Michael Hay Setzer, 76, of Anderson Twp., Cincinnati, OH, passed away suddenly on May 20, 2022, surrounded by his loving wife and daughters.
He was born to Henry and Lorraine Setzer in Buffalo, New York, in 1945 and graduated from Benilde-St. Margaret's high school in Minnesota. He received a BS from Saint John's University, Minnesota, and a BA from the University of Minnesota. He earned his MBA at Xavier University.
He is survived by Kathleen (nee Waddick), his wife of 53 years, as well as his daughter Molly, his daughter Erin (Mike Ciuni), his brother Steven Setzer, his sister Claudia Setzer (Michael Greenwald), his brother-in-law James Waddick, his nieces, nephews, and two grandsons, Giovanni and Luca. He was preceded in death by his beloved son, Morgan, and sister-in-law, Sally Setzer.
He began an illustrious five-decade career in transit management in the 1970s, culminating in his Presidency at Transdev (Veolia) in Lombard, Illinois. After a brief retirement, he started a new LLC, that included working with TransPro Consulting. He was the CEO of METRO in Cincinnati from 2004 to 2008, built and commissioned the light rail system for Minneapolis-St. Paul, and created the Nassau Inter County Express in Long Island, New York.
Following the loss of Morgan in 1990, he and Kathy started the Morgan Setzer Scholarship Fund at St. Xavier High School. He also served on the Board at S.E.M. food pantry and volunteered with Cincinnati Works. Donations in his name may be directed to any of these organizations.
The viewing will be on Thursday, May 26th, 2022, at 9:30 am at Guardian Angels Church, Mt. Washington in the gathering space, followed directly by the Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 AM.
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