Richard Jay Iverson

As a young boy, the family moved to Portland, Oregon. Sunday family drives often included stops at the local airport to watch airplanes land and take off. This fueled his fascination for airplanes and aviation at a very young age. Dick was active in the Boy Scouts of America and attended many summer camps on the Oregon coast.

He attended Multnomah Grade School, and Benson Polytechnic High School, specializing in general and aviation subjects, graduating in 1949. During this time, he received the high honored of being selected as the driver for the 1949 Portland Rose Festival Queen during the Grand Floral Parade. A photo of Dick driving the new Packard convertible was a spotlight photo in The Oregonian coverage of the event.

For many years, Dick served in the Oregon Air National Guard, and in May 1950 was activated to full US Air Force duty, spending most of his time stationed in Alaska. At the time he was activated, he was attending Multnomah College, having nearly completed his degree in Aviation Division. Eventually he attended Skyways School of Aviation in Troutdale, Oregon where he learned to fly and attained both his private and commercial pilot’s licenses.

Dick’s career in aviation spanned from working as the Seattle station manager in the early days of Alaska Airlines (only 3 weekly flights to Portland!), to aircraft parts sales, using the company Cessna to make calls throughout the Pacific Northwest. In later years, Dick owned an aircraft parts and supply business.

Through joint social activities between Benson Polytechnic and Girls Polytechnic High Schools, along with the Masonic Lodge organizations of Demolay and Job’s Daughters, he first met Dena Cofer. Dick and Dena were joined in matrimony on October 18, 1952, starting their marriage of an amazing 72 years.

Dick and Dena raised two daughters, Lora and Lynda. They enjoyed many family activities together such as camping, traveling to airshows, and flying adventures in “Charlie” (Dick’s pride and joy, a 1953 Piper Tri Pacer airplane). Having a wife and two daughters active in Girl Scouts, Dick also was the supportive “Girl Scout Dad” often allowing himself to get “recruited” to assist. Later, as his daughters attended Washington State University, he always enjoyed his role as a “WSU Cougar Dad”, never missing a Dad’s Weekend football game in Pullman.

In the mid ‘70’s, Dick and Dena purchased a 5-acre parcel of wooded land near the airfield in the little town of Easton, WA. Dick, who was always a planner and fixer, enjoyed engineering and building the little mountain retreat for the two of them. They spent countless weekends and vacations enjoying their time at “the property”. During the summer Dick always had at multiple outdoor projects to plan, build and to tinker with. In the snowy winter months, they enjoyed many beautiful wintertime adventures exploring the surrounding areas on snowmobiles. “Easton” was Dick’s favorite. In his final days, one of his routines was to check the airfield webcam to see what was happening at his happy place.

In their retirement years, Dick and Dena enjoyed traveling near and far in their motorhome. From the Oregon Coast to Alaska, and across Canada to Prince Edward Island. They also managed to visit nearly every state in the continental US. The pilot in Dick came out in every one of their adventures, always having every trip detailed planned out to nightly stops, departure and arrival time and even gas mileage and refueling stops. They became active members of the Oregon Bounders RV Club, and participated in local group outings and national rallies developing many friendships along the way.

Dick is survived by wife Dena, in Vancouver; daughters Lora Knowlton (Doug) in Littleton, Colorado; Lynda Geiger (Glenn) in Battle Ground, Washington; grandchildren Mackenzie Feldhacker (John) in Hawarden, Iowa; Bryce Raber in Grand Junction, Colorado; Matthew Geiger in Woodinville, Washington; Brandon Geiger in Lake Oswego, Oregon; great granddaughter Joanna Feldhacker and soon-to-arrive great grandson, both in Hawarden, Iowa.

Dick’s favorite poem was High Flight – by John Gillespie Magee Jr.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth.

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings.

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting winds along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air…

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark nor ever eagle flew.

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod.

The high untrepassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

A graveside service will be held Friday, July 18 at 11am at Skyline Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home, 4101 NW Skyline Blvd, Portland, Oregon 97229.