Richard John Worth, 87, of San Jose, California, passed away at his home in the early morning of January 19, 2022 from complications related to battling COVID-19, with his daughter, Patty, tending to him.
Rick, as he was known to most, was born to parents Melvin James Worth and Marie Clara (Pollaci) Worth, on August 5, 1934 in Toms River, New Jersey, where he grew up with younger sister Elizabeth. He graduated from Toms River High School in 1952 and joined the Navy, during which time he was stationed from Greenland to Texas and points in between, and served aboard both the USS Leyte and the USS Coral Sea aircraft carriers. During that time he met his lifelong love, Darleen Monica (Beaudette). After leaving active service from the Navy in 1956, he lived in Miami, Florida where he went to electronics school and also worked for Eastern Airlines, along with Darleen. Rick and Darleen married on August 3, 1957 and they moved to California in April, 1959, where Rick accepted a job, and career, with Lockheed Missiles and Space Company in Sunnyvale. After moving to California, Rick and Darleen raised three children; daughter Patricia, and sons, Richard and Gregory.
Rick had many interests that kept him busy and was something between a “jack of all trades” and “renaissance man.” Over the years he did and tried many things. He was interested in history, natural history, architecture, electronics, scale models, music, sports, and travel and enjoyed reading, singing, dancing, playing guitar, and painting. He particularly enjoyed karaoke with his wife later in life. He seemingly built or fixed things regularly. He spent a great deal of time as a hobby butterfly collector, a pastime shared with his son, Rich, and traveled the world, collecting butterflies, or on vacations with his wife or family to Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, parts of Europe, and extensively in the US. He always had a strong and rational side, but with a calm, gentle, and nurturing balance that a father should have, and although busy, he always made time for his family. His Catholic faith, supported by that of Darleen's, was a constant and unwavering foundation of his marriage. Rick always said that he had lived a full and blessed life and will be missed by many.
Rick was predeceased by his parents, Melvin and Marie, his youngest son, Greg(2017), wife Darleen(2020), and lifetime friend, Frank Militante(2021), and is survived by his daughter Patricia(Clint Priestley), son Richard(Kerri Schwarz), three grandchildren, Jonathan Priestley, Julie(Jake Quinn), and Ruby Schwarz-Worth, great-granddaughter, Lyla(Quinn), his sister Elizabeth(Donald D’Addario), and lifetime friend Veronica Militante.
Donations can be made online in his honor to Mercy Ships, Doctors without Borders, or Smile Train. A private memorial and internment with close family and friends will be held Friday, February 25, 2022 at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, 490 Lincoln Street, Santa Clara, CA, 95050 followed by a reception.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.limafamilysantaclara.com for the Worth family.
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