News: Cedar Point historian David Francis passes away

http://www.legacy.com/ohio/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=18715063

I would like to send my personal condolences to the family.

I never meant him, but I remember watching the show he was involved with about Cedar Point. I believe it first aired around 1995 on PBS? He had a great love for CP.

OH NO!

He was a really awesome guy. I used to hang out at his office and talk to him for hours about Ohio's history. He had so much Cedar Point stuff, including some wax heads and some wooden "pirate" guys.

He gave me copies of every book he's ever written and signed most of them for me, too.

I think I'm going to have to pay my respects on Thursday. :(

This is truly a sad loss. If anyone knows of a donation fund (IE american red cross) etc that the family has designated on his behalf, please post it. I recall watching him present at the Merry Go Round Museum a while back. He was a great person. My condolences to the family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Save Ohio Strays, P.O. Box 16, Wadsworth, Ohio 44282, or the Medina County SPCA, P.O. Box 135, Medina, Ohio 44258

This really has no bearing on this man (who sounds like a great guy), but my grandpa actually passed away last month, very suddenly. It seemed as if, though he was 77, he had a lot more life to go in him. Anyway, this reminded me of my grandpa for 2 reasons: 1. He lived at the Maple Heights Retirement Community in Michigan, whereas Mr. Francis lived in the town of the same name; and 2. Based on David's age of passing, they both seem to have been taken at a sudden point in time.

In any case, empathy can only go so far. My heart and condolences go out to the family.

Well, David lived in Wadsworth for as many years as I can remember. He was born in Maple Heights. I'm going to miss stopping in and seeing him from time to time. Maybe his artifacts will go to the Town Hall museum in his memory?

^That would make a nice tribute.

He was definitely a man I would have liked to meet... My heart goes out to him and his family.

Maybe one of us could set up a paypal or something and if anyone wants to send in a couple of bucks, we could make a lump-sum donation to the Ohio Strays foundation. We could send it "from the members of pointbuzz.com" or something?

It wouldn't be officially PB endorsed, but if Walt or Jeff were OK with a member setting it up and talking about it on here, it might be a possibility.

Did anybody else notice that he passed away the day before the 75th anniversary of G.A. Boeckling's death. Boeckling was the man that really built Cedar Point up around the turn of the century. It was under him that the Hotel Breakers was built (1905). Also built in his time (1898-1931) was the Hotel Cedars (now employee housing), the Coliseum and the lagoons.

Interesting point. I hadn't noticed that.