The Six Main Loves in His Life
Do you have anything or anyone in your life which you love more than anything else in this world? Perhaps you love your children or family member(s) the most? Perhaps you love or loved someone who is no longer alive? Perhaps you love a game like golf or basketball or some other sporting activity the most? Perhaps you love a church you attend or a nonprofit board you serve on the most? Perhaps you have the greatest love for an accomplishment you worked your whole life to obtain? Perhaps there is something else which you are the most passionate about, and perhaps you have multiple passions or objects of your affection? The reason I ask this “who or what do you love the most” question is I recently read an obituary, which was written about someone who passed away from cancer (melanoma) in June of 2023. Interestingly, the whole obituary was written about and centered around his six main loves in his life. I do not ever recall reading an obituary structured in such a way before. Before I discuss that obituary in more detail, here is how dictionary.com defines “love”:
1. a strong feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, such as for a parent, child, friend, or pet.
2. a profoundly tender, passionate affection, often mingled with sexual desire, for another person:
In the bible, Love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as follows:
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
The obituary I am referring to was written about J. Richard “Dick” Emens, who was raised in my hometown of Muncie, Indiana. If Muncie is your hometown, you will immediately recognize the “Emens” name as it is on the auditorium at Ball State University. For example, my 1984 high school graduation from Muncie Northside High School was conducted at Emens Auditorium. Dick Emen’s father, John R. Emens, was a former President of Ball State University. Here is how Wikipedia describes Emens Auditorium, which is named after Dick’s father:
“The John R. Emens College-Community Auditorium, or Emens Auditorium, is an auditorium on the campus of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The facility is used to host Broadway shows, plays, multi-genre concerts, and university events, as well as regional events for eastern Indiana. Emens Auditorium has a seating capacity of 3,581. The Auditorium was opened on March 14, 1964, when Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians performed.”
Dick Emens, who lived in Columbus, Ohio for most of his post-college life, passed away on June 28, 2023, at the age of eighty-nine. His obituary was massively long and contained plentiful details about his life. His obituary was so enormous that it took up a whole page in the Muncie Star and Press Newspaper. It might have been the longest obituary I have ever read, and I found it to be a fascinating read about a man who accomplished so much in his life. He was a titan of law and business, and he was enthusiastic about helping others, including those individuals who were less fortunate than he was. Dick Emens was a superstar lawyer, a generous philanthropist, a devoted family man and a loyal friend.
After I read his obituary a few times, I started to realize that it contained so many intricate details and minutia about his life that he either wrote it himself or he diligently worked with someone in his family to write it for him. How do I know this? There were just too many specifics and nitty gritty fine points in his obituary for anyone else, including a spouse, to have written it without tremendous assistance from Dick. Furthermore, he died on June 28 and his obituary was published on June 30, meaning it was surely ready to before he died before he died. There is no way that a grieving family could have possibly put together his colossal obituary to be published two days after he succumbed to his cancer trial. Why do I make the observation that he likely wrote it before he passed away? Dick likely spent a lot of time working on his obituary over the course of his cancer trial. You see, cancer has a way of turning your life upside down and inside out unlike any trial you have ever faced in your life, and it can also cause people to become very reflective about their past while encouraging them to contemplate and consider their future. If it is not diagnosed early, late-stage melanoma is a nasty cancer with limited treatment options, although there has been significant recent progress made with immunotherapies. Even though its limited treatment options make it one of the nastiest cancers you can be diagnosed with, it also tends to grow slowly, meaning the melanoma patient has plenty of time to ponder their own mortality in a lengthy cancer trial.
I am a melanoma cancer survivor, and I learned a lot about this type of cancer when I was first diagnosed with melanoma in the spring of 2011. Dick’s obituary states that he battled cancer for several years, meaning he had plenty of time to contemplate his own mortality. Like so many terminal cancer patients before him, Dick certainly spent a lot of time during his cancer trial thinking about the day he would eventually pass away. One of the blessings of a multi-year cancer trial is it gives the cancer patient plenty of time to ponder and think about their destiny. Yes, a cancer diagnosis can bring your own mortality to the forefront of your mind unlike any other trial you have ever faced in your life. While he contemplated his own mortality during his cancer trial, Dick Emens decided to sit down and chronicle his own life and to list out those “loves” which were most important to him.
