Richard Roland Myers

Dick was born on November 10, 1921 to Ralph and Stella Myers of Geneva, Nebraska. He attended elementary school in Geneva where he was the school’s marble champion. Much to his disappointment, his dad always made him give back the marbles he won from the other boys. Perhaps this was the beginning of the way he lived—giving appreciation and honor to others.

Dick played basketball and football in high school and was a great athlete. After graduating in 1940, he attended Kearney State Teacher’s College for two years where he played the same sports for the Antelopes, the college team. During those years he worked for Safeway and learned a lot about business and customer service.

In 1943, Dick joined the Marine Corps. On June 25th of that year, three days before he left for active duty, he married his college sweetheart, Elizabeth “Betty” Rosemary Rouse. He was sent to Western Michigan College and then to South Carolina for boot camp. After further training at Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina, he graduated from Officers’ School at Quantico, Virginia.

Dick served in the South Pacific during WWII as a First Lieutenant in the infantry, and his Marine division was ready to invade Japan when the atomic bomb was dropped. After the war ended, he travelled for Benjamin Moore and other paint companies. Since he had been an officer, Dick was later called back into the Marine Corps for the Korean War.

After returning from Korea, he worked for Benjamin Moore for several years and then in 1954, decided to start his own business in Yakima. He helped found Standard Paint and Wallpaper and was well known for his expert advice as well as his friendly, “Thanks a million!” to every valued customer. The business, now known as Standard Paint and Flooring, is run by his son and grandsons, who continue the tradition of placing high value on customer service.

In college, Dick was a member of the Phi Tau fraternity. In Yakima, he was a part of the Downtown Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), the Elks Club, and First Presbyterian Church (where he served as a greeter and usher for many years).

While his family was growing up, Dick spent many summer weekends water skiing at Lake Chelan, Rimrock, and Vantage. When he wasn’t driving the boat, he could be seen water skiing while smoking a cigar. He and his family also spent vacation time with several close friends from his Marine Corps days and met together in places all over the states. Dick was a caring, giving father and always put his family first.

Dick’s love of sports and family carried over to his grandchildren. He attended absolutely every game and the kids remember him shouting encouraging words from the stands.

Hawaii was Dick’s favorite vacation spot during the cold weather, and he loved walking miles on the beach at Kehei. His friendly greeting to everyone he walked by earned him the title, “Mayor of Kehei Beach.” His long walks continued at the Valley Mall and he enjoyed his walking companions there. Dick’s neighbors said they could tell the time of day by when Dick left to walk the mall each morning. Dick and Betty saw many parts of the world, including Africa and China, and traveled with a special group of Yakima friends. These same friends celebrated New Year’s Eve together for countless years.

During his life, Dick also enjoyed fall pheasant hunting and golf with friends as well as salmon fishing at Westport. As a family, we would often find Dick reading his Bible in his favorite chair when we visited. In the last few years, the things that always put a smile on Dick’s face were his great-grandchildren, cookies, sunny days, and cinnamon sprinkles on lattes.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Bob Myers of Sacramento, CA and Loren Myers of Springfield, OR. Survivors include Dick’s wife, Betty; a daughter, Diane (Tom) Berndt; a son, Dick (Kathy) Myers; his grandchildren, Jodi Corral, Harvey Berndt, Regan (Amy) Myers, and Craig (Sarah) Myers; his great-grandchildren, Brittney and Ashley Corral and Chloe, Cy, and Asher Myers.

A Celebration of Dick’s Life will be held Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 3:30 PM at the First Presbyterian Church.

We wish to give a special thank you to the caregivers at Cedar Hills and to Dr. Dan Doornink for their compassionate help.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Union Gospel Mission, the Yakima Valley Museum, or a charity of your choice.