Richard “Ozzie” Osswald was raised in Chadds Ford, graduated from Media High School, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Montana with degrees in fine arts and philosophy.

He was married to his soul mate, Helene (Hickey) Osswald, in 1972. On their first date as college students working at Buck Hill Inn, she said “We’re going to be together for the rest of our life.”

He is survived by three children: Erin (Robinson), Marblehead, Massachusetts; Ryan of Burlington, Vermont; and Bret of Park city, Utah; mother, Mary Ruth Osswald, and a sister, Janice Reidel, both of Rancho Bernado, California.

He published the popular local sports newspaper, Lehigh Valley & Pocono Sports Extra since 2001.

He loved sports and ran cross-country, track, played soccer, baseball, basketball and was a college wrestler and tennis player. His favorite sport was swimming, especially masters level swimming and ocean swimming as a member of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club in California. The family enjoyed boating and water skiing on Lake Wallenpaupack for 15 years, and snow skiing with his son, Bret, in Park City, Utah.

He hiked, camped, snowshoed, and cross-country skied all over Glacier National Park and loved to travel anywhere including: Mexico, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Canada, and the Caribbean.

He was the managing partner of Terra Verde LLC, which developed the first Keystone Opportunity Zone project in Monroe County, a nine acre business park on West Main Street in Stroudsburg.

He began his career as a self-employed commercial and studio artist in painting, sculpture, graphic arts, conceptual art, ceramics and fabric design for Adolfo, and has written and illustrated several children’s books. He was also a published poet.

He was a former Executive Director of the Pocono Family YMCA where he founded the first countywide youth soccer program with local soccer legend, Dale Marsh; the first age group swim team in 1976 and a masters level competitive swim team in 1980, all three of which are still in existence today. He developed the first pre-natal aquatic fitness program in the United States with Dr. DeQuevedo.

He was also chief operating officer of Shawnee Services Inc., and director of development at RKR Hess Associates.

Over the years he was a volunteer driver for Meals On Wheels and a past Pocono Mountain Chamber of Commerce Education Committee chairman. He served as a Stroudsburg Borough councilman, and was a member of the planning commission and zoning hearing board. He was a volunteer coach for youth athletics for over 25 years. He loved animals, especially Reggie, the handicapped cat, adopted in 2006.

A proud left-wing liberal, everywhere he lived he tried to care for elderly neighbors, checking in on them, doing minor chores, running errands, and asking for nothing in return.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Meals On Wheels of Monroe County or the Pocono Family YMCA, 809 Main St., Stroudsburg, PA 18360.

A celebration of Ozzie’s life will be held at a future date and will be announced in this paper.

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