Richard John Kaiser

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1924 to Albert and Maude Kaiser, Dick, his older siblings Bud and Bernice, enjoyed a typical mid west youth until the untimely death of their mother at the age of 35. Albert then married Thelma Sheets and they had Dick’s half brother William and half sister Rhea. Dick excelled in school sports, especially football, and was looking forward to playing college ball but along came WWII. He enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to a ship that would forever be part of history, the U.S.S. Hornet, from which the fighters that bombed Tokyo were launched. In retaliation the Japanese sank the ship, Dick was blown into the shark infested waters where he endured 8 grueling hours. Although he was one of the lucky survivors the resulting back injury ultimately led to his permanent paraplegia. In the middle of the war he married his high school sweetheart, Alice Lorraine, and they had two daughters Sandra Kay (deceased at 6 months) and Melody. The family was completed with the adoption of Michael in 1960. A very successful businessman and community leader, 65 years of wheelchair life never stopped Dick. He participated in sports–basketball and bowling among his favorites-gardened, traveled and made the most of his physically challenged life. Although losing his beloved Lorraine to cancer in 2001, becoming a quadriplegic in 2005, and enduring a decade of serious medical ups and downs Dick never ever gave up. He fought his whole life....up until ten minutes before his death. On that sad day the world lost one of the few remaining WWII veterans and we lost one of the bravest people we have ever known.

In lieu of flowers Dick would want donations to go to:

Father Flanagan's Boys and Girls Town

P.O. Box 145 - Memorial

Boys Town, Nebraska 68010

Attn: Family Membership

Please notate "In memory of Richard Kaiser"