Dr. Alicia S. Eckhart

Dr. Alicia S. Eckhart, of Columbus, left this earth peacefully surrounded by her loving family on February 14, 2020, at Riverside Hospital. She attended Grandview Heights Schools from K-12 and was a member of the graduating class of 1980. Alicia studied and earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from the College of Education in Recreation Education, her Master's Degree from the Graduate School in Sport and Leisure Studies, and her Doctoral Degree from the Graduate School in "Benefit-Based Leisure Programming: An Analysis of the Usage of Risk and Protective Factors for Resiliency Development with Recreation Participants" at The Ohio State University. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, ROTC, and participated in a variety of sports during high school, college and into her adult life.

Alicia was one of the first employees of Dublin Parks and Recreation Department and was instrumental in the growth of that department and recreational opportunities for that community. She became a Certified Leisure Professional by the National Board of Accreditation, National Recreation and Parks Association. Alicia went on to run her own consulting firm, REConomics, as well as taught classes at Ohio State. She was able to obtain her dream job, by becoming the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Fairborn. She loved being here because she loved to have a vision and see it through to fruition. She was able to create and expand programs and opportunities that benefited so many people. If there was a will to do something, she could always find the way to do it! She has been recognized for her accomplishments by receiving the Ohio Parks and Recreation Association Partnership Award in 2014, she was the recipient of the Fairborn Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Award in 2017 and was the Fairborn Citizen of the Week in 2019. Throughout her career Alicia has been involved with and impacted professionals at the local, state, and national levels.

Alicia loved her whole family with all of her being. Her most profound joy came from being a mother to her two beautiful and wonderful daughters, Mariah and Abby. Alicia's family and friends will all remember and cherish how loving, thoughtful, and amazing she was! Her motto was to make each day the best day possible for everyone around her! You could count on her to be there to help with anything that was needed. She was a great listener and attended to the details of life for the people she loved. She was a tremendous problem solver and had an adept way of knowing how things worked together and loved the challenge of figuring things out. Her actions towards others were always based on her giant heart of love! Alicia became a hero with her final gifts to possibly hundreds of unknown people by being an organ, eye, and tissue donor on National Organ Donor Day, February 14th!  We are all so proud to be her family!

A visitation and service will be held in Columbus on Saturday and a Gathering of Family and Friends to give an opportunity for all of the people that Alicia impacted in the Fairborn area will be held on Tuesday February 25, 2020 from 5:30 until 7:00 P.M. at the Belton-Stroup Funeral Home, 422 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Rd., Fairborn.

lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her memory may be sent to Fairborn Parks Foundation, PO Box 3255, Fairborn, OH 45324, with in memoriam of Alicia Eckhart, on memo line. A permanent memorial tribute is planned for her in Fairborn.