The former mayor of the village of Batavia died on Jan. 9, 2017, in his home in Sarasota, Florida.
The former mayor of the village of Batavia died on Jan. 9, 2017, in his home in Sarasota, Florida.

By Megan Alley
Sun staff

Former village of Batavia Mayor Richard Jamieson, 93, died on Jan. 9 in his summer home in Sarasota, Florida.

“It was hard to lose him this week,” son Andy Jamieson said.

Richard Jamieson was elected to the Batavia Village Council in 1955. He was appointed as mayor in March 1956 and went on to be elected to the seat in 1958.

He was subsequently elected to four full four-year terms.

He simultaneously served on the Batavia Local Schools Board of Education from 1960 to 1968.

“He was a kind and dignified gentleman, but also decisive and had a strong a understanding of community and of the people of Batavia,” Dennis Nichols, village administrator, said.

On Jan. 31, Richard Jamison’s family will receive friends from 10 a.m. to noon, followed immediately by a memorial service at the Batavia First Presbyterian Church, located at 277 North St. The public is invited to attend.

Memorials may be directed to the Batavia First Presbyterian Church.

“He was noted fiscally for his honesty, certainly, and his willingness to serve and to step in,” Andy Jamieson said. “He was also known very much for his kindness and consideration for others’ feelings.”

Richard Jamieson’s lineage is deeply rooted in Clermont County. His family settled in Batavia as pioneers in the 1820s. The former Jamieson family home is located at 340 E. Main St.

Richard Jamieson was born in 1923 to Elizabeth and Donald Jamieson, who started the Carroll-Jamieson Machine Tool Company. He also has a sister, Lois Bissantz, who currently lives in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Richard Jamieson graduated from Batavia High School in 1941, after which he enrolled at Hanover College. He went on to become president of his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta.

He left college to join the U.S. Army during World War II, and he served in the Battle of the Bulge and during the crossing of the Roer River, and on the Rhine.

He was discharged in 1946 and returned to Batavia and college, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration.

On June 19, 1948, Richard Jamieson married his college sweetheart, Margaret Judd, of Lakeville, Indiana. The two where “happily married” until Margaret Jamieson died in 1996.

The couple has three children and five grandchildren.

Richard Jamieson signed up for the National Guard shortly after he returned from service. However, in 1951, he was re-enlisted into the U.S. Army and went on to become a First Lieutenant. He saw stateside duty during the Korean War.

“He was most proud about his service,” Andy Jamieson said. “He was always very proud of that.”

While living in Batavia, Richard Jamieson helped his father manage the family business, and in addition to his public service, he also served as chairman of the Batavia Sesquicentennial Committee, and was Grand Marshall for the Batavia Bicentennial Parade.

He was also an active member at Batavia First Presbyterian Church, where he held positions as treasurer and elder. He also taught Sunday school.

Richard Jamieson sold the Carroll-Jamieson Machine Tool Company in the 1970s, and he went on to work as a purchaser for Mercury Instruments, located in Cincinnati, until he retired.

He remained active in the church and continued to bowl in bowling leagues, his favorite activity.

On October 17, 1997, Richard Jamieson married Juanita Thompson, and they began to split their residence between Batavia and her home in Florida.

“He was definitely my hero,” Andy Jamieson said. “He was the standard that all my life I wanted to live up to.”

Andy Jamieson fondly recalled childhood memories of going on picnics and playing toss in the backyard with his father.

“He was not the type of father to put his accomplishments out there,” he said. “The fact he was always so thoughtful and that he was accomplished meant a lot to me growing up as a kid and then later on in school, and in a lot of ways, I put some pressure on myself to do better I guess.”

He added, “He kind of encouraged that just by his quiet example.”