Arthur H. "Art" Ball

Arthur “Art” H. Ball, 85, of Tiffin, passed away on Friday morning, October 20, 2023, at The Courtyard at Tiffin.

He was born on September 29, 1938, in Tiffin, Ohio, to Oscar J. and Florence M. (Boes) Ball.  On May 02, 1959, in St. Joseph Catholic Church, he married Loretta McCray.

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 a 1956 graduated from Tiffin Calvert High School.  He served in the United States Marine Corp from 1956-1958.  He worked at Basic Refractories for 26 years, a member of the 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 wintered 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 30 track championships overall.  He raced until he was 77 years old and won his last feature at age 76.  He was inducted into the Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame in 2009 and the National Late Model Hall of Fame in 2019.

On Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Fremont Speedway, Art will take his final lap, prior to the Showdown that evening.  The family hopes all will attend this special event.

His Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at St. Mary Catholic Church with Rev. Matthew Rader officiating.  A Rosary will be prayed 30 minutes prior to Mass.  Burial will follow in Seneca Memory Gardens with Military Honors being conducted by the United Veterans Council.

Friends may visit with the family from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M. on Wednesday, October 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 begin at 7:30 PM.  The family invites everyone to wear racing attire.

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

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

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Arthur H. "Art" Ball, please visit our floral store.