Dave Hess obituary

Complete obituary for Dave Hess, BJ Washington correspondent from 1971-1980.

There will be a graveside ceremony with military honors at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 29, at Forest Lawn Cemetery on E. Broad Street in Columbus for Dave.

Here’s the obituary, courtesy of former BJ Columbus Bureau chief Bill Hershey (and, later, for Cox Newspapers after Bill left the BJ to return to the Dayton Daily News), who lives in Columbus:

David 1933 – 2017

David Willard Hess, age 83, died July 19, 2017 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The son of Willard Cary Hess and Ruth Marling Hess, David was born in Moundsville, WV on September 19, 1933.

He is preceded in death by his parents and by his wife, Dorothea (West), children, Laura and Daniel, sister, Mary Kay Rogers, his dear childhood friend, John Stewart, and his ever-loyal pet Boxer, Champ.

He is survived by nephew, Darren (Laura) Burnham; nieces, Kathryn Burnham and Mary Lynn (Harry) Hicks; great-nephew, Nathan (Molly) Hicks; great-nieces, Carly Hicks, Kate Burnham, Kerry Burnham, Bryn Burnham; dear friends and esteemed colleagues.

As the son of a newspaper man, David was naturally curious about the stories his father covered and his curiosity along with his love of people and the world around him defined his military, professional and personal life and accomplishments.

David served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and he retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1989, having achieved the rank of Commander.

David earned a bachelor's degree in Geology in 1958 and a master's degree in Political Science in 1964 from The Ohio State University.

Following his father's footsteps into news reporting, he worked for the Akron Beacon Journal from 1971-1980 as the newspaper's Washington correspondent. David and his family relocated to Springfield, Virginia where he worked for Knight Ridder Newspapers, Washington Bureau from 1981 to 1988, as assistant editor and congressional, political, and White House correspondent.

He was the recipient of several awards, including the Worth Bingham prize for investigative journalism, 1978, and the grand prize for consumer journalism from the National Press Club, 1978.

He went on to serve as president of the National Press Club in 1985.

"Uncle Dave" relocated from Springfield to Columbus in 2013 to be with family and friends.

Graveside service and internment 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2017 at Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens, 5600 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43213. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to The Humane Society of the United States, or to its local chapter of Donor choice. Arrangements by RUTHERFORD-CORBIN FUNERAL HOME. To leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.rutherfordfuneralhome.com .

Published in The Columbus Dispatch on July 23, 2017