Richard Earl Chesley Sr.

Early Years & Education

Born in Los Angeles County, CA to Earl Chesley and Bertha Chesley (nee Campbell). Dick grew up an only child who never seemed to sit still. By 17 he was contributing to his community as a volunteer firefighter and trading odd-job labor for flight lessons at the local airstrip.

Call to Service

After graduating Calexico High School in 1949, he worked briefly for Southern Pacific Railroad, then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. In the Air Force, he used his previous flight experience to gain assignment as an Air Policeman. After an honorable discharge, he served as a Security Guard at Sandia National Laboratories, in Los Alamos, NM. This assignment sparked a passion for law enforcement that shaped the rest of his life.

Distinguished Law-Enforcement Career

Dick served nine years with the Huntington Park, CA Police Department, first as a traffic officer and eventually a motorcycle officer. He also served as a member of the Department’s motorcycle stunt team.

After joining the U.S. Marshals Service in 1962, he rose from Deputy to Supervisory Deputy in Los Angeles, where he had a part in several political events that shaped our country, including:

• Providing on-campus protection for James Meredith, the first African American student at Ole Miss.

• Safeguarding federal judges in Puerto Rico during the time when federal courts in PR were elevated to the same status as those in the US.

Additionally, Dick was able to meld his passions for law enforcement and aviation by earning

a multi-engine commercial rating so he could transport federal prisoners by air, rather than by car.

Once promoted to Chief Deputy, he led districts in Oklahoma City, Cleveland, and Scranton, PA; hiring and mentoring dozens of young deputies before retiring in 1984. Several of his protégés went on to have distinguished service careers in the US Marshals Service, and they cited his mentorship as a critical component to their later success.

He remained active in the Retired U.S. Marshals Association, Knights of Columbus, Oklahoma City FOP Lodge, and Elks Lodge #417.

Family & Faith

On November 26, 1960, Dick married Elizabeth “Betty” Niznik, joining her large Catholic family and embracing the faith that would guide him for the rest of his life. Their partnership endured “for better or worse, but never dull,” until Betty’s passing in 2013.

Passions Beyond the Badge

Dick’s aviation logbook bore thousands of hours—flying prisoners, friends, and family. Off duty he took up amateur photography and loved snapping candid shots of his friends and loved ones. He loved getting outdoors in the family camper, with destinations including the California mountains and redwoods to the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns. Later in life, he and Betty enjoyed travel destinations such as the Albuquerque Ballon Festival, Vancouver BC, and a tour of New England.

He never turned down a good steak, a cold beer, or a chocolate malt. Additional passions were OSU football and his black lab, Oreo…that he sometimes referred to as “son” (to the dismay of his human sons.)

He preached plainspoken values: work hard, be self-reliant, handle your money wisely, and it’s “better to be thought of as a smart-ass than a dumb-ass.”

Legacy

Dick is survived by three children—Richard Jr. (Michelle) of Oklahoma City; Michael (Christy) of Edmond; and Michele Pearson (Geno) of Hoover, Alabama—and six beloved grandchildren: Glenn, Richard III, Grace, Jacob, Rhett, and Mia.

Funeral Services

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Oklahoma City, on Thursday July 17 at 10am, with interment following at Resurrection Cemetery beside his wife, Betty. Visitation will be held Wednesday evening, July 16 at 5:00-8:00pm at Chapel Hill Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Oklahoma City.

The family would like to thank both the staff at Frontier Hospice, especially Emily and Holly, for the excellent care they gave Dick over the last nine months, as well as the staff at Teal Ridge Assisted Living.