Charles Richard Hensley

He grew up in the Tampa area and attended St. Petersburg Community College, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida.

He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and earned a purple heart and 2 bronze stars. He always marched to a different drummer. He was an artful person. He left his family many lovely paintings and he wrote 2 books, which were never published. He traveled the world before his accident in 1987 and afterwards. He drove a motorcycle from Florida to California the summer after his 19th birthday. On his return trip, while in West Virginia, he joined the military. He reasoned that he would be drafted and would have more choices if he enlisted.

He taught English in Barcelona, Spain for many years. Also, he lived in Hawaii and Luxembourg for several years. In addition to teaching, he held a variety of jobs including framing pictures, carpentry, and commercial fishing.

He had a serious accident in 1987 in Spain and life was never the same for him or for the people who loved him. After spending 2 years in hospitals or rehab centers, he was able to manage his new life. He continued to travel and after the accident he went to Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Russia, many national parks, Alaska and Maine.

He lived in Florida until 2012 when he moved to Oregon with his sister and brother-in-law. He died August 21, 2025 in Oregon. He loved Oregon for its cooler weather and magnificent coast. He enjoyed many fish and chips meals watching the Pacific waves roll in. Nonetheless, he chose Florida as his final resting place, buried beside his mother.

Rick was a resilient person and one to be admired. He had a sense of humor and was kind and helpful to many people. The world was a better and kinder place because he was on this earth.