Dick Sheets, a sports editor and news editor of The Republic, has died at age 71.
Sheets, who grew up in Columbus, began working at The Republic full time as a sports writer in 1971. He became sports editor a year later and wrote a column, “Sheets on the Line,” which focused on high school sports.
Sheets became news editor in 1977, serving in that role for about 10 years — including work on The Republic’s launch of a Sunday edition in 1985. As news editor, he was involved in the daily production of the newspaper, including editing, headline writing and page design. Afterward, he served as a copy editor on the news desk, where he finished his 22-year Republic career.
Afterward, Sheets worked for the Legislative Services Agency at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, also as an editor.
Sheets died Monday in Fishers after an illness.
“We were interns together at The Republic, where I first met him,” said Bud Herron of Columbus, who retired as publisher of the newspaper.
Early in their journalism careers, Herron was news editor when Sheets was sports editor.
“There was no one with higher journalistic ethics or who put more demands on himself,” Herron said. “He could be depended upon to do things right.”
The two knew each other most of their adult lives.
“I don’t know anybody I worked with in journalism who I respected more than Dick. He was in every way a professional,” Herron said.
Herron and another Republic colleague, former sportswriter Chuck Grimes, visited with Sheets at a Fishers hospice a few days before his death.
Sheets and Grimes were boyhood friends, first in New Whiteland, then reconnecting in Columbus in the late 1950s.
On The Triange newspaper staff for Columbus High School, Grimes was sports editor and Sheets was a reporter.
“Once upon a time, I told him what to do,” Grimes said, although years later those roles would be reversed.
The 1964 Columbus High School graduates roomed together as Indiana University freshmen.
While Grimes transferred to Indiana State University and received a degree in elementary education, Sheets graduated from IU in journalism.
After Sheets became Republic sports editor, he invited Grimes — a full-time Columbus elementary school teacher — to moonlight covering high school games for The Republic, which he did for about 40 years.
“He had a passion for detail, and for getting it right,” said Grimes, a 43-year educator.
“He loved to edit, he really did. It was a passion,” said Grimes, a longtime Columbus resident.
Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Pam Sheets, of Fishers.
