Rick Gutwald

Colonel Rick Gutwald, 75, USA (Ret), received orders from Highest Headquarters to report to Arlington National Cemetery for follow-on movement to partake in the Wedding Feast with Jesus, which never ends. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Lee Ann, with whom he fell in love on their first date. He is also survived by his sister, Patrice Gallo; brother-in-law, Keith Hacker (Ann); three nephews; two nieces and one grandnephew.

Rick served 30 years on active duty and the next ten years as a senior strategic advisor for Department of Defense (DoD) and as a senior executive in DoD. During his career, Rick was a tanker, helicopter pilot, strategic thinker and negotiator in the national-security and international-policy environments. He commanded four units; one of which was in the Gulf War. He was skilled in consensus decision-making and negotiation techniques for solving contentious issues. He was the principle integrator for the $1.3 billion DoD Training Transformation enterprise composed of all DoD components. He personally solved the four-month impasse between senior Office of the Secretary of Defense officials through the creation of the concept for the Joint National Training Capability, which was accepted by the Deputy Secretary of Defense.

At an early age, Rick developed two passions that lasted his entire life: he became a die-hard Dallas Cowboy fan, and he became a connoisseur of beer resulting in a beer glass collection of 1,260 beer glasses. Rick and Lee would travel to different countries just to taste a specific beer and collect a glass.

Rick will be missed for his sharp wit, his intellect, and his strong faith. He enjoyed taking walks with Lee along the Potomac River observing the wildlife and imitating the calls from crows and mallard ducks.

A viewing will be held at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 S. Washington St., Alexandria, VA 22314, on Thursday, July 27 from 2 pm to 4 pm, with a service following at 4:00PM.

Burial of Col. Gutwald will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bethany Lutheran Church and Preschool, 2501 Beacon Hill Rd., Alexandria, VA 22306, or your favorite charity.