Richard Charles Challenger

In great sadness, this is the most difficult writing I will bestow on my wonderful husband, but it is with great privilege to let others know what a truly wonderful, kind, considerate, educated, loving, faithful man, husband, and friend he was.

Richard (Rick) C. Challenger passed away August 2025 after a long tedious nine-month ordeal with multiple cancers. He was born in the Windy City of Chicago to his wonderful parents Helen and Richard Sr.

Rick joined the U. S. Navy after High School graduation where he served four years on board the USS -Tripoli (LPH-10) in Radio Operations. The USS -Tripoli is an amphibious assault ship that carried marines and helicopters and served numerous missions during the Vietnam War.

While in the Service, Rick received many awards such as:

National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam, Campaign Medal, Philippines Presidential Unit Citation. After his service, he went on to obtain his master’s degree at Lewis University in Business Administration.

We met shortly after while he was attending college. We shared a wonderful life of 42 married years together. He loved to travel and take pictures of our experiences. Most of our free time was taken up with our family, travels, home and gardens. Our four dogs, that we had been able to love over the years, were a very important part of our little family.

Rick was a truly one of a kind man. He loved me more than anything and showed it to the very end and I have loved him so deeply as well.

We are linked together forever in heart, spirit and true, true love. I’m so proud to be Rick’s surviving family, to be the love of his life and to have been Mrs. Paula B. Challenger. Rick is also survived by numerous friends and neighbors that he has come to know through the years.

The family will receive guests on August 24th from 2-5 p.m. in the Brown Wynne Cary, Hackney Reception Room, and then at 5:00 pm there will be a short prayer service that everyone is invited to take part in.

Memorial tributes and messages of sympathy can be left by clicking the "Add a Memory" box below. Brown Wynne of Cary is honored to serve the Challenger family.