Samuel Richard Battaglia

Longtime Cincinnati educator Samuel Richard Battaglia passed away Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at the age of 83. Following 35 years as a social studies teacher and Vice Principal for Cincinnati Public Schools, Mr. Battaglia’s love of teaching led him to substituting for another 10 years for the Lakota School System, West Chester until he decided to retire. His former students fondly referred to him on a Facebook page as “Mr. BAT-TAG-LEE-A (as he explained the pronunciation of his name to his students) was the coolest sub EVER”. The majority of his teaching career in Cincinnati was spent at Lafayette Bloom Middle School in Over the Rhine, where he was the also the coordinator of a very successful state-funded program, Earn and Learn, with the support of Governor George Voinovich. A native of Amsterdam, New York, Mr. Battaglia was a graduate of the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He did graduate work at Xavier University after coming to Cincinnati in 1960. He was widely known for his amazing memory and his storehouse of historical facts and trivia. He often involved himself in community affairs and politics, and had a passion for reading, Notre Dame football and spending time with his family, especially at the beach. He is survived by daughter Mary Battaglia, son Richard (Michelle) Battaglia, daughter Leanne (Jed) Golden, grandson Nicholas Battaglia, granddaughter Natalie Battaglia, granddaughter Alyssa Battaglia, granddaughter Caroline Ruebusch, and grandson Reis Golden. Mr. Battaglia is preceded in death by his sister, Natalie DeMaria and brother Phillip Battaglia. In his honor, A Memorial Visitation will be held at the Hodapp Funeral Home 8815 Cincinnati-Columbus Rd., (Rt.42), West Chester, Saturday February 15th from 12 Noon until A Celebration of Life at 1PM. Memorial donations may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.