Richard Dean Drake

We are saddened to announce the passing of Richard Dean Drake, 90, in Palm Bay, Florida on December 31st, 2024. Richard was a son, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and uncle who was greatly loved.

Richard was born in Ithaca, New York on May 17th, 1934 to parents Max Drake and Madeline Genter to a large family with 5 brothers and 3 sisters. Growing up on a farm, he learned early and often the value and importance of hard work.

Rising daily at 4am, Richard cared for livestock, taking the cows to pasture before walking to school. On a farm there’s always more work, and after school he would bale hay and do other chores. Eighty years later, Richard would lament with a laugh his least favorite chore, picking rocks from fields, but would add his favorites, like riding Martha the dairy cow out to pasture and back. . Like many farm boys, he began dreaming about seeing the world outside of farm life.

Richard cared deeply for his family and lifelong friends. He especially valued a close friendship with his dear brother, Charlie, his entire life. From sharing a room growing up, to horsing around in their room to planning frequent RV road trips to get together, Charlie and Richard were best friends, always.

In his youth, Richard developed a lifelong love of cars and tractors and became known as a skilled mechanic. He enjoyed learning everything about them, from maintenance and repair to driving and operating, to drag racing with brothers and friends on Mecklenburg Road near home. Decades later, he would laugh and slyly allude to stories about evading the local law enforcement that took issue with his drag racing.

Richard worked for a local gas station where he pumped gas and maintained customer’s cars. This experience was fulfilling in that Richard loved cars, but he wanted more from his life. He made his first big adventure by driving from New York to Florida straight through with no stops, a much more significant drive before interstate highways. It was a memory he enjoyed sharing with others.

After graduating in 1952, Richard blazed his own path by enlisting in the Army, becoming the first Army soldier of his family. He was stationed at Fort Bragg and trained with the Army Signal School. In his typical fashion, he also became a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne because, he said, “The pay was better.” He shared stories of jumping from planes during training and having fun with his buddies in the air. This style of understated courage was a feature throughout his life. He was posted to South Korea after the end of the Korean War, where he manned a post as a guard and signal operator, spending time in both South Korea and Japan.

After an honorable discharge, Richard met his first wife, Ila Faye Smith. They had their first date at a drive-in restaurant in his car. They had burgers and shakes and became excited to start a life together. They wed in North Carolina (placeholder: input from Mom) and moved back to Ithaca, New York to start a family where they purchased their first home. They had their first child, daughter Teresa Marie, surrounded by love and family. One of the only times Richard had anything good to say about cold winters was bundling up Teresa and playing in the snow.

Ready for warmer weather, the growing family moved south to Orlando, Florida where their second child was born, Jeffrey Dean. After finding work for Martin Marietta, they moved again to their permanent Florida family home in Eau Gallie, Florida. Their family was complete when they had their third child, Ronald Scott. The family was happy there and shared many fond memories of grilling out in the backyard, swinging in the oak tree, summer vacations to Ithaca, North Carolina and California, and building a community with their neighborhood friends.

Richard continued working hard and long hours to further his career and support his family. He built a respected career at Harris Corporation as a semiconductor engineer, where he put his training and skills to work for decades. He rose the ranks at work and was awarded for his approachable nature, dedication to high quality work, and his desire to lend a helping hand to anyone needing it.

Later in life, Richard started a new path in Palm Bay, Florida. He met his second wife, Susanne Tooley, while working side by side. The couple married, and he adopted her daughter, Michelle Ann. After years of helping friends and family build homes, they were eager to return the favor and help him build his new two-story home. It embodied his personal style and character, inside and out, showing in the home’s design, craftsmanship and his careful upkeep.

In his new home, Richard’s upbringing on the farm helped him flourish in gardening. He grew innumerable fruits, flowers, and vegetables, including but not limited to an orange grove, experimental varieties of peach, grapes, berries, roses, snapdragons and many more. Roses were a specialty and he enjoyed making jams from his fruit supply. He loved to show off his “rock garden” too, which had countless large and small gems, rocks and coral.

After retirement, Richard found a new hobby and became a lapidary. He soon joined the Canaveral Mineral & Gem Society as their treasurer and won multiple awards for his stunning faceted gemstones. He was also skilled at finding the perfect setting to use for his polished gems.

After befriending a tiny puppy, Richard became the loving, devoted father of a small chihuahua named Honeybun. He loved and cared for her all her life, and in return, Honeybun was devoted to him. They were rarely apart at home and you could count on seeing them take daily walks together.

As a father and grandfather, he loved indulging and helping everyone. There are so many fond memories of him, like his freshly baked bread and preserves, holiday homemade fudge, hosting family cookouts, and RV road trips to the Smoky Mountains, Tweetsie Railroad, Ithaca for reunions, or camping out. He always loved and supported his family and his generous spirit knew no bounds.

In his later years, he took an affinity to sitting outside in a rocking chair while watching nature and enjoying the weather. He especially enjoyed squirrels when they would scare the birds away from the feeder and steal their peanuts. Richard enjoyed and appreciated living his final years with his loving daughter, Teri, who worked tirelessly as his caregiver.

Richard is survived by his children Teresa Fore, Ronald Drake, and Michelle Hintze; his grandchildren Jeffrey Fore Jr, Annie Fore, Shannon Edwards, Shane Drake, and Joshua Sargent; his great-grandchildren Kaley, Kaiden, and Ryleigh. He was preceded in death by his siblings Beverley, John, Barbara, Donald, Charles, Madeline, Robert, and Larry; his former wife Ila Drake; his wife Susanne Drake; and grandson Anthony Lange.

The Celebration of Life for Richard Dean Drake will be held at Fountainhead Funeral Home, 7359 Babcock St, Palm Bay, FL 32909 on Monday February 10th, 2025, at 4:00pm. His remains will be interred at Cape Canaveral Veterans Cemetery. Donations to the Fisher House Foundations are greatly appreciated.

A celebration of life for Richard will be held Monday, February 10, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Fountainhead Memorial Funeral Home, 7359 Babcock Street SE, Palm Bay, FL 32909.