Obituary of Gregory Earl Faulkner

Gregory Earl Faulkner’s suffering ended on February 6, 2018 at the age of 66 as he went home to Jesus. 

Greg, of Cuyahoga Falls, was adored by all who knew him.  The clichés of “his smile lit up a room” and “he never knew a stranger” were completely applicable to him.   He made the world a better place because he was in it. 

Born in Barberton, Ohio on February 4, 1952, Greg was raised in a home his father designed and built himself.  He lived for visits to his grandmother’s house on a mountain in Gauley Bridge, WV, where he could listen to the rain on the tin roof while eating his favorite sour cherry pie.  Greg graduated from Barberton High School in 1970.  He loved the Beatles, The Andy Griffith Show, Monty Python, classic movies, trains, ‘57 Chevys, and animals. 

Greg made his living for many years as an exceptional singer in the local bar/lounge scene, which is where he met the love of his life, Leslie.  His voice, vibrato, harmony, and sheer musicality were beyond compare.  Self-taught by ear, he sang and played the piano, drums, guitar, and banjo.  Once baby Emily came along, he joined the Summit County Sherriff’s Office as an emergency dispatcher, from which he retired. 

Greg will be remembered for his silly nature, hilarious wit, beautiful smile, generous spirit, musical talent, and genuine kindness.  Preceded in death by parents, Earl and Maxine, he is already deeply missed by his devoted and cherished wife of 41 years, Leslie, treasured daughter and son-in-law, Emily & Daniel Nordick, sister, Elizabeth Bassett, sister-and-brother-in-law, Shelby & Myron Lindsey, cousins, and beloved nieces and nephews who he’d fondly refer to as “the kids”. 

Calling hours will be held Friday, February 9th from 4pm to 6pm at Redmon Funeral Home in Stow.  A celebration of Greg’s life will immediately follow.

A special thank you to the medical and support staff at Bath Creek, Summa Akron City Hospital, and Summa Palliative Care/Hospice for your compassionate care.  To Dr. Nyk Pidhorodeckyi, not only do you save lives, you make them worth living, for patients and their families.  Thank you for all you do.  And to Wayne Calabrese, Greg’s singing partner and dear friend, our gratitude for you knows no bounds. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Greg’s name to the Lewy Body Dementia Association (https://www.lbda.org/donate).  LBD is a horrifying disease.  We don’t want anyone else to ever have to go through the suffering that Greg did.  More research needs done to better understand the disease, provide better comfort care, and ultimately, someday, find a cure.