Richard Farmer Tackett

Richard Farmer Tackett departed this world and entered the embrace of almighty God on June 30, 2026. He is preceded in death by his mother, Virginia O. Tackett, and father, Lowell Tackett.

He is survived by his dear wife of 52 years, Antonia Tafoya Tackett of Antioch, TN and his son, Richard Lowell Tackett of Nashville, TN. He is likewise survived by his brother, Fred Tackett, of Topanga, CA as well as multiple nieces and nephews.

Born March 30, 1939 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Richard was a lively and intelligent young man. He was fond of music, and developed a reputation as an expert trumpet player while a student at Little Rock Central High School. Upon graduation, he attended the University of Oklahoma but decided to serve his country by enlisting in the U.S. Navy, completing boot camp in San Diego, California. He was later selected for the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program, which allowed enlisted personnel the opportunity to complete a college degree and prepare for a commission as a naval officer.

He graduated from the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy. Upon completion of training as a naval flight officer, he was assigned to the VQ-1 Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron based in Atsugi, Japan. His unit served in the Vietnam War, with Richard as an electronic warfare officer aboard the A-3 Skywarrior aircraft. His work included surveillance and intelligence gathering of North Vietnamese operations. Upon completion of his overseas tour, Lieutenant Tackett was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1969. His awards and decorations include the Air Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Richard returned to Albuquerque, New Mexico and worked as an engineer with Mountain Bell. It was there that he met his future wife, Antonia Tafoya (fun fact: they were introduced to each other by Antonia's younger sister!) They married in January 1974, with their son Richard born that October. Richard & family would later relocate to the Denver, Colorado area due to company transfers, and later to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to work for GTE Sprint.

In 1985, the family returned to Richard's boyhood home in Little Rock, Arkansas. He would become the Director of Information Services for the local American Red Cross. Shortly after retirement, he and Antonia relocated to Antioch, Tennessee so they could be near their son who had moved to Tennessee himself.

Richard will be remembered as a doting husband and loving father. No matter the situation, he always made sure his wife and son were well cared for. He enjoyed the outdoors, including fishing (and austere & memorable winter camping excursions with his son). He maintained an active intellectual life, loved reading and current events, and would even break out old college textbooks to work on differential equations. He had a special place in his heart for animals, and was a proud "dog dad" to an adorable Dachshund ("Jasper") and a lovely rescue babygirl named Shiloh (who misses him dearly).

Richard F. Tackett will be laid to rest at the Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on Thursday, July 9th, at 10 AM.