What were his six main loves in his life? The following is a summary of his six main loves which were beautifully detailed in his obituary:
1. Love of Family and Friends – Dick loved to spend time with his family and friends and he and his wife Bea were constantly leaving each other I love you notes. He loved his children and grandchildren and enjoyed spending time at his cabin in Michigan. He traveled all over the world with his fraternity brothers from college. Dick had a lot of friends from various aspects of his life, and he loved watching Chicago Cubs games.
2. Love of the Law – Dick graduated from the prestigious University of Michigan Law School, and he went on to specialize in counseling businesses in the oil and gas industry, corporate law, and family-owned businesses. He loved mentoring younger attorneys and was a frequent speaker on oil and gas issues. He was actively involved or chaired numerous industry or trade associations, including the Ohio Bar Association Oil and Gas Committee. Dick was a founding partner of two law firms and his wife, Bea was a partner with him at his most recent firm, Emens, Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter Co. LPA. He was a tremendously successful attorney who accomplished a lot for his clients. For example, he helped pass Ohio’s first oil and gas conservation law, chapter 1509 of the Ohio revised code, and is credited with protecting the oil and gas industry in Ohio.
3. Love of the Emens Scholars at Ball State University – Dick’s father was a former president of Ball State University. In 1976, after his father passed away, Dick founded the leadership based Emens Scholars program, providing 5 to 15 scholars per year with full 4-year tuition scholarships to Ball State. Since 1976, there have been 316 Emens scholars. Dick also served on and chaired the Ball State University Foundation Board of Trustees.
4. Love of the Conway Center for Family Business – in 1998, Dick and Bea co-founded the Family Business Center of Central Ohio, a non-profit, with just two business owners. Dick wanted to establish an organization in Columbus that served as a solid resource for families, owners, and non-family executives of family-owned businesses. It offers educational programs, peer groups and networking opportunities and events for family-owned businesses. The center partners with Ohio Dominican University via the family-business awards program which Dick started in 1999. In 2008, a generous gift was given by James Conway and the center became known as The Conway Center for Family Business. Since 1998, the center has grown to have over two hundred members, thirty service providers, 12 peer groups, 10 webinars per year, 2 to 3 family business showcase events and a golf outing. Dick was bestowed the Supporters of Entrepreneurs award at the 2005 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Event. Dick, along with his wife, Bea, was co-author of a book specifically aimed at family businesses, Family Business Basics: The Guide to Family Business Financial Success (2nd Ed 2004).
5. Love of Traveling – Dick loved to travel with his wife, family, and friends and sometimes just alone. He went to Alaska, Egypt, Machu Pichu, Turkey, all the States in the USA, Central and South America, Europe, including Croatia, Russia, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa (East and South). A huge part of Dick’s traveling life was “The Traveling Betas,” six fraternity brothers from Beta Theta Pi at DePauw University in Indiana. Twenty years after graduation, the Beta’s (and their spouses) traveled every year together (starting in 1977) throughout the world to places including France, England, Scotland, Russia, Galapagos, Canada, San Juan, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Africa, Panama, and many States in the USA. In 2015, when two of their brothers passed, the remaining traveling Betas set-up the Delta 56 Traveling Betas Memorial Leadership Fund (Endowment Fund) to honor their brothers who passed away.
6. Love of Fishing – Dick loved to fish, and fished all over the world, including Iceland, Bahamas, northwest territory, Maine, and Michigan. He was a member of the Zanesfield Rod and Gun Club. The family cabin in Michigan was built by his dad, and it was relaxing, cleansing, and centering for Dick.
My preceding summary of his six main loves in his life is severely condensed. It is so condensed that I will post his complete obituary at the bottom of this blog post. When I compare my life experiences and credentials against all that Dick accomplished in his life, I must admit that I feel extremely inadequate. Dick Emens graciously impacted the lives of so many people and his positive influence will continue to impact lives for generations to come. I am humbled by his servant heart and awed by all that he did to help others. He was an inspirational leader.
