Richard James DeJohn, age 83, of Coppell, Texas, passed away March 30, 2024. Beloved husband of Maribel Guzman DeJohn. Loving father of Kayla Jean DeJohn, and stepfather of Alonso Nava and Alvaro Nava. Cherished brother of James G. DeJohn, and sisters Diane Stellwagen and Toni Edwards.
Richard DeJohn was born in Pontiac, Michigan on February 18, 1941. He was the oldest of 4 children and the son of the late James H. DeJohn and Jean Grant DeJohn.
Richard’s father James was an engineer at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan, and having grown up in Detroit, James wanted very much to raise his family in the country. The DeJohn Family moved to a 90-acre parcel in southeast Michigan near Brighton in 1950. Richard was a very inquisitive child, and as a young boy growing up “on the farm”, he learned a lot about the natural world and developed a love of science and technology. James and Jean, recognizing Richard’s eager interest in science, allowed him to use the old milk house on the property as his “laboratory”, where he conducted experiments to understand how things worked. He built and launched small rockets over the property that flew several miles in the air and tested his ability to fly from the roof of the family barn.
After high school graduation, Richard attended the University of Michigan for a few years, but he grew restless and bored with conventional education. He decided to pursue his dream of aerospace engineering. So, at age 20, he packed up his car and headed for New Mexico. There he attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, working in a co-op program at the White Sands Missile Range as a budding “rocket scientist” and serving as a sergeant in the AF-ROTC. It was there that Richard first became familiar with the new-fangled machines called “computers”. He devoted most of his working life to the field of computer science, first working with Digital Equipment Corporation and later with IBM as a systems analyst, all over the United States and the world.
Never liking the cold climate of Michigan, Richard always sought the sun. The hotter the better! It was in Brazil that Richard developed a love of South American culture and the vibrant night life of Rio. He learned to dance, he taught himself to speak Portuguese and Spanish, and to sail. In the 1980’s, Richard returned to America, and in 1993 he married. His daughter Kayla was born in 1994. Richard loved his family with all his heart. Often referring to his daughter as his “sweetheart”.
Although by this time Richard had settled down a bit, and had become a Christian, he never lost his sense of adventure or his love of the water. He purchased a 40-foot sailboat and chartered cruises out of Florida for many years, making many new friends and learning to hang glide. In 2010, Richard met and married his lovely wife Maribel, and they settled in Coppell, Texas. Hailing from Peru, Maribel had a strong family ethic and Christian background. Throughout their marriage, they were devoted to each other. As Richard grew older, Maribel took care of him and was always by his side. She is a cherished member of the DeJohn Family as are her sons Alonso and Alvaro.
Richard was actively involved in many social and political causes throughout his adult life. His final position before retirement was with Bell Flight Corporation in Texas where he headed up the team responsible for perfecting electronics in the Bell Helicopter. He will always be remembered as a brilliant and inquisitive man with an unquenchable thirst for adventure, but most of all, as a man deeply devoted to his family, friends and country.
A memorial will be held on Sunday, April 21, 2024 at 3:00 pm at the Rolling Oaks Funeral Home, 400 Freeport Parkway in Coppell, Texas, 75019.
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