Richard Adrian Singer

Richard was born on October 6th, in Enid, OK, to Morris and Louise Singer. He passed away on July 6th, at home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, at the age of 80.

Richard grew up in Enid, took over the family scrap steel business founded by his father, and built a thriving regional steel distribution center in Enid, where he raised his family with his late wife Suellen Singer and their three children: Aaron, Jason, and Leslie.

Richard graduated high school from Kemper Military School, a school he was sent to with an urgency that was precipitated by his driving a bulldozer through his principal’s garage, and where he arrived with a healthy measure of trepidation before embracing his experience and appreciating the character it built in him. He attended the University of Oklahoma for college where he majored in Architecture, and by his telling of things to his grandchildren, he was also an 18-time Heisman Trophy Winner, though he had never donned pads or cleats. As the President of the US Steel Services Center Association during the late 1970s, he was invited to attend one of the first executive education programs ever offered by the Harvard University School of Business.

Richard devoted his career to the steel industry, building Singer Steel of Enid into a respected name throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, and Colorado. Singer Steel supplied and served the industries that built the Southern Plains — oil and gas, the railroads, agriculture, construction, and manufacturing — earning a reputation for high quality work, straight dealing, and loyalty to its people.

In 1997, Richard led Singer Steel into a new era as one of the founding companies of Metals USA, a national consolidation of leading independent metal service centers. Appointed as President of the newly founded company, he helped take the company public on the New York Stock Exchange in July 1997 — a landmark achievement that transformed a family enterprise from Enid, Oklahoma, into one of the largest metals distribution companies in the nation. The business he helped build endures to this day: Metals USA later joined the Reliance family of companies.

Richard was immensely proud to have served as a board member and Chairman of the Board for both St. Mary’s Hospital and Central National Bank (now Stride Bank), and as a founding member and leader of the economic development organization that eventually became the Enid Regional Development Alliance (ERDA).

Beyond the boardroom, Richard's long standing philanthropic commitment to his hometown continued even after he and Suellen made Oklahoma City their home to be closer to her medical care. He was a proud supporter of Leonardo’s Children’s Museum and the United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma, which honored him in 2020 for his community impact with a United Way Super Heroes Tocqueville Award.

Richard was a mentor, leader, and friend to many. He is survived by his three children Aaron Singer, his wife Saskia Thompson and granddaughters, Samantha and Amelia; Jason and his wife Cindy Zedeck and their two boys, Aidan and Noah; and his daughter Leslie, her husband Goetz Schuppan and their two daughters, Sydney and Elle . He was preceded in death by wife Suellen, parents Morris and Louise, brothers Herman, Harold, Carl, and Charles, and his grandson Ezekiel Singer.

A burial ceremony will be held Sunday, July 12th, at 11:00 AM at Temple B’Nai Israel Cemetery in Memorial Park under the direction of Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the United Way of Enid and Northwest Oklahoma.