Unless you have been diagnosed with terminal cancer or some other terminal condition, it is hard to envision how you would respond to such a diagnosis. The only comments in his obituary about his cancer trial were that he battled it for several years. I was a little surprised he did not discuss his lengthy cancer trial more in his obituary, but I am sure he had his reasons for avoiding such a morbid topic. If you think about it for a moment, his obituary was a minibiography of every aspect and stage of his life, yet the last few years of his life where he battled cancer were not mentioned at all. He tackled so many challenges in his life head-on so why was he not more open with how he attacked his cancer trial? For example, when two of his closest friends died, he helped set-up a fund to honor them. Wow, Dick Emens knew how to attack life’s challenges head on! Sadly, like so many other cancer patients before him, he did not seem to know how to respond to his cancer diagnosis, so he avoided talking about it altogether in his very lengthy obituary.
At some point during his cancer trial, he was told he was terminal and would not survive. I have no idea if he wrote or assisted in writing his obituary before or after his terminal diagnosis, but it is highly likely that his cancer diagnosis was a primary motivator in causing him to chronicle his life history like he did. My grandmother, Lucille Austin, wrote her obituary years before she passed away, but she was an English teacher who wanted to make sure it was done correctly. She was an exception as it is highly unusual for anyone to write their obituary so far in advance of their own death. Perhaps Dick was extremely proactive like my grandmother, but I think it is more likely that he wrote his obituary after he was diagnosed with cancer.
I will never accomplish half of what Dick Emens did in his life. While it is quite normal for someone like Dick Emens to inwardly reflect on all that he did and accomplished, I find it a little surprising that his public obituary went into the level of detail that it did. What was his motivation in writing the longest obituary I can ever recall reading? While I can certainly see how it would be therapeutic to reflect on such an amazing life, what does all that he accomplished and did really mean after he passed away? In other words, once he died and his obituary was published, he is obviously not around to receive any accolades or words of affirmation from those who read it. Ecclesiastes 2:11, which discusses the vanity of self-indulgence, tells us the following:
“Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
Verse 11 says, “There is nothing to be gained under the sun.” Concerning earthly things, there is nothing that we can truly gain. We may have some things for a brief time, but we don’t keep them. We cannot. Either those things disappear, or we do. Our possessions? They break, are stolen, lose their usefulness, get replaced or lost. Our achievements? Forgotten, surpassed, misattributed, and minimized.
If we excessively boast about our accomplishments, Ecclesiastes 2:11 tells us we suffer from the vanity of self-indulgence. Vanity is not a word we hear used very often in daily conversation and dictionary.com defines it as “excessive pride in one's appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.” I have certainly been vain many times in my life, and I am confident that my vain qualities will rear their ugly head in my life going forward. I am not here to judge anyone, including Dick Emens, as God is the only one who can judge any of us. Furthermore, I am confident that there have been many times in my life where my vain qualities have far exceeded those demonstrated by others including Dick Emens. However, the reason I mention vanity and excessive reflection on worldly accomplishments is that these qualities can be a distraction for someone, with a terminal diagnosis who is nearing the end of their life. Instead of focusing on themselves, the bible says they need to focus on what truly matters and that is a relationship with Christ. In fact, the bible tells us we need to take the focus off ourselves and trust in Christ’s perfect plan for our lives. In Luke 9:23, Jesus tells us:
“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Yes, the bible tells us we need to deny ourselves and turn to our lives over to Christ as He is the only one who can save us. We should not be boasting about our own accomplishments as such boasting or bragging causes us to inflate our own egos. More specifically, boasting will cause us to have an irrational or unreasonable opinion of our own merit, importance, and superiority. When this happens, our boasting will corrupt our hearts and minds. Why does it matter? When we glorify ourselves by bragging about our accomplishments, we will convince ourselves that we can still do it on our own and we do not need God. To come to faith in Christ, you need to realize that you are a sinner who cannot do it on your own and you need Him for the sanctification which only He can provide. Boasting, because it causes us to be filled with pride, is extremely dangerous as it can be impediment to coming to faith in Christ. Proverbs 16:18 tells us:
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Yes, the bible reminds us that a heart filled with pride will lead to destruction. While boasting about our accomplishments will lead us down a path of destruction, we also love to hear others praise these same accomplishments. When our actions are praised by others, it is intoxicating, stimulating, and exhilarating for us to hear. We thrive on it, at least I do. In fact, we love it when others approve, admire, and pay homage to our accomplishments. Such praises by others seduce us when they celebrate or publicly acknowledge our achievements. However, these praises can be a dangerous rabbit hole to run down filled with the same traps and dangers as boasting. When others praise our actions and accomplishments, such comments inflate our egos and cause us to over-inflate our own self-worth. Then, our sinful nature sneaks in and tries to convince us that we can still do it on our own and we do not need God. Yes, beware of man’s praises as they may corrupt you and lead you astray from a relationship with God.
