Richard Bohr

Richard H. Bohr, 97, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, died on August 5^th following a brief illness. Dick is survived by his wife of 47 years, Georgette B. Bohr; his nieces, Gretchen Browne-Courage (Karen) of Northampton, MA; Katherine A. Bohr of Bethel, ME; and Sarah H. Bohr of Atlantic Beach, FL; nephews, Jeffery F. Brusak of Denver, CO and James A. Brusak (Michelle) of Pueblo, CO; and sister in law, June K. Brusak of Seven Hills, OH. Dick was predeceased by his parents, Harry B. and Miriam A. Bohr; his older brother, Kenneth A. Bohr, sister in law, Gwyneth G. Bohr; and his great niece, Meredith A. Alexander.

Dick graduated from Ohio Wesleyan, class of 1943, with a B.S. in pre-med, missing his graduation ceremony as he was called to duty and attended Officer Training School. He served in China in the Army until 1946.

Dick was a snow sport enthusiast and ski industry fan. He first started skiing out the back door of his family’s home in Boston on the golf course next door.  When he moved to Cleveland after the service to earn his MBA at CWRU, finding ski buddies was difficult. He joined the international student group and made three lifelong friends with whom he skied regularly. Dick joined the Cleveland Ski Club, and as President, organized the purchase of land which became a local ski area. He became officer and director of the Central United States Ski Association and in 1960, served as Assistant Secretary of Race for nordic events at the winter Olympics in Squaw Valley.

Dick made his mark in the ski industry and opened the first Ski Haus in 1963, a store with a technical operation that employed certified ski instructors and racers.  At the same time, Dick was a Vail Pioneer and worked with the developers of Vail as Vice President, Treasurer and a Director of Vail Associates. Dick opened a second store in 1964, eventually expanding to summer sports and changing the name to Ski and Sport Haus that had several stores in northeast Ohio over the years.

His stores introduced ski, boot, and binding system checks and were known for offering a ski school for juniors which took buses of young people to ski areas. Dick also brought the GLM instruction, a short ski method, to the Cleveland area, which introduced hundreds of young adults to skiing. He owned his last store in Chagrin Falls until 2005. Dick was ethical and kind and was always willing to help others, including the people with whom he worked at his ski shops. He was a mentor to his young employees, many of whom kept up with him over the years.

As a member of the United States Ski Association Central Division, Dick helped to develop a Skiers Code of Conduct in the early 1970’s for the growing ski industry. He was also a co-founder of the Sports Specialists Limited buying group which started with a small group of ski shops and expanded nationally and still operates to this day. He was President for seven years and was voted a lifetime director.

Dick was a sports enthusiast and he skied and played tennis regularly with Georgette into his late 80’s. He also loved camping, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. He spent many summers later in his life on family camping trips with Georgette, his brother and sister in law, Ken and Gwyneth, and his nieces and their families on the Rangeley Lakes in Maine.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 1^st at 2:00 p.m. in the Chautauqua Room at South Franklin Circle, 16575 S. Franklin St., Chagrin Falls. Cremation by DeJohn Crematory.