Richard Bryan Wallick

Richard Bryan Wallick, 75, passed away peacefully at the Hospice of Dayton care facility May 19, 2021. Richard (Rick) was born in Canton, Ohio, May 2, 1946, to Richard W. and Madeline A. Wallick.



A 1964 graduate of Columbus Brookhaven High School, as a senior Rick was honored to be the school’s representative to Buckeye Boys State. He was a gifted musician on trumpet and piano and also excelled in compositions for jazz band. Rick had a great passion for the progressive jazz of Stan Kenton. While in high school he attended a workshop at the University of Indiana under the direction of Mr. Kenton. One of Rick’s academic strengths included his proficiency in foreign languages. This led him to major in both Spanish and Russian at The Ohio State University (1964-68).



He was a four-year member of the OSU marching band and earned a full-tuition scholarship in the university’s Reserve Officers Training Corps. Rick was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army and immediately sent to language school at Fort Ord, California. There he received intensive instruction in the Korean language. He was then deployed to Korea as a military intelligence officer and while abroad promoted to captain. Rick returned home and continued to write his music. In 1972 he won first prize in the Army’s jazz band composition contest.



Rick was honorably discharged and soon found employment with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. His primary responsibilities were to find employment opportunities for military veterans. After many years of service, he retired from that position and for the past ten years had been living in Dayton, Ohio.



Rick was a very generous man who loved his family. Both his father and mother preceded him in death. He is survived by his brothers, Scott (Lorna), Michael (Diane), Timothy (Brenda); five nephews, Bryan, Michael, Blake, Benjamin, Kevin; and niece, Rebecca. A private graveside service will be held at the family burial site in the Grandview Union Cemetery, Strasburg, Ohio.