Unfortunately, many people, including many cancer patients, reject or do not believe Luke 9:23. They find it ridiculous or unbelievable that we need to deny ourselves and follow Christ. Why? This biblical statement is countercultural to everything this world teaches us. For example, Transcendentalists, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, are strong believers in the power of the individual, primarily concerned with personal freedom. The world teaches us that we are what we make ourselves. For example, here is what Brandon Ochoa said in his article, We Are What We Make of Ourselves: Why I Took Action with My Life, which was published in Elite Daily, which proclaims it is the voice of generation Y:
“Freedom can be defined as the ability to act without restraint. Those who believe they can achieve greatness don't listen to critics; they act without restraint. They act outside of the norm in an attempt to create a new normal.”
Yes, many people, including Brandon Ochoa, find such “deny yourself and follow him/me” statements in the bible to be outdated, offensive and meaningless. Brandon, and others like him, desires freedom, which he defines as the ability to act without restraint. I have visited more than a few people receiving hospice care with severe terminal cancer who refused the Gospel message up until they passed away. Why did they refuse it until the end of their lives? They wanted freedom to choose their own path as they found the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be unbelievable, outdated, offensive and meaningless. They went to their death bed clinging to their perceived freedom, even though they could not articulate what that was. They were unwilling to follow Christ.
The bible provides answers to all the important questions in life and the answers it provides are often offensive to many people. Why are these biblical answers so offensive to so many people? It is because we all want to be in control of our own destiny and circumstances, yet the bible tells us the exact opposite message. The bible tells us that God is sovereign and in control of all things. God’s word reminds us that we are not captains of our own ships, but God is the supreme captain. He controls when we are born and when we die, and He is in control of our eternal destiny. As we learned in studying Ecclesiastes 2:11 earlier, all our worldly accomplishments, no matter how impressive, are ultimately meaningless to us after we die. In other words, we cannot earn our way into heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Yes, we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. It is a gift from God meaning we cannot boast about achieving it.
In reflecting back on his life, Dick had so much to be proud of as helped so many people with his exceptional legal abilities and his generous philanthropic initiatives. His accomplishments were hugely impressive. For example, his work at Ball State University will positively impact the lives of thousands of people in the years to come. However, as we learned in Ecclesiastes 2:11, he is being vain for excessively dwelling in a very public format on his life’s accomplishments like he did at the end of his life.
The danger that someone with a terminal diagnosis faces when obsessively reflecting on their worldly accomplishments is that it seems like they are trying to justify themselves in some way before they die. Perhaps it is their attempt to justify themselves before God or perhaps it is their attempt to convince themselves that they “earned their way” into heaven. Perhaps they just want to make themselves feel good when their doctors are telling them their end is near. I never met Dick, so I have no way of knowing what his motivation was in writing such a lengthy obituary. Perhaps one of his kids and/or his wife were the ones who pushed him to write it or wrote it for him? I will never know the reasons why, but I am writing this blog post so that others may thoughtfully consider the implications of taking a similar approach. Please be aware that I am speaking to myself here as much as I am speaking to anyone else.
