Calvin Wesley Bristley

Apr 28, 1926 — Jul 6, 2014

Calvin Wesley Bristley Jr., 88, of Fremont passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 6 at his home. Cal was born on April 28, 1926 to Calvin and Helen (Fazesi) Bristley in Fremont.

While a student at Fremont Ross High School, Cal was a member of the swimming team that won the Ohio State Swimming Championship. Graduating from Ross High in 1944, Cal enlisted in the Army Air Force at the age of eighteen. He served in World War II as a radio operator before being honorably discharged in 1945. Upon returning to Ohio, he enrolled at Ohio University in Athens before transferring to the University of Cincinnati, where he wrote for law review and received a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1951.

Cal met Patricia R. Huntzinger at the Fremont Centennial Pageant in 1948. The couple were married in Auburn, Indiana on November 24, 1950. Cal and Pat were married for sixty-three years and had three children, Rebecca, Eric, and Rachel. Rebecca Jungen is an ESL Specialist in San Antonio, Texas and a mother of two. Eric Bristley is a pastor in Willows, California and a father of four. Rachel Bristley-Rubin is a bassoonist in the Bahia Blanca Symphony Orchestra in Argentina and a mother of two.

Cal worked as an attorney-at-law in Fremont for his entire professional career, based out of the C. Wesley Bristley Law Office on High Street. He was a member of the Sandusky County Bar Association and served on the Ethics Committee of the Ohio Bar Association. In addition, he served as the secretary of the Sandusky County Law Library, and was the only lawyer in Ohio to organize and run his own Continuing Law Education (CLE) program.

As the City Solicitor of Fremont for roughly twenty years, Cal advised the city on many issues, including the purchasing of the appropriate amount of land to expand Fremont Ross High School. He was the head of the Republican Party of Sandusky County, and briefly served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives.

Apart from his legal and civic pursuits, Cal was a vital part of the Fremont community. For sixty years, he was a member of Kiwanis, and was a vital fixture of their annual pancake festival. He was the President of the Sandusky County YMCA (and a lifelong member), where he could often be seen swimming. He was a member of the Christian Businessmen's Association, the Ball Street Literary Society, and Moose Lodge 1555. As a committed member of Grace Lutheran Church, he taught Sunday School for many years and served on the church board. Cal was a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ.

Cal enjoyed jogging in Spiegel Grove, swimming at the YMCA, and watching a Cleveland Browns game.

Cal is survived by his wife, Patricia; children, Rebecca, Eric, and Rachel; daughter-in-law, Kathleen; son-in-law, Leo; grandchildren, Tobias, Paul, Tamara, Matt, Paolo, Nathan, and Marina; and sister, Marilyn Abel of Fostoria, Ohio. He is preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Robert Lee Bristley of Port Clinton, Ohio; and his grandson, David Bristley.

Visitation will be held at the Herman-Kinn-Karlovetz Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Fremont, on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 from 2:00-4:00 PM and 7:00-9:00 PM. The funeral service will begin at 10:30 AM on Thursday, July 10, at the funeral home with Rev. John Fahrbach officiating. A private graveside service will take place at Oakwood Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to ProMedica Hospice of Memorial Hospital.

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Calvin Wesley Bristley

Apr 28, 1926 — Jul 6, 2014

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