Memorial Service for the Late Michael G. Oxley Set for Friday

A memorial service to celebrate the life of the late U.S. Congressman Michael G. Oxley, hosted by the family and The University of Findlay, will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 at Winebrenner Theological Seminary’s TLB Auditorium.
A reception with the family will be offered in the atrium following the service. Congressman Oxley is survived by his wife, Patricia; their son, Michael Chadd “Elvis” Oxley; daughter-in-law Jennifer Gennaro Oxley; grandson Max; and brother Tom Oxley.
The service will feature a video tribute to Congressman Oxley’s life. Speakers will include UF President Katherine Fell, Ph.D.; lifelong friend Dr. Jim Robertson; law partner and friend Judge Allan Davis; Congressman Pat Tiberi (Twelfth Ohio District); Congressman Bob Latta (Fifth Ohio District); U.S. Senator Rob Portman; and son Elvis Oxley.
The service will be streamed live at uftv.findlay.edu – click UFTV Live, then click the play button; or visit UFTV Productions on YouTube at http://bit.ly/1KU5wJC. It will also be broadcast live on WFIN.
Parking for the public will be at the Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex on North Main Street, with shuttles taking guests to the theological seminary. Those with disabilities may park at the seminary, accessed from Frazer Street.
Congressman Oxley, who died on Jan. 1, 2016, was born and raised in Findlay and had deep ties to the University in his hometown. He was a member of the UF Board of Trustees for many years. The University was one of three that awarded him honorary doctoral degrees.
In February 2015, he and his wife, Patricia, made a generous donation to the University’s Center for Student Life and College of Business building, expected to be constructed within the next few years.
Mike Oxley’s connection to UF began when he was a child. His father, Garver Oxley, was a star football player and a 1941 graduate of what was then Findlay College. Garver Oxley went on to become a coach and booster of the UF football program. Accompanying his father to campus for various athletic activities allowed the young Mike Oxley to connect with UF mentors such as Harold “Herk” Wolf, a collegiate basketball standout in the 1950s.
After his father died, Oxley, along with other local donors, established the Garver Oxley Memorial Scholarship to support varsity football players. The late Congressman met with scholarship recipients to encourage their commitment to education.
After earning his undergraduate and law degrees, Mr. Oxley was a special agent with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and practiced law in Findlay, paving the way for his career in Ohio politics. Mr. Oxley’s time in public life would span 34 years, and he won 17 straight elections, never losing a political contest.
A lifelong Republican, Mr. Oxley served in the Ohio General Assembly from 1973 to 1981. Elected to Congress in a special election, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Ohio’s Fourth Congressional District from 1981 to 2007. During his last six years in Congress, Congressman Oxley chaired the House Committee on Financial Services, making his mark as the co-author of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Following his retirement from Congress, Mr. Oxley joined the Ohio-based law firm of Baker Hostetler in Washington, D.C. He was also a senior advisor to the Board of Directors of NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.
As designated by the Oxley family, charitable donations made in Oxley’s memory may be directed to the following nonprofit organizations: Hancock Historical Museum, 422 W. Sandusky St., Findlay, OH, 45840; Lung Cancer Alliance, P.O. Box 418372, Boston, MA, 02241-8372; and Prevent Cancer Foundation, 1600 Duke Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA, 22314.

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