Arts leader known for compassion

Don Streibig loved to bake and he was a man of his word.

But this spring, after a cancer diagnosis, the 91-year-old Columbus resident couldn't bring baked goods to his church group as he had promised.

“He was worried he couldn’t provide dessert. That tells you a lot: He was facing cancer and was worried about letting us down,” said Amy Wagner, office manager at the First Congregational Church, Downtown, Streibig’s place of worship for more than 40 years.

Streibig, a Cincinnati native, died Thursday of lung cancer.

He served as executive director of the Ohio Arts Council in its early days in the late 1960s, and went on to manage the Ohio Theatre in the 1970s and 1980s. His roots in arts administration began with his theater studies at Heidelberg University.

A global citizen, Streibig was a World War II veteran who later moved to Germany for 15 years. He continued traveling for weeks and months at a time throughout his life, said Rev. Timothy Ahrens, senior minister at First Congregational Church.

Streibig was a committed parishioner who participated in small group sessions, served as a Stephen minister, sang in the choir for decades and attended Sunday service without fail, Ahrens said.

He also was generous with his time and his compassion. Streibig volunteered to drive patients to and from appointments and hosted international guests, the pastor said.

It was not uncommon for tears to roll down Streibig’s face during church service, Ahrens said. At the nursing home where he later lived, Streibig’s visitors often arrived to find him already consoling and holding the hands of another resident who needed comforting.

“It’s one thing to travel the world. It’s another to sit still with someone for a while and bring them comfort. He could do both,” Ahrens said. “He Streibig could become friends with anyone, anywhere.”

Streibig served as executive director at the Ohio Arts Council from 1967 through the mid-1970s, said Donna Collins, the council’s current director. He helped inspire the council’s effort to have funding in all 88 of Ohio’s counties, she said.

Over the years, he directed numerous plays and musicals, including a one-act opera in 2007 at the age of 81.

Through the last months of his life, Streibig remained devoted to Ohio’s performance and arts community, Collins said.

“For me, he was like a founding father of the Ohio Arts Council,” Collins said. “We hope to live up to his legacy.”

A memorial service will be held at First Congregational Church in mid-May, Ahrens said.

“He had such a gentle, compassionate presence. He was just a remarkable man,” Ahrens said. “I’ll be hearing from people around the world, no doubt.”