Michael Valentine

Cincinnati philanthropist and radar detector pioneer Michael Valentine died unexpectedly Monday September 16 2024 at his home, according to his obituary. He was 74. Valentine was the founder of Cincinnati Microwave and Valentine Research, which he founded with his wife Margaret in 1983. The latter company's claim to fame was an early radar detector that exploded in popularity after it was featured in a 1979 issue of Car and Driver magazine. The Valentines, who both graduated from the University of Cincinnati, donated $5 million to the Fifth Third Arena project in 2016. When the Cincinnati Ballet was in the midst of relocating in 2019, the Valentines donated $10 million to the organization. He is survived by his wife of 51 years Margaret (Peg) K. Valentine, his daughter Martha Johnson (David) of Oregonia, daughter Anna Valentine (Iah Pillsbury) of Colorado Springs, Colorado; grandchildren Heidi and Reidar Johnson, and Avi Pillsbury. He is also survived by his siblings Nancy Lowe of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Kathy Valentine of Goshen; Sandra Paulsel (Nick) of Vandalia; Cheryl Valentine of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and brother-in-law James Kreutzberg (Cherie) of Findlay.