Alex "Zander" Oswald

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex "Zander" Oswald was always a different kind of cat, a funny dude, but different. That "different" showed up on his first job. He wasn't flipping burgers or working the cash register at Woolworth's, or doing lifeguard duty at Cumberland Pool like many of us, instead, Zander was a gravedigger at the East Cleveland Cemetery. A job knee deep in fun as he recalls, and full of secrets he's unwilling to divulge at this time. He also openly admits that he let a lot of people down at that job, and it wasn't quite the right fit. 

He sandwiched the cemetery work in between his first two years at St. Ignatius and his last two years at Heights High. After that, he headed to Tri-C and received his Associate's Degree in History, before attending Cleveland State, where he studied Sociology and Anthropology. He continued to do "normal" stuff and landed a job at Heinen's Grocery Stores where he marched the aisles from 1980-1988. 

Zander moved up the food chain and took a sales job with Nestle and remained there until 1995. That was followed by a move to manage a family-owned hydraulic fitting manufacturing company. What family, you ask? His wife's family. Which wife you ask? His first wife. Not long after his first wife became his ex-wife, hydraulic fitting didn't really fit into his life anymore. 

Zander "Willy Wonka" Oswald got that sweet tooth again and has been a salesman for Lindt Chocolate's since 2004. In 2006 Zander re-married an old friend, Anne Dodd, whom he met years ago while attending CSU. The couple currently reside in South Euclid. 

Zander is also the proud father of two college aged daughters Alexis 23, and Olivia 20, and recalls fondly the role he played in their lives over a decade ago when they lived in Shaker Heights. Zander became a rare male Girl Scout Troop Leader, "different", where I'm sure he taught all the girls the fine art of hole digging. He was also involved in the girls education at St. Dominic's where he was elected President of the school's PTA. 

While he has left Shaker Heights, he still remains active at St. Dominic's and is a member of the parish's Society of St. Vincent de Paul, an organization of men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to individuals in need. I'm not sure if this counts but, Zander, I need some chocolate. 

So what keeps Zander occupied these days? He has several pastimes that he enjoys, including; collecting coins and stamps, as well as collecting antique firearms, which he meticulously rebuilds. His love of military history and genealogy can keep him occupied for long periods of time as well. But Zander isn't just an indoor creature. He loves getting outside for some archery practice or hiking, and enjoys nothing more then to discover obscure bike paths where he can pedal away thinking about food. That's right, food. Zander has become quite the aficionado of bar food. If you're looking for the best burger, or onion rings, or cajun wings, and what beer you should drink with it, Zander can tell you where to find it. 

So what's next for Zander, well more of the same for now, and like many of us these days, he looks forward to retirement. But first he has a couple of girls that will one day get married, so he'll grind away for a while yet. But the personal motto Zander lives by is quite clear, "live life to it's fullest, and never waste a day." That's a motto we should all live by.