Richard Vander Straten

He was born in San Antonio, Texas, on August 24th, 1932, to Dorothy Hillje Vander Straten and Richard Vander Straten, Jr. His parents and both sets of grandparents were also born in Texas. After graduation from Alamo Heights High School, he attended the New Mexico Military Institute from 1949 to 1951. In the fall of 1951, he attended the University of Texas at Austin and was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He graduated in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

After graduation from UT, he commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US. Army and served a tour of duty at Fort Hood, Killeen, Texas. Following a promotion to First Lieutenant, he was honorably discharged in 1956 and returned to Austin.

As a young civil engineer in the Bridge Division at the Texas Department of Transportation, he met Betty Jane Russell. They married in Sinton, Texas, in 1960 and lived in Austin where they raised their family of 3 wonderful children. In 1986, Richard retired from the Texas Dept of Transportation after 30 years of distinguished service. He was active in the lives of his children, teaching them the value of a strong dedicated work ethic. He volunteered many years of service at Covenant Presbyterian Church where he was a member for 43 years. After Betty's death in 2005, he married his high school sweetheart, Jacque Swope Riffle. They remained in Austin and celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day, 2016.

Richard is survived by his wife Jacque, daughter Lynn Angermeier and her husband Glenn (Greensboro, NC), son Richard Vander Straten, IV, and his wife Mary (Syracuse, UT), son Dr. David Vander Straten and his wife Dr. Melody (Austin, TX); grandchildren Rachel Elise, Wesley Glenn and Charlotte Lynn Angermeier, Catherine Maric "Katie" and Richard Beck Vander Straten, V, and Teagan and Tryne Vander Straten; sister Emily Payne (Corpus Christi) and nieces Mandy Gotto and Beth Carrangelo; sister-in-law Patricia Wiles and her husband Dwight (Osage Beach, MO) and nephews Kerry, Kirk and Kyle Wiles.

The family invites friends to join them in celebrating Richard's life during a memorial service on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016, at 10 AM at Covenant Presbyterian Church, followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice Austin, Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services or Covenant Presbyterian Church.