service commitment, he worked for various engineering firms before joining and working with the Mead Corporation. In this position, he worked on projects in Virginia, Arkansas, Michigan, Texas, and Ohio. Richard continued his career by teaming with several other engineers to establish their own Civil Engineering Firm. After retirement, Richard continued as a consultant for this firm in addition to mentoring young engineers. He proudly held his professional engineering license for 50 years.

Richard connected with others by asking questions. He pursued conversations to learn information about the individual, their workplace, or wherever the conversation led. He was naturally curious and he looked at every opportunity as a chance to learn something new. Details were important to Richard and he did not forget them! He could recall numbers, dates, places, people and historical events. He understood how things worked and he was eager to share these details with others. He had a vast knowledge of many things and seemed to have an answer for everything. His grandsons often said, “go ask Grandpa, he will know!”

As a child, Richard had a train set and his fascination with trains continued into adulthood. He knew the history of different train lines and where the rails traveled. He was interested in old train depots and would stop to visit them when on vacation. During retirement he constructed an elaborate train layout in his home garage. He enjoyed watching his grandchildren run the engines and problem solve when operation systems failed to work correctly.

Another of Richard’s interests was ancestry. He researched and recorded his family’s lineage. He compiled a family tree and made contact with some of those individuals to learn more about the family. In addition to the compilation of stories about family members, he recorded the history behind preserved legacy pieces so the stories would not be lost.

Richard’s code of living was simply to do the right thing. He was the first to help but the last to talk about it. Richard lived his life as a quiet and steady leader. He was humble, intelligent, methodical, generous and unassuming. He was quick to think but slow to speak. Richard always rooted for the underdog and always gave more than he took.

Richard took great pride in his marriage of 49 years to his wife, Virginia. Together they welcomed 3 children and 5 grandchildren into the world. He believed his role as a parent was to support his children’s interests and to help them get through the hurdles which challenged their progress. He believed his children needed to achieve their own individual accomplishments, however he was always in the background supporting their efforts. It was important to him to provide opportunities as well as the safety net when needed.

Richard is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Virginia Yingst Ostberg. Her commitment to his dignified care was a testament to their mutual love. In addition, Richard is survived by his children: Phillip (Valerie) Ostberg, Lauren (Paul) Bizzarro, and Catherine (Nathan) Crago. He will continue to be adored by his grandchildren: Elliott, Theodore, Huxton, Kaiden, and Quinlan.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the providers at the Ohio State James Cancer Center for their guidance, leadership, and expertise. We also wish to thank the nurses at Hospice of Dayton for their compassion and care. To honor Richard, remember to show kindness, be grateful, and cherish the ones you love.

Richard’s family will host a celebration of life on Friday, July 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Routsong Funeral Home at 2100 E. Stroop Road, Kettering, OH 45429. A luncheon and memory sharing will follow.