David Plate Obituary

David Howard Plate, age 85 of Hudson, Ohio, passed away peacefully Saturday, July 5, 2025. David was born December 29, 1939 in Erie, PA to the late Helen (nee Laird) and Howard Neville Plate. He was the beloved husband of Ruth Ann (nee Werren) Plate; loving father of Dr. Deborah (Jim) Plate (Vargo) and the late David Gregory "Greg" (Christine - surviving) Plate; cherished grandfather of Dr. Ethan (Lauren Georgalas) Vargo, Emma (Rett) Allen, Ashleigh (Reynolds) Grant, Logan (Ashley) Plate, Bryce (Lauren) Plate and Jordan (Tyler Oquendo) Plate; great-grandfather of 11; and dear brother of the late Alice Sealy and Marilyn Louise "Marylou" Pickering.
Raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, David met the love of his life Ruth Ann (Werren) in grade school and was lucky to be married to her for 65 years. He graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy/Psychology. He then graduated from Boston University with a Master's degree in Theology and served as a Methodist minister for several years. He enjoyed his hospital visitations with his parishioners so much that he returned to school and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Masters' degree in Hospital and Health Care Facilities Management. This launched a successful 48 year career in healthcare/hospital leadership. David had leadership positions at Meridia Euclid Hospital, Hillcrest Hospital, New Hanover Regional Trauma Center in Wilmington, NC and served as CEO of the Northern Ohio American Red Cross Blood Services for 21 years. Upon retirement, David became the Executive in Residence at Cleveland Clinic Akron General where he developed a physician leadership program and mentored select medical staff for future leadership roles. While in this role, he enjoyed being involved with fundraising for The Salvation Army Akron and Summit County and the Akron-Canton Food Bank.
David was a true car and tractor enthusiast! He enjoyed collecting, displaying and educating anyone who would listen about his vast collection of scaled model cars. His real life car collection included several Ford and Ferguson tractors, an Amphicar and a 1931 Model A Ford that he enjoyed restoring and displaying at the annual Father's Day Car Show at Stan Hywet. He enjoyed vacationing with family and friends for decades on Sanibel Island.
Special thanks to the nursing staff at Danbury of Hudson and CorsoCare Hospice for their great care!
A celebration of life will be held privately with family at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made in David's memory to support the Akron-Canton Regional Food Bank (www.akroncantonfoodbank.org) or to The Salvation Army Akron and Summit County (www.salvationarmysummit.org). Arrangements by Busch-Romito Funeral Home, Hudson, OH. www.buschcares.com