Richard Bernard Geiger

A funeral service will be held at Greenspring Chapel in Springfield Virginia at 1:30 p.m. January 24, 2026. Burial will be at St John’s Catholic Cemetery in Forestville Michigan in May 2026.

Richard was born in Sherman Township, Sanilac County, Michigan on May 4, 1936, the second of eight children born to the late Clement Theodore and Elizabeth Adelaide (Volmering) Geiger. He was the beloved husband of Norma Jean (Edwards) Geiger for over 67 years. They were married on September 6, 1958, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Forestville, MI.

Richard served in the U.S. Army on active duty for 2 years and in the Army Reserves for 6 years. After his active Army duty, he served as a seaman on the Great Lakes. In 1958, he began a 40-year career in Federal civil service at the Bureau of Public Roads in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where his newlywed life with Norma began.

While married, working full time, and parenting five young children, he earned degrees in Civil Engineering from The George Washington University (B.S), Virginia Tech (Master of Urban Affairs) and continued throughout his career to learn, earning post-Graduate engineering certificates from the University of Virginia and the University of Southern California, while obtaining licensure as a Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.)

A majority of his federal service (1958-1989) was spent at the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Among his many projects at FHWA, he was quite proud of his work in completion of the Blue Ridge Parkway that connects Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Grandfather Mountain. If you have ever driven the Linn Cove Viaduct in North Carolina, he was part of the initial survey crew that led to the design of that engineering marvel. In 1989, he left FHWA to become Manager of the Bureau of Indian Roads at the U.S. Department of Interior, providing transportation and environmental management support to Native American communities throughout the United States. Upon his 1991 selection as the Chief Engineer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, he was honored to be recognized by Native American Tribes with the Native American Acceptance Blessing Ceremony. He retired from Federal service in 1994.

During his official duty travel, Richard achieved his life goal of visiting all 50 US states. In retirement, he enjoyed travelling with his beloved wife and lifelong companion Norma to various locales and countries throughout the world. In his retirement years, he also served as an assistant to visually impaired staff at the Virginia Department of Rehabilitation Services. Another “hobby job” included a fourteen-year tenure with Hallmark, where his mechanical skills were highly valued by his fellow crew members. In addition to his lifelong love of travel, he enjoyed history, Washington Commanders football games, genealogy research, coin and stamp collecting and Sudoku.

Dick and Norma were members of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Annandale, Virginia for 45 years until their move to Greenspring Retirement Community in 2022, where they worshiped with the Greenspring Catholic community.

He served as an officer in the Knights of Columbus and was a member of many professional and military organizations. He was a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Order of the Engineer, Disabled American Veterans and American Legion Post 197, Harbor Beach, MI.

In addition to his wife Norma, Richard is survived by his five children: Brenda Geiger Gardiner, Jeffrey Geiger (Deborah), Lisa Geiger Croce (Thomas), Paula Geiger, Pamela Geiger Anderson (Robert), 7 grandchildren (Emily, Rebecca, Ethan, Rachel, Megan, Caroline, Caitlin), 4 brothers Gerald (Shirley), Kenneth (Carolyn), Cornelius (Carolyn), David (Hazel)), one sister Ruth Ann (Joseph) Kucharczyk, sister-in-law Jean Geiger, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Herbert and Donald Geiger; and in-laws Arnold and Gladys Hoppe Edwards; Evelyn Edwards, Keith and Marilyn McCollough Edwards, Edith Edwards Schuman, Bill Schuman, and Margaret Scanlon Geiger.

The family will receive visitors from 5-8 p.m. Friday January 23, 2026 at Demaine Funeral Home 5308 Backlick Road, Springfield Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Fort Belvoir Army Fisher House ( Virginia: Fort Belvoir Army Fisher House - Fisher House Foundation) https://www.fisherhouse.org/programs/houses/current-houses/virginia-fort-belvoir-community-hospital-army/

or the Wounded Warrior Project ( Wounded Warrior Project - Donate)

https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate