Richard Forbes North died December 2, 2022. He is survived by children Stephanie Chastain (Jim), Richard, Phillip (Jill) and Valerie Chloupek (Brett); eleven grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren, and was predeceased by his adored wife, Irene (d. 2007), and daughter, Pamela Sanchez (d. 2011).
“Dick” was born in Duluth, Minnesota and had two older brothers, John and Mitchell. He graduated from Central High School in Duluth in 1947, worked on the Great Lakes as a Merchant Marine and went to Duluth Junior College. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 and served as a Quartermaster in Korea until 1953. Upon his return to the States, he visited his mother in Colorado. On the urging of his brothers, he headed to Phoenix where they lived, and fell hard for their neighbor, a beautiful blonde from New York, Irene Szafrankowsi. They fell in love and quickly married in September of 1953. He eventually joined his brothers in a family business, North Brothers, that was one of the first wall to wall carpet distributors in the Valley. He graduated from Arizona State University with a BS in Management on the GI Bill. Irene and Dick went on to enjoy a wonderful life in the Valley of the Sun, including his time running another of the brothers’ business, Decoratrim, which was the original Formica distributor in Arizona.
Dick retired in 1991 and he and Irene traveled a bit, enjoyed their cabin and the arrival of all their grandchildren and great grandchildren. They helped to raise four of their grandchildren. All of his grandchildren have precious memories of Easter Sundays, Thanksgivings and Christmas Eves at their home. After Irene passed, he assumed the care responsibilities of Pamela until her passing, traveled to California to visit Stephanie and Valerie, attended his granddaughter’s wedding in Chicago, spent time with his sons and eventually welcomed his great great grandchildren. Dick survived five cancer diagnoses over thirty-five years and was the strong patriarch of his family. The family celebrated his 90th birthday with most of his family in attendance.
Family memories and Dick’s love for his family will live on. He had natural artistic abilities, built a family cabin in Munds Park, adored all types of music, and sang in the church choir for over 50 years at St. Louis the King Parish. He also helped with the convent construction and volunteered as a CCD monitor and usher at St. Louis the King. Dick served as the Cub Scout Packmaster for the West Plaza neighborhood. The family is profoundly grateful for the care of a compassionate staff at Banner University Medical Center, who honored his wishes, with dignity, in his last days.
The family requests no flowers and prefers a donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Society in his memory. A family memorial gathering will be held in the future.
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