Livestream for the funeral service of William G. Batchelder III

William G. Batchelder III (79) passed away peacefully February 12, 2022, at Western Reserve Masonic Home in Medina, Ohio, after a long illness. William was born in Medina, Ohio in December 1942, the son of William Batchelder Jr. and Eleanor (Dice) Batchelder. He graduated from Medina High School in 1960 and studied History at Ohio Wesleyan where he met his wife, Alice (Moore) Batchelder. They were married in August 1966. After earning his law degree at The Ohio State University, he returned to Medina to join Williams and Batchelder, the family law firm on the square.

In 1968, he was drafted into the US Army just months after he had filed to run for the Ohio House. His greatest supporter and dearest love, Alice, ran his first campaign for the House of Representatives while he was stationed at Georgia's Fort McPherson. After he was elected, the Army graciously discharged him, and he returned home to assume his seat as the freshman representative for Medina County. At the time he was sworn in, Bill was the youngest state representative in Ohio History.  When he was first elected, he promised Alice that he would never cast a vote that was not based on principle. He never did.

First Legislative Career

For the majority of his nearly 40 years in the legislature, Bill occupied a place in the Republican minority, and maintained his floor presence in the back row of the House Chamber, giving "barn-burner" speeches and representing his constituents as a staunch advocate of limited government, small business, low taxes, and pro-life causes. Not only did he successfully introduce and carry legislation that preserved the right to life, such as the partial-birth abortion ban, he also worked closely with the Diocese of Cleveland to structure and implement School Choice legislation, giving those in troubled school districts access to a quality education. Litigation concerning this legislation resulted in the Supreme Court case upholding the constitutionality of school voucher programs–a decision that has had an impact on children nationwide.  During the Savings and Loan crisis of the 1980's, Bill worked tirelessly with Governor Celeste to draft complex legislation to remedy the crisis according to the Governor's aims. After delivering the complex proposal as requested, Bill concluded that this approach went against his own free market principles and did not vote for his own legislation. Among many other legislative achievements, he also successfully sponsored legislation for the elimination of Ohio's Estate Tax, established the Ohio National Guard Scholarship, and instituted JCARR, the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, to reduce bureaucracy in Ohio.

Throughout his career, Bill focused on making Medina County a place of opportunity and prosperity. He worked to establish the Joint Vocational School, now the Medina County Career Center and, later, to fund its fire tower; he facilitated the placing of the John W. Brown National Guard Armory in Medina County; and he was always a vocal and effective champion of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which, upon his retirement, named the Medina County Patrol Post in his honor.

No matter how immersed he was in drafting legislation and doing the work in Columbus, Bill loved the time he spent with his constituents in Medina County. From presenting commendations at Eagle Scout Courts of Honor; to enjoying church socials and pancake breakfasts; to engaging with the Medina County's Township Trustees and Clerks; to listening to the concerns of the members of the Farm Bureau, Kiwanis, and Rotary Clubs; he strove to hear and address Medina County's needs.

Service in the Judiciary

In 1998, Bill was elected to the Medina County Court of Common Pleas. He loved being a trial judge, but when then-Governor Bob Taft appointed him to the Ninth District Court of Appeals, he accepted the appointment and served as an appellate court judge (as well as the presiding judge of the district) for the counties of Medina, Summit, Wayne, and Lorain from 1999 to 2005.

Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives

When the opportunity presented itself in 2006 for Bill to return to the House of Representatives, he ran and was re-elected. During his first two years back, from 2007-2009, he served as Chairman of the Insurance Committee. In his second return term, his colleagues elected him Minority Leader of the House Republican Caucus. In his final four years in office, 2011-2014, Bill realized his childhood ambition and served as the Speaker of the Ohio House, only the second representative from Medina County to do so.

Because of his long experience as a legislator in the minority party (1968-1994), Bill vehemently objected to what he regarded as abuses of the power of the Speaker, particularly to practices which curtailed the right of legislators in the minority party to speak.  In 1983, when an earlier speaker had refused to allow debate on a budget, Bill appeared on the floor of the House in a dog muzzle. Once his colleagues had made him Speaker, Bill offered genuine bipartisan leadership, ending the long-standing partisan practices he so resented.  He ensured that every representative had an opportunity to speak on pending legislation, and he restored the practice of allowing amendments to be offered on the floor of the House by either side prior to a vote. He balanced being a powerful and effective speaker with making the House chamber more open and truly representative than it had been for years.

Upon retiring from the House of Representatives, Bill was honored to serve on the board for Jobs Ohio, a project he had envisioned and initiated while Speaker, whose purpose was to bring quality jobs to Ohio, and on the boards of the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, and the Western Reserve Historical Society.  He also served as The Edwin Meese III Distinguished Fellow at The Buckeye Institute.

Medina County provided Bill with so many opportunities, and he never forgot his heroes, mentors and friends who encouraged him and made his accomplishments possible. He was determined to continue the legacies of Governor John W. Brown, Congressman H. G. Blake, Representative Harold Williams, his own father, former prosecutor William G. Batchelder Jr., and leading citizens in Medina County whom he always admired, such as his Scoutmaster, Ralph Waite. The example Batchelder provided to his children, grandchildren, and many colleagues, aides, and indeed friends, was one of honor, principle, and integrity, with an underlying foundation of deep faith in Christ.

William Batchelder was preceded in death by his parents, William Batchelder Jr. and Eleanor Batchelder, and is survived by his wife Alice; his children William (Xela) Batchelder IV, of Waynesburg, PA and Elisabeth (Matthew) Akers of Doylestown, Ohio; and by eight grandchildren: Eilidh, Sophie, William V and James Batchelder; and Eleanor, Matthew, Bethany, and Mary Ruth Akers.  He is also survived by his siblings Barbara Massie, Drew Batchelder, Kathryn Cashman, and John Batchelder, and treasured cousins, uncles, and other extended family.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, February 17, 2022, from 12:00-4:00 PM and 6:00-8:00 PM, at Grace Baptist Church, 3480 Laurel Rd, Brunswick, OH 44212. A visitation will also be held at the Grace Baptist Church on Friday, February 18, 2022, from 9:30-11:00 AM, with a Funeral Service immediately following at 11:00 AM, with Fr. Leigh Kester and Rev. Dr. Richard Powers officiating. Interment to follow at Spring Grove Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you consider joining him in supporting The Buckeye Institute, the Beckett Memorial Scholarship at the Ashbrook Center; or the Children's Dyslexia Center, Cleveland.

Online condolences and memories may be left for the family on Bill's guestbook at www.WaiteFuneralHome.com.

The family thanks Jack Kustron for the photo