Dick passed away on May 20, 2023, at age 97. There is rejoicing in Heaven as he reunites with his beloved wife, Dora, and spends eternity with his Lord Jesus. With Dick’s passing we’ve lost an exemplary one from the Greatest Generation. At age 17 Dick earned his Eagle Scout rank. It was also at age 17 Dick begged his mother to sign for him to join the Navy after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He served his country for nearly four years as a medic and pharmacy mate aboard ship in the south Pacific during World War II. His pride in his country never subsided; in recent years he was rarely found without his “World War II Veteran” ball cap.
Dick was born in West Virginia and returned there after WWII, getting his GED and college degree. Introduced by her cousin, Dick met his wife, Dora, and a love story began which lasted nearly 70 years before her passing. Two dearly cherished children were born to this union.
Dick worked in human relations in both West Virginia and a small town in the state of Wyoming. It was the years spent in Wyoming that were most memorable due to the skiing, camping, fishing, and boating which Dick dearly loved in this outdoor paradise. He served his community as a city councilman, Sunday School teacher, and Boy Scout leader. A job as industrial relations manager with the Mosler Safe Company brought the family to Hamilton/Fairfield. Dick served on the Hamilton Safety Council, was a member of Lindenwald Methodist Church, and was active at the Hamilton YMCA. He learned to golf and started running, completing 14 marathons. He held very dear the friendships and memories of running with his YMCA buddies of “The Company” and of those with whom he golfed in retirement.
Upon retirement, Dick and Dora were snowbirds for over 25 years, enjoying winters at their Florida condo. Dick played racquetball and golf, competing in Florida Senior Olympics and earning over 30 medals. It was Dora’s health that required them to change plans and stay close to home. A devotedly loyal husband, Dick joined her for dinner each night at her care facility for three years until her passing. He then became a founding member of a local senior retirement community where he made many new friends and enjoyed the activities, especially dominos, bingo, and poker. He routinely completed the
sudoku puzzle in the daily paper, loved to write short poems, and enjoyed listening to history books and Sherlock Holmes stories on audio discs. Dick was always upbeat with a smile and loved to kid around and tell jokes. He loved history, westerns and war movies, chocolate, and the color blue.
Surviving are his daughter, Cathy Milligan, and son, Rich Dyer, and their spouses, as well as three grandchildren and their spouses, and two great-grandchildren with another one due in late July. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and his only sibling, a brother.
Private interment will be held at Rose Hill Burial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256; Shared Harvest Food Bank, 5901 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, OH 45014; or Cornerstone Methodist Church, 7600 Princeton Glendale Road, West Chester, OH 45011.
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