Dwight Cheever Pettay, Jr. was born April 10, 1942 in Cadiz, Ohio, to Dwight Cheever Pettay, MD, and Helen Sadler Pettay. He graduated from Cadiz High School in 1960 and attended Ohio Wesleyan University. He graduated from Ohio Northern Law School and moved to the Washington DC area after graduation to accept a job as a tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service.
After a brief stint in DC, Dwight was approached to serve as assistant attorney general in charge of taxation for Ohio Attorney General William Brown. While in that position, Dwight had the honor of arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1974 (KOSYDAR v. NATIONAL CASH REGISTER CO.). Justice Stewart delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.
Dwight later moved to Hartford, Conn. to start the first Wendy’s Hamburger franchise on the East Coast. After a long stretch in Hartford he moved to Milwaukee and then Northern Virginia to develop several other entrepreneurial endeavors.
Dwight had two children, Marci and Patrick. He was a devoted and involved father and was constantly impressed by his children’s accomplishments, especially Marci’s graduation from Catholic University of America Law School and her commission as an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps., and Patrick’s graduation from University of Virginia and Wharton.
Dwight is survived by his wife of 16 years, Joceline, his daughter and son-in-law Marci and D’Andre Sam of Virginia, and his son and daughter-in-law Patrick and Sarah Pettay of London, as well as his brother and wife, Philip and Jean Pettay of Georgia, and his sister and husband Helen Pettay and Graham Ballingall of Scotland and North Carolina. His older sister, Lucinda Pettay Graham, preceded him in death, as did his mother Helen S. Pettay and father, Dwight C. Pettay, MD.
Dwight was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, and friend. He will be greatly missed.