I just found out that Dick passed away. Dick was my Board Chair while I was the Director of the "Y" and he was great to work with. His leadership was great and he was instrumental in getting the West Y to move ahead. I was so sorry to hear about his passing. God Bless.

My Dad was the smartest person I knew, however, he would be the first to tell you if he didn't know about certain subjects. I admired his unconditional love for us, his family, and his love of this country! He will be sorely missed but forever in my heart! I love you Dad!

Dick was on the West YMCA board when
I was hired to work for the Y and as
I moved from Montana Dick was always
willing to help me in any way that
I would ask.  He always had a positive
attitude even when the West Y was 
was in bad shape.  I will always
remember is sense of humor and his
careing personality!

So many wonderful years of good memories. Dick help us in so many ways, helped me learn to drive a car and helped me with Larry when he was sick.  May God hold all of you in the palm of His hand.  Love always Dolores.

He will be greatly missed.  Know that we are keeping you in our prayers during this difficult time.

Alison/Annette and McKenize Family:  It is tough losing a Dad/Father.  We are praying for you in this lost.  Your dad was great and I remember him well from the RHCC days.  Keep the faith 24 hours a day.  Mark and Pam Morgan

Remember the original "Star Wars" trilogy? You know, the one from the late 1970s where we met Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and his mentor and trainer, Master Yoda? Remember how Master Yoda seemed so subtle and insignificant and yet was really a larger-than-life wise sage and skilled warrior? Have you ever met someone who seemed larger-than-life? Who's smile or voice or overall presence just seemed to fill a room? That was Dick McKenzie.

It was my privilege and pleasure to meet and work with Dick a long time ago. I was only 18 and Dick was my mentor at a summer job at an insurance company. Being a former Navy pilot, he was also something of a role model to me both as a man and a pilot. All of that combined with his immense, seemingly endless sense of humor and lightning fast wit, it wasn't long and he became a very treasured friend. I loved hanging out in his office or going to lunch with him and hearing his "war stories" from his Navy days, the crazy things he'd figured out somehow to get insured and - most of all - to enjoy all the laughs and hilarity only conversation with Dick McKenzie could provide.

Despite being a former fighter pilot, Dick was obviously a warm, loving and caring man. His guidance to me as a very young adult and after was both subtle and beneficial. As I've thought back over the years of our conversations during those times I've come more and more to realize that on a lot of those occasions I wasn't just chatting with a buddy and getting laughs. Rather, I was being subtly advised, counseled and even trained by a Master Yoda - someone who was so good at teaching one had to be around them for a long time to even realize they had done it.

And there were other times when Dick could mentor, guide and advise quite obviously. Once, when I worked for him, I poured a lot of my best logic, persuasion, prose, energies and efforts into writing a business letter to a potential client who truly needed our insurance. Unfortunately, I was only 18, knew nothing about business letters and therefore had composed one three pages long. Dick sat me down, showed me how much time, salary etc I had spent on that little project and how little the policy would net our agency and therefore - like all business letters - was therefore only worth one page. He sent me back to my office to try again. And, many years after we'd worked together, one of the highlights of my flying career was to take Dick and my stepson on a nightflight around the area. Apparently I "greased" the landing on so gently that he began applauding and turned around and told my stepson, "Landings don't get any better than that." (Wow! To hear such praise from someone I thought so much of, I don't think my spirits landed for a week!)

With his bubbly personality, hilarious sense of humor and deep knowledge and experience in his field, I doubt if Dick could ever be termed insignificant. Yet his subtle ways of mentoring were masterful, just like Yoda. And the young, impetuous, impatient Luke Skywalker came to love and cherish the time he spent learning from Yoda and though mourned his passing, knew he was a far better man thanks to the influence of his teacher. So, it is that this [hopefully formerly] impetuous, impatient and [sadly formerly] young man grew to love and cherish the time I spent with one of the Yodas in my life, Dick McKenzie.

Blue skies and happy landings, Dick. Keep 'em entertained up there in the Great Beyond until we see you again.

   Dick McKenzie was a good and helpful man. He got me on the West branch Y board in 1967. He was helpful in many ways. I enjoyed his friendship and his abilities. He will be missed.  God bless  Richard Darge

To the family of Richard McKenzie:  Dick was the most honorable and fair person we have ever known.  He will be missed.  Our deepest sympathy/

Kelly and children, I'm sorry for you're the passing of such a loving, warm, fun and upstanding person from your lives.

It was both my privilege and pleasure to meet and work with Dick in 1981. I was only 18 and Dick was a role model to me both as a man and a pilot and he became a very treasured friend from then on. His sense of humor was immense and thus my memories of time spent with/around him always make me smile. 

Blue skies and happy landings, Dick.

OBITUARIO

Richard Donnel McKenzie

7 octubre, 1927 – 19 abril, 2012

Resthaven Mortuary & Gardens of Memory

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