Obituary of Robert Sohovich

SOHOVICH Robert J. Sohovich, 71, a retired Columbus Dispatch reporter and insurance industry spokesman, died Saturday, December 20, 2014 at the Kobacker House, four years after sustaining a traumatic brain injury. Since the injury, he had undergone rehabilitation and was cared for by his wife Karen in their Marble Cliff home. "Soho" or "Bob", as he was called by colleagues and friends, officially began his newspaper career as a reporter in 1964 but found his calling much earlier. As a young boy, he salvaged an old mimeograph machine and put out a neighborhood newsletter starting a career spanning more than 25 years in newspapering. His brother Greg recalled, "He always know what he wanted to do". Born May 1, 1943, he was the son of the late John and Catherine (nee Kuniki) Sohovich, grew up in Steubenville and graduated from Catholic Central High School. He then obtained a degree in journalism at the College of Steubenville (now Franciscan University). His first job was at the Times-Leader in Martin Ferry, Ohio, and he also worked at the Steubenville Herald-Star were he covered City Hall and public affairs. His career was interrupted in 1965 for six months duty with the U.S. Army Reserves of which he remained a member for six years. From 1974-1976, he covered a variety of stories ranging from a series on strip mining in southeastern Ohio to construction of the former City Center mall in Columbus. He was assigned to the Columbus schools beat during the years of court-ordered busing of students to desegregate schools. He also reported on development of the downtown + In that role, he helped reporters covering many natural disasters including Hurricanes Andrew and Hugo and travelled extensively through storm-ravaged areas. While at Nationwide, he served on the public information committee of the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII), helping guide and expand the industry group's media relations. Upon retiring from Nationwide, he became coordinator of news briefs for the OII, providing daily news items about insurance and safety-related issues for hundreds of members. He rarely missed a day at his part-time post, often e-mailing dispatches from the road during his travels. In addition to his wife, Karen, he is survived by two children from his first marriage, Robert (JoAnna), New Albany, and Jennifer Erwin, Columbus; a grandson, Xavier Sohovich; a granddaughter, Libby Erwin, and his brother Greg (Debbie) Sohovich. Graveside service will be held on Friday, December 26th at 1:30PM at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 11000 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH (45242).