Richard was born September 26, 1942 in San Francisco, CA to Glenn Allen Mars and Katherine Barthelmus Mars.
At the age of 17, Richard enlisted in the United States Navy and spent his career as a Hospital Corpsman. Richard completed four tours in Vietnam along with being stationed and working alongside the Marine Corps. Upon retiring from the Navy in 1980, Richard then achieved his Bachelors in Science from Christopher Newport University in 1985. He then became a biology teacher at Hampton High School until retiring again in 1998.
In 1998, Richard and his wife, Joan, set sail for a year long vacation in the Bahamas. Upon returning from the Bahamas, Richard then went to work at the Virginia Air & Space Center where he was an educator.
Richard was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Brian. He is survived by Joan Betting Mars, his wife of almost 42 years; his son, Richard Jr. of Phoenix AZ; his daughter, Christyne Ogdin and son-in-law, Kelly Ogdin of Jackson OH; grandson, Mitchell from Jackson OH, a Marine stationed in Yorktown VA. Richard has three surviving sisters; Karen Rhoades of Charlotte NC, Celeste Atkinson and Paulette Kincaid of Asheboro NC.
The family will receive friends 2:00 - 4:00 PM, Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at Parklawn-Wood Funeral Home. A celebration of life will be held 2:00 PM, Thursday, December 16, 2021 at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Richard’s name to the Wounded Warrior Project at support.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate.
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