Richard David Huseth, age 88, passed away on June 22, 2022 in Austin, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Helen Huseth, and by his beloved wife of 61 years, Janice Grace Huseth. Richard is survived by daughter Deborah Bandera, son David Huseth, daughter Jennifer Nicandros and son-in-law Steve Nicandros, son John Huseth, grandchildren Alexandra Palmer and husband Alexander Palmer, Elizabeth Walker and husband Wesley Walker, Dino Nicandros, Katherine Bandera and husband Steven Hatcher, Zachary Huseth, and Sarah Huseth and by great-granddaughters Laine Walker, Stella Hatcher, and Willow Palmer.
Richard was born in 1934 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He and his family lived in Elk River, Minnesota, where his father was, according to Richard, the “best dentist in the county.” Richard developed his love of sports as a boy and played both basketball and football in junior high and high school. He met Janice in 10th grade homeroom after she moved to Elk River from Iowa. Friendship bloomed into romance when Richard asked her to the senior prom. Richard was the valedictorian of his graduating class at Elk River High (Janice claimed she let him win), and he went on to earn a B.S. and M.S. in Mathematics at the University of Minnesota.
Richard and Janice were married in July 1956 after they both graduated from college, and within a few years they had a growing family of Deborah and David. In 1959 Richard joined the U.S. Army in Massachusetts, where he served as a Lieutenant in the cryptanalysis department. Jenny was born at the Fort Devens army base hospital. In 1962 Richard left the army and moved his family to Apalachin, NY, where he joined IBM in Endicott as a computer programmer for design automation systems. John was born in New York in 1964. In 1977, after 15 years in Endicott, Richard accepted a transfer to IBM in Austin, Texas. He always said, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got there as fast as I could.”
In Austin, Richard became an avid, albeit frequently disappointed, Texas Longhorns fan. He worked for IBM until retiring in 1987 after his grandchildren started arriving. In retirement Richard and Janice took many road trips, including a six-week long adventure to Alaska in 1993. Richard was an excellent photographer and has left behind a huge digital archive of wonderful images. He also delved deeply into genealogy and has left the family with a treasure trove of information about our past. Richard wrote a multi-media autobiography, which is a joy to read. Anyone who knew him would appreciate the dry sense of humor that is sprinkled throughout this masterpiece.
Richard got to spend lots of quality time with his six grandchildren and attended years of band concerts and competitions, football games, track meets, plays, and dance recitals. During his last few years, he was also able to welcome three great-granddaughters to this world. He loved those babies! We all love you and miss you, Richard.
The family will be hosting a celebration of his life at 2:00 pm on July 15, 2022 at Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home, 9700 Anderson Mill Road.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com for the HUSETH family.
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