"Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” – Dolly Parton
This is the story of a great father, grandfather, life partner, and friend who left us 25 hours before he was to turn 83 because he wanted to spend his birthday feeling great and riding horses with family and friends he hasn’t seen in a while.
Dick was a hardworking, fun loving, family-dedicated, patriotic man who loved the outdoors. He was the youngest of four children born to German and Polish parents - Anna Stenzel and Peter Kukula -who immigrated to the United States at the turn of the nineteenth century. He was innately a “hunter-gatherer” and much of his early decades in Michigan were spent exploring, hunting the woods, and fishing the inland lakes and rivers with his father, brother, and friends. True to his nature, Dick actively engaged in life whatever his environment. During his years in the Detroit metropolitan area when his children were young, he filled his suburban backyard with mini ice rinks, a raised pool, basketball hoop, and piles of dirt for matchbox cars making his little brick home the destination of the neighborhood kids. In the early 1970’s he led his family to rural northern Michigan where he spent a decade engaging his children in the outdoors hauling wood, shoveling snow, raking leaves, mowing “lawns”, snowmobiling, ice fishing, hunting, boating, and swimming. His final decades were spent in Oregon. His children love the west.
Where Oregon’s transition began with sadness it was quickly replaced by a loving new life partner, Joy. Her four children adopted Dick as a father and grandfather, and he enjoyed many years of their extended family gatherings and love. With Joy’s influence, she gained a winning bowler on her league team and Dick influenced her to adopt three of his passions - dogs, horses, and travel. He had a lifelong love of dogs and two of their decades together were accompanied by Shelties Eddie, then Missy. They owned two horses and enjoyed trail riding and elk hunting in Eastern Oregon (Dick). Together they toured the great American West by motorhome with bicycles in tow. Their dedicated friendship and love was truly lasting.
Dick found his aptitude as a tool and die maker (machinist) out of high school and went to work for General Motors. He signed up for the United States Air Force Reserves and was honorably discharged in April 1962. During the Vietnam War, he was active in the Office of Civil Defense as volunteer Auxiliary Police, and completed training in Radiological Monitoring (1970) for the Livonia Emergency Operation Center. Volatile economic times influenced moving his family to northern Michigan where he worked for a gasket-making company in Alpena and volunteered as a fireman for his local township before the economy once again played a role in his decision to move his family west to Oregon. Dick finished his career working tool and die for the Portland Chain Manufacturing Company.
Dick was a fixer and a helper. In his long life, he continuously gave of himself to anyone who needed help with anything – repairing or building something, offering a helping service, or providing youth guidance (especially sports). He was an early adopter of new technology, enjoying the learning and fun that came with it. He was a supportive and dedicated father to his children, stepchildren, and grandchildren no matter their endeavor.
Dick will be remembered forever by family and friends as a kind, loving, dedicated, honest, fun, silly, cranky-softy, and wonderfully uncomplicated man. He will be deeply missed by his life partner of 31 years, Joy Hall, his four children and eight grandchildren and her four children, nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren: Michele King-McNany (Matthew McNany), Chris Kukula (Pat Barry), Peter Kukula, Jon P. Kukula (Lori); stepchildren Jodie Hall, James Hall (deceased) (Mylissa Hall), Jeff Hall (Tracey Hall), Lori Dones; grandchildren Ryan and Ross Kukula, Keenan and Owen Barry, Kaitlyn, Jonny, Josh, and Christine (mother) Kukula, Blake Kukula; step-grandchildren Michael Rogers (Cindy), Sarah Fellows (Travis), Autumn Sevellio (Joshua), Mathew Hall, Jacob Rogers (Amanda), Alexander Dones, Ethan Hall, Danielle Ford (Roger), Christopher Davis; and step-grandchildren Michael, Hannah, Madison, Peyton, Riley, Natasha, Jacob, Maiyah, and Karsen. Dick is also survived by two nephews Steve Kukula and Gary Mueller (Ann).
The family would like to thank Providence St. Vincent ICU staff, especially Mellissa, the Providence Comfortable Care Team and staff, and Gabrielle Keane with Young’s Funeral Home who provided Dick with compassionate and professional care.
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