George Anthony Kachele

George Anthony Kachele, known as “Tony,” born in 1943, passed away peacefully Saturday evening at the James Hospital at OSU. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. George and Margaret Kachele, and his sister, Dr. Diane Kachele De Witt. He will be deeply missed by wife Margaret Tabor; nieces Kristin Ruminer and Stephanie Rembert; brother Chris; brother-and-sister-in-law William and Mary Ann Tabor; special friends Jerry and JoEllen Laub, and friends, colleagues, and former students.




With a B.S. from Xavier University and an M. Ed. from Wright State University, Tony taught American Government and Economics at Urbana High School for thirty years, starting in 1968. During that time, his dynamic teaching practices earned him the name “King Kachele” as he demonstrated the different forms of government to his classes.



As to literature and the arts, Tony was a voracious reader of mystery novels, as well as newspaper cartoons like “Pearls Before Swine,” which he collected. Also, he read a wide variety of non-fiction, especially science, politics, and skeptical inquiry, his “intellectual” books. It was not unusual for him to read for six hours a day. In the arts, Tony’s love of precision led him to adopt writing haiku to express his satirical sense of humor. His strong musical interests were jazz and blues, which he listened to at Dayton clubs.



A life-long sports enthusiast, he especially loved watching professional basketball, baseball, and tennis, often yelling “Bums” and “Catch the ball!” at the television. In his twenties and thirties, he played pick-up basketball and tennis, but more recently, exercise consisted of hours working in the yard.



Tony loved animals so much that he became a docent at the Columbus Zoo for over twenty years; his speciality was guiding visitors through the elephant and rhinoceros building. He was committed to conservation of animal genomes and habitats.



We will miss his gentle spirit, compassion, sense of humor, and commitment to truth and fairness.



In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to any of the following:

Best Friends Animal Society, 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah 84741-5000
World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th St NW, Washington, DC 20037
Canine Companions for Independence, 4989 OH-37, Delaware, OH 43015

A gathering of friends will be held on Friday, February 21, 2020 from 3:00-5:00 at the Walter and Lewis Funeral Home, 642 South Main Street, Urbana, OH 43078.