I have been ministering to hundreds of people with cancer since 2007 and, over the years, I have seen all sorts of responses to a cancer diagnosis. Many people search the world for someone or something to save themselves. Some individuals travel the globe looking for the latest and greatest medical solution for their type of cancer. Some people are in complete denial about the seriousness of their diagnosis and end up being depressed and angry. There are many other types of responses, but, thankfully, many terminal cancer patients turn to Christ who is the only one who can provide them with eternal salvation. In other words, no matter what happens in their cancer trial, those individuals who are in Christ will live, even if they succumb to their earthly cancer trial. Yes, Jesus Christ provides the terminal cancer patient with a true and living hope. 1 Peter 1:3 tells us:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having many passions or loves in our life like Dick had, but who or what should we love the most? Again, the bible provides us with clear answers to all our important questions in life, including “WHO” should we love the most. Matthew 22:34-38 tells us about the greatest commandment of all:
“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”
If you were diagnosed with terminal cancer, would you sit down and write your own obituary like I believe Dick Emens did? If yes, what would you say? Would you discuss your greatest loves in your life and what would those loves be? As a two-time cancer survivor, I have thought about these questions a lot and I keep coming back to Matthew 22:37-38 which tells us to love God more than anything in this world, including all our worldly accomplishments. It says that this is the great and first commandment.
If you are ever diagnosed with terminal cancer, will your obituary state that you loved the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Will your obituary go on to discuss your day of salvation and how your faith in Christ caused you to be born again into a living hope? The third stanza of the great hymnal, Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me, summarizes the main point of this blog post:
“Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace: Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die.”
In other words, the main point here is we leave this world with nothing in our hands. All our accomplishments, accolades, successes, awards, degrees, relationships, victories, disappointments, monies, investments, businesses, activities, and experiences are left behind when we die. They are meaningless and useless to us when we pass away. Because of our sinful condition, we are all helpless and in need of grace when we die. Graciously, Jesus is the fountain of life for everyone who believes in Him. If you are in Christ, but pass away from your terminal cancer trial, you will live forever with Christ in eternity. For all those who do not believe in Christ or reject the message of the gospel, they will die, meaning they are eternally separated from God.
From a religious perspective, I have no idea what Dick Emens believed when he died. Only God knows what he believed and, thankfully, only God can judge any of us, including me. What I do know for certain is his Christian faith, if he was a Christian, did not make his top six loves published in his obituary last month. If he was involved in a church, his religious activities did not make his top six list either.
There is no right or wrong way to write an obituary, because, like everything else we do or achieve in this world, it is meaningless to us after we leave this world. When facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, the only thing that matters is WHO are you going trust in for the eternal destiny of your soul. If you are putting your hope and faith into Jesus Christ, you will be born again into a living hope should you end up succumbing to your cancer trial. Yes, the bible tells us that our number one love or passion should be to love the Lord more than anything in this world. This means we need to love Him more than we love ourselves, more than we love our children and family, more than we love our life which we stand to lose if we succumb to our cancer trial, and we need to love Him more than we love any of our worldly accomplishments. If God ever calls me home via a terminal cancer trial, my prayer is that I will not focus on myself or my accomplishments during my last days here on earth, but that I will focus on and praise Jesus Christ as He is the only one who can save me.
“And he said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 ESV)
Jim Risk, a two-time cancer survivor, is the volunteer Ministry Coordinator for the Cancer Support Group (CSG) at a non-denominational church in NE Ohio. Jim and his wife, Kristina, have participated and served in CSG, a Christian ministry, since 2007.
