Joseph H. Dirck

DIRCK, Joe Long-time Ohio newspaper writer and columnist Joe Dirck, 65, died May 9 of an apparent heart attack at his house in Columbus. He wrote for four Ohio newspapers, the Springfield Sun, The Journal Herald of Dayton, the Columbus Citizen-Journal, and The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, he also was an on-air reporter for WCMH-TV in Columbus. Dirck and his wife, Mary Anne Sharkey, owned a consulting business that included public and private sector clients. Dirck also free-lanced articles for publications including AP, Ohio Magazine, Cleveland Magazine, and the Boston Globe. Dirck was a 1967 graduate of Carroll High School where he was president of his senior class, and received his B.A. in History at Wright State University in 1973. Dirck also played bass guitar and lead vocals for Dayton area bands including Jordan Parker Revue, Trudi and the Hopplestreet Exit, and with a newspaper band called the Pink Flamingoes. First and foremost Dirck was a newspaper man and secondly a musician who loved classic rock and bragged he was an early devotee of the Beatles before they exploded in America. He traveled to Great Britain and wrote articles on the British Invasion early years. His interests ranged from deep water scuba diving to sailing Lake Erie. He also was a voracious reader who was primarily interested in history and military history. Dirck won numerous journalism prizes for spot reporting of the Xenia tornado to investigative reporting in Montgomery County to national and state political reporting in Columbus to Metro columns in Cleveland. He also covered national political conventions. He was a finalist for the Ernie Pyle Award. He was best known for his fluid writing style and his humor. Many of his colleagues commented in an obituary in The Plain Dealer Sunday about his gifted style and his puckish humor. http://cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/05/joe_dirck_former_plain_dealer.htm Dirck is survived by his wife, Mary Anne Sharkey; his daughter and son-in-law Melanie and James Wilson of Columbus; brother and sister-in-law, John and Suzanne Dirck of Delaware; sisters and brothers-in-law, Jackie and Angelo Gavrian of Brandon, Fl; Toni and Larry Vest of Dayton,; Kim Steele of Brandon, Fl; and two granddaughters Kaylie and Maddie; and his friend Christine Vrettos. Mass of Christian Burial 10 am Thursday, May 15, at Holy Angels Church in Dayton. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 4 to 8 pm at the Westbrock Funeral Home, 1712 Wayne Avenue. Burial Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Music Educational Program. Envelopes available at the funeral home.