Obituary of Robert E. Dauchy

Robert E. “Bob” Dauchy, 71, of Taylors, S.C., passed away suddenly in the early afternoon of February 18, 2016 at Greer Memorial Hospital in Greer, South Carolina. Born in Akron, Ohio, on September 20, 1944, the eldest son of the late Harold and Lucille Dauchy, Bob spent his formative years growing up in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. He left home to proudly serve his country in the Vietnam War as a decorated Staff Sgt. in the United States Air Force, and spent eight years fulfilling his duty at home and abroad. While overseas, he met the woman who would become his loving wife of 47 years in Sydney, Australia. At the conclusion of his service, he returned home to the Akron area where he joined his family’s business, The J.R. Shoup Locksmith Company. He then moved to Stow, Ohio, after also passing the test to become a firefighter in that city in 1973. He was promoted to Captain in 1978, and was named Chief in 1982. He was a member of the Stow Fire Department for 25 years and retired in January 1999 after serving as Chief for 16 years. Chief Dauchy was well known for planning construction of the city’s Safety Building in 1995 and starting a full-fledged Emergency Medical Service in Stow with the hiring of the city’s first paramedics in 1990. Besides serving as Chief, he also had a long resume that kept him busy during his career, including: President of the Summit County Fire Chief's Association, member of both the Ohio Fire Chiefs' Association and International Association of Fire Chiefs, founder of the Summit County Hazardous Materials Response Team in 1986, served as Summit County Special Operations Response Team Chairperson, recipient of the Summit County Highpoint Award for Dedicated Service to the Summit County Hazardous Materials Response Team, certified SCUBA diver and a member of the dive team, member of the Summit County Local Emergency Planning Committee, past trustee for Aluminum Cans for Burned Children (ACBC) Program, graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program and recipient of Ohio House of Representatives' Commendation for Outstanding Work with the Summit County Hazardous Materials Response Team Upon his retirement in 1999, he relocated with his wife for the next ten years to Merimbula, NSW, Australia, where he spent time as a local safety advocate, and President of the local tennis club, while also enjoying golf, travel, his extended family and his faithful dogs. He returned to the United States in 2009, to be closer to his grandchildren and his youngest son who had returned from two tours of duty in Iraq. There, he took residence in Taylors, S.C., where he became a fixture of the community. In addition to participating in helping to complete the National Census on a state and local level, he also came out of retirement to serve as a special needs bus driver for Greenville County Schools. The co-workers, children and families he encountered during his three years of service touched his heart profoundly. Even after his retirement last year, he still maintained contact with many of those who impacted his life. His infectious laughter, gregarious demeanor and kind soul will be missed by everyone who was fortunate enough to have known or encountered him in life. “His lord said unto him, Well done, you good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:21 He is survived by those who loved him and will cherish his memory always: his wife, Susie; sons, Derek and Andrew; brother, Thomas; sister-in-law, Carol; daughter-in-law, Anne; and grandchildren Jackson and Delaney. A memorial service, including The Last Alarm and military honors provided by the US Air Force, will be held Thursday 7 PM at Redmon Funeral Home, where friends may call from 3 PM until service time. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation firehero.org.