The following is J. Richard Emens Obituary, which was published in the Muncie Star and Press Newspaper on June 30, 2023:
J. Richard "Dick" Emens, partner of Emens, Wolper, Jacobs & Jasin Law, civic leader and philanthropist, died on June 28, 2023 surrounded by his loving wife, Beatrice and family after several years of fighting melanoma. An inquisitive person, Dick was a life-long learner---researching, studying, analyzing all subjects, especially history, education, investing and leadership. He counseled many clients on natural resources matters, business and succession issues, acquisitions and sales, public and private financing matters, and represented many clients before state and federal regulatory agencies. Dick was preceded in death by his father, John R. Emens (1976); his mother, Aline Brainerd Emens (2000); and his brother David B. Emens (1994). Dick is survived by his wife of 40 years, Beatrice Emens Wolper and his 6 children Anne (Rick) Miller of Cincinnati, John "Jack" (Janie) of Marion, Ohio; Alaine (Jackie Fields) Emens of Findlay, Ohio; Renee (Darwin) Sigman of Heath, Ohio; Jennifer (Brendan) Emens-Butler of Burlington, Vermont and Elizabeth (Ilan Stein) of New York, NY; 9 Grandchildren - Abigail (Ben) Sigman Matson, Carson (Alex) Miller, Amelia Sigman, Leigh Miller, Austin (Bri) Sigman, Sean Emens Butler, Ari Emens-Asher, Micah Emens-Asher and Akiva Emenstein; 3 Great Grandchildren - William Matson, Colton Sigman and Hazel Beatrice Sigman; Dick's sister-in-law, Carol Emens and his three nieces: Chris Gaziano, Julie Finch and Mary Ihle. Dick is also survived by his extended family, Chris ("IDA") Vallo, Gail Tibbals, Lisa Harvey and first wife, Mary Moyer, with whom he kept a warm connection.Dick was born in Jackson, Michigan on May 3, 1934. He graduated from Burris Laboratory School in Muncie, Indiana while his father was President of Ball State University, after which Dick headed to Greencastle, Indiana to attend DePauw University; was awarded his Bachelor's Degree in 1956 graduating magna cum laude and was a member of Beta Theta Pi - Delta Chapter; his Juris Doctor Degree is from the University of Michigan School of Law Class of 1959 with Honorary Degrees from Ohio Dominican University and Ball State University.Dick had six main loves in his life - Love of Family and Friends, Love of the Law, Love of the Emens Scholars at Ball State University, Love of The Conway Center for Family Business, Love of Traveling and, of course, Love of Fishing.Dick also loved participating in civic organizations (was the Board Chair of Franklin University, Chair of Ball State Foundation, President of Friends of the Library (OSU), President and Chair of Conway Center for Family Business); studying and enjoying art and museums (especially Calder), exercising (4-5 times per week for 40 minutes each); watching the Tigers (win) - recently also the Cubs, and, of course, savoring good wine! LOVE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Dick's Family and Friends were always the most important to him. Bea and Dick always said they were so fortunate to be together - play, travel and work together! Every day (without fail) they passed "I love you" notes, and every night they recited "good night/I love you" stories. Spending time with his family brought happiness to his life: there were countless "good times" - starting when his kids and grandchildren were younger until they were adults. Time spent at "the Cabin" in Michigan, fishing, traveling and enjoying countless meals together were always highlights of any year. Since travel was important to Dick and Bea, their children and grandchildren were able to see many new places and experience new cultures with them. With most of his grandchildren grown, Dick also was fortunate to meet his three Great Grandchildren. His Beta friends from college enjoyed years of singing and traveling taking trips together for over 40 years; his Kit Kat friends enjoyed learning together; his law firm friends (some for over 50 years) enjoyed practicing and working together; his outside friends enjoyed playing, learning, watching Cubs games, drinking good wine and traveling together ....Dick loved them all. LOVE OF THE LAW: Dick's Love of the Law came with his JD degree from University of Michigan where he went on to specialize in Oil and Gas Law, Corporate Law and Family Owned Businesses. Dick made an impact on the lives of his clients and made a difference in the area of Ohio oil and gas law through his legal work. He found fulfillment when he was able to mentor younger lawyers, protect Landowners, solve problems and align his legal work with his values. He was a gifted attorney, with the ability to see what the real client issues were, and solve their problems. A frequent writer and speaker on