Ted Chaney, longtime Westerville resident and Volkswagen club co-founder, dies at 94
Theodore Robert “Ted” Chaney, a longtime Westerville resident, vintage-car collector and co-founder of the Central Ohio Vintage Volkswagen Club, died Oct. 9, 2026, just weeks before his 95th birthday. He was 94.
Chaney died during a club camping outing on Kelleys Island after choking on food at the campsite, according to a Facebook account of the outing. Fellow campers and emergency responders tried to help but couldn't revive him.
An early computing professional whose interests included renovating older homes and watercolor painting, Chaney spent a decade on the Westerville Board of Zoning Appeals. His obituary says he also handled finances for several successful local political campaigns, including those of longtime Westerville mayor Mary Lou Prouty and City Council member Jeff Heckman.
He became involved in Westerville civic affairs shortly after he and his first wife, Marianna, bought a home on Walnut Street. Neighbors knocked on their door seeking support against a proposal to widen streets, including theirs. “They were looking for support and we realized we didn’t want a four-lane highway running through our yard,” Chaney said in an earlier Westerville Magazine profile.
The effort drew him into community affairs and eventually campaign work. An earlier Beta Theta Pi alumni profile also described his service on local boards and commissions involving planning, zoning and architectural review.
He began his work on Westerville homes at Marianna’s urging. She preferred owning property to investments she couldn’t see or touch. “My wife didn’t trust intangibles like stocks or bonds,” Chaney told the magazine. “She wanted something she could see, feel, and touch. I was reluctant, but she persuaded me to buy a rental house.”
They went on to purchase, renovate and rent out more than 10 homes. Chaney worked in an office during the week and spent weekends repairing the properties. “It was therapeutic in a way and a lot of work,” he said. “It was two totally different things. I’d work in the office during the week and be out there swinging the hammer and paintbrush on weekends.”
His holdings also included commercial property in Uptown Westerville. At the time of the magazine profile, A Gal Named Cinda Lou had occupied one of his buildings for more than a decade.
Born in London, Ohio, to Robert and Georgianna Chaney, he met his high school sweetheart, Marianna Brown, there. According to the alumni profile, his father owned an insurance firm, and his mother was a teacher. Chaney entered Ohio Wesleyan University in 1949, studied accounting, and joined Beta Theta Pi, serving as chapter treasurer during his junior year. He graduated with honors.
While Marianna attended Wittenberg in Springfield, Chaney drove a 1931 Chevrolet to visit her. They married in 1953, before his graduation, and had a son, Robert.
Commissioned into the Air Force through ROTC, Chaney served at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in security and intelligence work. His civilian career included positions at Anchor Hocking, Timken, and Eaton Yale & Towne before he joined Nationwide Insurance. Much of his work involved data processing and systems development. According to the alumni profile, he retired from Nationwide in 1991.
His fascination with cars began long before his career. “I played with cars when I was a little kid, and machinery has always fascinated me,” he told the magazine. Chaney began collecting Volkswagens after buying a camper in 1988. In 1991, he helped establish the Central Ohio Vintage Volkswagen Club and served as its first president for about a year and a half.
Twelve people attended the first meeting. By the time of the magazine profile, Chaney said, the club had grown to about 200 members. “I thought when we started we would get 20 or 30 members max,” he said.
The collection he shared with his son extended beyond Volkswagens. At the time of that interview, it numbered about 20 vehicles, including everyday transportation, several Porsches and a 1920 Dodge pickup. He was also working on a 1925 Franklin Model 11A. “My son and I are in on this together and we can never agree what car should go,” Chaney said.
His obituary described him as an accomplished watercolor artist and occasional sculptor. He belonged to the Westerville Art League and served as its president, often spending more time painting as the weather grew colder. “I can’t get into a painting without getting completely lost in what I am doing,” he said in the magazine profile.
His obituary recalled his enthusiasm for adventure, his grandchildren, his partner Eleanor “Ellie” Doud, cars, family and gin martinis, “in no particular order.” It also described him as “furiously frugal.” The obituary said his last words to his son were a lecture on the high price of gasoline in California.
Friends responding to the Facebook post announcing his death remembered decades of campouts, car shows, travel and conversation. Mike Immarino recalled a June visit when Chaney stopped at his house. They talked about Volkswagens and worked on Chaney’s Porsche seat.
Martin Kircher remembered traveling with him to Volkswagen events in Europe. M. Anthony Fornataro recalled unexpectedly running into him at a car show during Monterey Car Week in California in 2023. “We shot the breeze, that was the last time we spoke,” Fornataro wrote. “He sure had fun and lived a full life.”
Red Bridges remembered Chaney’s “wry wit and grin” and his habit of asking about their shared architectural interests. Todd Swangstu, who had known Chaney since 1988, wrote: “Ted was one of those people that seems to never grow old.”
The original Facebook post's author recalled 26 years of camping with Chaney. Another commenter, Rick Lang, wrote: “I hope we all get to enjoy life as much as he did.”
Marianna died in 1988, and another life partner, Sue Smith, died in 2010. Chaney is survived by his partner, Eleanor “Ellie” Doud; son, Robert Chaney; daughter-in-law, Bethany Napier; grandchildren, Theo and Fletcher Chaney; sister, Barbara Tope; and brother, Tom Chaney.
His obituary says a celebration of life is planned for the spring at his farmland in Madison County, with details to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in his honor to the Columbus chapter of Wild Ones, a native-plant organization, or the American Red Cross.
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Thank you for this. What a fun inspiration.