death by his mother and father Leroy “Mac” McFarlane and Mary Harper and his brother Gary
McFarlane. He leaves behind his beautiful wife Josefina McFarlane and his 6 children Kevin,
Michel, Julie, Raul, Monica and RJ as well as his brother Bud and sister Pat.
Dick graduated highschool in Cambridge, Wisconsin and attended Harper College. As an
inventor, engineer and entrepreneur Dick was president of 3 successful businesses that
spanned fields from boating to medical; Dynaflight, Coilform, and Taut Inc. Where most
inventors work their whole career to be issued even a single patent Dick held 38 patents in his
40 year career, the bulk of which were in the medical field. Many of his inventions had an
enormous impact on their respective fields, several of which quite literally saved thousands of
lives.
A devout Catholic he attended mass every Sunday and started each morning praying the rosary
with his wife. He volunteered in church ministries and helped run the food drive, delivering
much needed food and supplies to the poor and destitute.
He shared an incredible relationship with his wife. In nearly 44 years of marriage they almost
never left each other’s side. They would even travel together for business trips because he
hated to be away from her for even a few days. Their relationship was a true inspiration and the
love they shared was infectious to everyone who touched their lives.
But all of these facts don’t do justice to the life that he lived. Dick McFarlane had a beautiful and
complex mind. He was capable of incredible invention and creativity that was equalled only by
his capacity for kindness and love. He loved his wife and kids. He loved his family and his
friends. He loved Frank Sinatra and smooth jazz, laughter and practical jokes. He loved anejo
rum and cranberry and took any opportunity possible to kick loose and show off his dance
moves. He loved the water and the ocean. He loved to ski and was an all around daredevil.
He loved the Bahamas and boating. And he loved all these things most when he was able to
share them with the ones that he loved. He lived everyday like it was a gift and his humility
didn’t allow him to see that his presence in all of our lives was the greatest gift of all.
To understand the life of Dick McFarlane you need only to look at the lives of everyone that he
touched. You feel his presence in every story we tell, in every laugh that we share, in every
dance and every sunset on the beach. And though we are sad that we can’t hold him in our
arms and tell him how much we love him, we are comforted by the fact that we feel him with us
and that we see all the best parts of him reflected in those he leaves behind. We love you Dad.
In a sky full of stars you were the sun.
In lieu of flowers please send donations to St. Paul of the Cross Church in North Palm Beach