Oil, Gas, Pipeline and Solar issues, Dick presented programs to more than 10,000 Ohio land and mineral owners. In 1963, he moved to Ohio during the Oil Boom in Morrow County. Dick was instrumental in drafting Chapter 1509 of the Ohio Revised Code, effective July 9, 1965, as Ohio's first comprehensive Oil and Gas Conservation Law and is credited with protecting the oil and gas industry in Ohio. Dick was appointed by Ohio's Governor Rhodes as the first Attorney Member of the five-member Oil and Gas Board of Review where he served in that position for 10 years, and wrote the Oil and Gas Board Review opinions during his tenure. He served the Ohio Oil and Gas Association at Trustee and Chair, and Co-Chair or Member of the Conservation and Legislative Committee for more than 20 years. Dick was a Director of the Independent Petroleum Association of America; Founder, President and Trustee of the Eastern Mineral Law Foundation (now the Energy and Mineral Law Foundation). Chair of the Ohio Bar Association Oil and Gas Committee and an Ohio Member of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission. In 1998, Dick and Bea co-founded the Family Business Center of Central Ohio (now the Conway Center for Family Business) where he served as President for 23 years. In 1968, Dick was a Partner in Emens, Kegler, Brown Hill & Ritter Co., LPA; President and Managing Director from 1984 to 1995. From 1997 to 2009, Partner at Chester, Wilcox & Saxbe, LLP practicing Oil and Gas Law, Corporate Law and Family Owned Business. In 2009, Dick with his law partner and wife, Bea, began Emens & Wolper Law Firm, LPA (now Emens, Wolper Jacobs & Jasin Law Firm, LPA) with Dick's concentration on Oil and Gas. Dick was inducted into the Ohio Oil and Gas Association Hall of Fame in 2002. With his law partners, Bea, Sean Jacobs, Kelly Jasin and Cody Smith, Dick helped build a firm of which he was proud. His partners will miss his wise counsel and strategic planning...as well as his friendship. LOVE OF THE EMENS SCHOLARS PROGRAM: Dick's next love is for the Emens Scholars Program at Ball State University. In 1976, after his father passed, Dick founded the leadership-based Emens Scholars Program. In 1977, 5 outstanding high school students each received a $150.00 scholarship. Dick served on the Emens Scholarship Committee for 29 years, during which time the number of annual Emens Leadership Scholars increased from 5 to 15 scholars per year, each with full 4-year tuition scholarships. Dick served on the Ball State University Foundation Board of Trustees, as Board Chair and Chair of the Finance Committee and Board Chair and as Scholarship Chair for the Bold Capital Campaign. Dick Emens was bestowed with an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Ball State in December 2022. Dick played an integral part in securing donations for the Emens Scholars Program and to date there are now 40 Emens Scholarships (Umbrella Funds) to benefit outstanding high school students hoping to attend Ball State University. With the continued assistance of Chris Vallo, Dick would send out over 200 letters each year to the scholars, their families, and donors, thanking each person for helping make the Emens Scholarship Program a success. Since 1977, there have been 316 Emens Scholars; each one Dick's calls "family". Dick's generosity and dedication help grown the Scholars Program because he cared deeply about helping form new leaders for the United States. He obtained immense satisfaction from watching the development of the young Emens Scholars' leaders. LOVE OF THE CONWAY CENTER FOR FAMILY BUSINESS:Love of the Conway Center - In 1998, Dick and Bea co-founded the Family Business Center of Central Ohio, a non-profit organization, with just 2 business owners. Dick wanted to establish an organization in Columbus that serves as a solid resource for families, owners and nonfamily executives of family-owned businesses. It started with volunteers to accomplish everything. Offering educational programs, peer groups and networking opportunities and events to family business owners and their employees. In 1999 Dick began a family business awards program and in 2000 established an affiliation with Ohio Dominican University. Dick also co-taught a family business undergrad course, "Entrepreneurship and Family Business" at ODU. 2003 the Center hired a staff and established a home (office space) at ODU. In 2008 a generous gift was made to the Family Business Center by James Conway and the Center became known as The Conway Center for Family Business. The Center has grown since 1998 to having over 200 Members, 30 Services Providers, 12 Peer Groups, 10 webinars/year, 2-3 Family Business Showcase events, a Golf Outing and the Awards Luncheon at present. Dick was named 2005 Supporter of