Richard Willrich

Richard Willrich, 75, of Thornton, CO passed away from Alzheimer’s disease on April 14, 2016 with his loving wife, Linda, by his side. In addition to his wife, Linda Willrich, Richard is survived by children Rudy (Tresea) Willrich, and Janel (Michael) Lincoln; grandchildren Nydiah McNeal and Jonathan Emery; mother Mary Kennedy, brothers Doug (Maile) Willrich, John (Shann) Pattee, Dwight (Lynne) Pattee, and Bob (Nancy) Willrich; sisters Peggy Sowers and Karen (Bruce) Teper; cousin Annie (David) Pond; nephews Jeff Willrich, David Willrich, Tim Pattee, and Matt Pattee; nieces Kim Willrich, Stefanie Avery, Leah Willrich, Meghan Pattee, Sarah Pattee, and Erin Pattee. He is predeceased by his father Lewis Willrich. He was born in Chehalis, WA and grew up in the Tacoma, WA area. He was a “car guy” throughout high school and after graduating from Wilson High School in 1959. He joined the United States Air Force in 1960 and was stationed at Lowry AFB in Colorado, Kirkland AFB in New Mexico, and Vandenberg AFB in CA where he also graduated in 1967 from Allen Hancock College. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, he began working with Pacific Northwest Bell in Seattle, WA as an installer where he met his future wife, Linda. On October 19, 1968, Richard and Linda were married at his grandfather’s home in Poulsbo, WA. Their son Rudy, named for his great grandfather, was welcomed on October 14, 1970. In 1972, Richard transferred his employment to Mountain Bell and the family relocated to Denver, CO to be near Linda’s mother who had suffered a severe stroke. Their daughter Janel was born April 6, 1973. Richard worked in the telephone communications and networking industry for most of his career, retiring from US West (formerly Mountain Bell) in 1991. That same year, he began working for the Bureau of Land Management managing telecommunications & networking until he retired from the BLM in 2009. His hobbies included models (trains, planes, tanks, cars, etc.), tinkering with cars, camping, fishing, playing World of Warcraft, and reading. He was well known for his great sense of humor and was a loving husband and father. We miss him greatly. A Memorial Service and Celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later date in the Seattle, WA area during the summer of 2016. In lieu of flowers, his family has requested that you consider making a donation to Alzheimer’s disease research. http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp