Richard William Huth

Richard is survived by his devoted wife of 57 years, Carole Louise (Norton) Huth; children Eric William Huth and Tracy Carole (Huth) Tate; daughter-in-law Karen Huth; granddaughters Avery and Addison Tate; brother Steven Donald Huth; sister-in-law and dear friend to Carole, Lori Huth; niece Sarah Huth (Chris Maurer) and many friends with whom he and Carole shared friendships spanning 50 years. Richard was preceded in death by parents Donald and Dorothy “Dot” Huth and brother Douglas Alan Huth.

A 1960 graduate of Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan, Richard earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1964 where he was a member of Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. Richard started employment with Ford Motor Company as a production supervisor at Dearborn Stamping Plant days after graduation and stayed there for the next 41 years. An exceptionally hard worker, he earned the nickname Richard “OT” Huth for the number of overtime hours he accumulated. Richard retired as the senior labor relations representative where he was known to be highly proficient at his job and a firm but fair negotiator. He earned the respect of many for the personal attention he gave to each employee, often walking down to the production floor to personally share news of family emergencies and attending services for countless employees. His mentor once told him, “If someone shakes your hand after you fire them, you’re doing your job well,” and he took pride in achieving that benchmark and others during his tenure at Ford. His work ethic extended beyond Ford into various investments. He spent considerable time and found great enjoyment and satisfaction dabbling in properties in Detroit, real estate and the stock market.

He also thoroughly enjoyed numerous hobbies, including deer hunting, fishing, gardening, gambling, backyard birdwatching, nighty fire building and firewood gathering, watching Detroit Tigers baseball, studying the cosmos, attending classic car shows and four-wheeling with his son, celebrating Halloween with his daughter and traveling with friends and family, including annual trips to Northern Michigan, Daytona and Clearwater Beach, Florida and Las Vegas.

A devoted son, he modeled respect for elders and family legacy and took great pride in being “Grandpa Boo” to his own grandchildren and sharing a birthday with his granddaughter, Addison. Along with his wife, Carole, he was a model of loyal, long-term and devoted friendship, regularly making time to spend with friends and investing in friendships for decades.

At Richard’s request, there will be no services. Please throw a log on the fire, fill a birdfeeder, or toast a 7 and 7 in his honor.