Entrepreneurs in the Earnst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Event. Dick co-authored the book "Family Business Basics". December 14, 2013, Dick was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by Ohio Dominican University for his exemplary volunteer leadership and service for the common good and commitment to community. LOVE OF TRAVEL: Dick loved to travel with his wife, family,friends and sometimes even just alone. From a cruise with all his children to Alaska -to exploring Egypt, Machu Pichu and Turkey with Bea, Dick LOVED traveling to new places. Dick (and usually Bea) visited all the states in the United States, Central and South America, Europe, including Croatia, Russia, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Africa (East and South). Dick treated each trip as an adventure of learning about the people, history, art and location and, of course, meeting new friends along the way. A huge part of Dick's traveling life was "The Traveling Betas." Dick's "brothers" in Beta Theta Pi were among his closest friends. After Graduation from DePauw, Dick and 5 of his Beta Theta Pi Fraternity Brothers - Ned Lamkin, Chuck Gilbert, Robert "Dinty" Johnson, John Dehner and Bob Kersey - saw the importance of education (and fun and drinking wine) through travel. Twenty years after graduation, the Beta's (and their spouses) traveled every year together (starting in 1977); they traveled the world to places overseas including France, England, Scotland, Russia, Galapagos, Canada, San Juan, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Africa, Panama, and the Rivers in Europe and Adriatic; on opposite years enjoyed the United States including Alaska, Wyoming, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, New Hampshire, Maine, California, Virginia, South and North Carolina, Ohio, Washington, Oregon and the National Parks. In 2015 When brother Chuck (1934-2015) and later John (1934-2021) passed on, the remaining Traveling Betas set up the Delta '56 Traveling Betas Memorial Leadership Fund (an Endowment Fund) at DePauw to honor their brothers who passed. The Fund was designed to honor the legacy of the 1956 Betas for leadership development opportunities by travel to Men of Principal events and seminars. Since the pandemic in 2020, travel temporarily stopped, but the Traveling Betas still got together monthly through Zoom. They never skipped a beat from sharing their lives - the ups and the downs - celebrating all the successes along the way. The stories and laughter and old songs and endless amounts of wine were never lacking. LOVE OF FISHING:Dick loved to fish.... anytime, anywhere, for any type of fish. Dick went for Atlantic Salmon 13 times to Iceland, and then to all the Canadian Maritimes for Atlantic Salmon. Dick loved fishing in the Bahamas as well as Michigan - too many times to actually count!!! Dick and Bea took a "honeymoon" trip every year to go fishing, and they especially loved trout fishing in the western states (well, Dick loved fishing, Bea loved Catching). His Children/Grandchildren have gone fishing with him many times, including Ohio, Michigan, Alaska, Northwest Territory, and Central America. Once when Dick was fly fishing in Brazil, the airlines lost his luggage, but luckily, the camaraderie of the other fisherman shared their clothing (definitely not his style) and their fishing gear which made it even more of a memorable trip. Fishing is a love that has taken him to upper Maine once a year and to the Northwest Territory (Scott Lake Lodge) twice a year; and often in his own state of Ohio at Zanesfield Rod and Gun Club or at the cabin near Cedar, Michigan. The Cabin was built by his dad in the 40's, and is shared by the entire family every summer. Fishing at this cabin retreat in the woods was relaxing, cleansing and centering for Dick. He enjoyed sharing this with everyone - sometimes having a fishing guide to help - sometimes off the dock at Little Traverse Lake Michigan. Dick's favorite fishing quote was by Robert Travers: "I fish because I love to. Because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful...." Dick's life will be remembered at a private gathering for family and friends, 3-7pm, on July 28, 2023 at Schoedinger Northeast, 1051 E. Johnstown Road, Gahanna, Ohio 43230. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made to honor Dick Emens to: Emens Scholars Legacy Fund (#30222), or to the Conway Center for Family Business. Emens Scholars at Ball State University Foundation, 2800 West Bethel Avenue, Muncie, Indiana 47304 and Conway Center of Family Business, at Ohio Dominican University, PO Box 361106, Columbus Ohio 43236. To share memories and send condolences please visit www.schoedinger.com
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