Arthur Ball Obituary

Arthur H. Art"" Ball

Arthur H. "Art" Ball, 85, of Tiffin, passed away Friday morning, Oct. 20, 2023, at The Courtyard at Tiffin.

He was born Sept. 29, 1938, in Tiffin, to Oscar J. and Florence M. (Boes) Ball. He married Loretta McCray on May 2, 1959, at St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Art's survivors include his wife, Loretta Ball of Tiffin; sons, Gary Ball and Timothy (Andrea) Ball, both of Tiffin; daughters, Christine (Donnie Linton) Hetzel of Bloomville and Brenda (John) Larrick of Tiffin; brother, Larry F. (Elizabeth) Ball of Tiffin; sisters, Margarete "Maggie" Lee of Fostoria and Rita Bohrer of Bloomville; 13 grandchildren, Christal, Jason, Anthony, Jacquelyn, Justin, Alex, Ely, Ryan, Kalena, Nevaeh, McKenzie, Austin, Madison; 17 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Kevin A. Ball in 1980; brother, Joseph A. Ball; and sisters, Eugenia M. Smith, Mary A. Reed, Martha Kent, and Helen Stone.

Arthur was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church and 1956 graduate of Tiffin Calvert High School. He served in U.S. Marine Corp from 1956-1958. He worked at Basic Refractories for 26 years, was a member of Basic Quarter Century Club, Mager's Lumber Company for several years, Clyde Whirlpool for 15 years, later retiring. He was a member of Tiffin Eagles #402 and Tiffin Moose Lodge 846. He enjoyed hunting, fishing in Michigan, bowling, attending many Country Concerts, camping, and wintering in Florida with his wife, Loretta, for 15 years.

Art was a legend on the dirt track circuit for over 50 years, driving the "01" at area tracks like Attica, Fremont, McCutchenville, and throughout Ohio and West Virginia. He started racing Sprint Cars, Hobby Stockers, Late Models, and Dirt Trucks with 301 Feature wins and won 30 track championships overall. He raced until he was 77 years old and won his last feature at age 76. He was inducted into Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame in 2009 and National Late Model Hall of Fame in 2019.

Art will take his final lap at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, prior to the Showdown that evening. The family hopes all will attend this special event.

Mass of Christian burial will be 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at St. Mary Catholic Church with the Rev. Matthew Rader officiating. A Rosary will be prayed 30 minutes prior to Mass. Burial will follow at Seneca Memory Gardens with military honors being conducted by United Veterans Council.

Visitation for friends and family will be 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, at Hoffmann-Gottfried-Mack Funeral Home & Crematory, 236 S. Washington St., Tiffin, Ohio, 44883, (419) 447-2424. A time to share stories and a few words from the family will be 7:30 p.m. The family invites everyone to wear racing attire.

Memorial contributions may be made to Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame or ProMedica Hospice.

Condolences may be sent and the guestbook signed at www.hgmackfuneralhome.com.