Richard L. Christmas

Richard L. Christmas, age 54, of Dover, passed away Sunday, July 30, 2023, at home, following a hard-fought battle with cancer. Richard was strong and maintained a good attitude; he never let the disease get the best of him.

Born May 18, 1969, in Mount Carmel, Illinois, he was a son of the late Paul and Shelva Marrow Christmas. Richard’s father was in the military, so the family moved often, but eventually settled in Tuscarawas County where Richard graduated from Tuscarawas Valley High School. He was employed for years by the Carrols Corporation, which owns and operates the Burger King and Popeyes brands. He was named Manager of the Year three different times for the Burger King franchises.

Richard attended St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bolivar, and was a member and past Master of Tuscarawas Lodge 59 F. & A.M., Dover, as well as the A.A.S.R., Valley of Canton. He was a devoted family man and enjoyed time spent with them - as well as his friends and his lodge brothers. He was a great fan of the Cleveland Browns and was founder of the Tuscarawas County Browns Backers. Richard also loved the outdoors and liked to hunt and fish.

He will be dearly missed by his wife, Dawn Ferguson Christmas, whom he married on November 6, 2004; his children, Skylar Christmas of Dover, Chelsea (Nick) Combs of Defiance, and Kayla (Jordyn) Wright of East Canton; his grandson, Nehemiah Combs; his brothers and sisters, Terry Christmas, Paul Christmas Jr., Melinda Campbell, Kim Million and Mickey Bluford; and his nieces and nephews.

Besides his parents, Richard was preceded in death by his sister and brothers, Cynthia, Buddy Ray and Carl Christmas.

Family and friends are invited to call at the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory, Dover, on Saturday, August 5, 3 - 5 p.m. Masonic services will be conducted at 4:45 p.m. A funeral service will be held Sunday, August 6, at 1:30 p.m. in the funeral home; Pastor Michael Pozzuto will officiate. There will be a reception immediately afterward in the Dover Masonic Temple.

The family requests that contributions in Richard’s memory be made to Special Olympics, 2600 Virginia Ave. N.W., 11th Fl., Washington, DC 20037.