Richey, Robert A.

Robert A. Richey - age: 90
(September 17, 1921 to December 26, 2011 )
Resident of Sunnyvale, California

Obituary:
ROBERT A. RICHEY

Robert Archibald Richey was born in Ukiah on September 17, 1921. He died at age 90 in Sunnyvale, CA, on December 26, 2011, due to complications of Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia. He was preceded in death by his parents, Archibald and Gladys Mitchell Richey, brothers Earl and George Richey, and sisters Agnes Nicholls and Barbara Jean Myers. He is survived by his loving sister Ada Murov of Oakland, sixteen nieces and nephews and their children, as well as numerous cousins in the Richey and Mitchell families.
He made many new friends and was president of the Residents’ Council at Idylwood Care Center in Sunnyvale where he lived the past few years. The family is grateful to the staff at Idylwood for the excellent care he received.
A native of Ukiah, Bob lived in the N. School St. home where he was born, for more than 70 years. He retired from Ukiah Unified School District in 1983, after 21 years as a school custodian. The students at Oak Manor School honored him in 1979.
He graduated in 1940 from Ukiah High School where he played trombone in the marching band. He graduated from Santa Rosa Junior College and attended San Francisco State College on the G.I. Bill.
Bob enlisted in the U.S. Army the day before his 21st birthday. He served during WWII in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Atlantic and Pacific. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, he landed on Omaha Beach in France. During the atomic bombing of Japan, his troop ship, “The Dashing Wave”, stood ready for action at Ulithy Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the war he was honorably discharged on December 20, 1945. He said, “I was real happy to be back in California and just be called ‘mister’ again.”
Bob was a long-time member of First Presbyterian Church of Ukiah, where he served on the board of trustees. In 2002 he was honored for 45 years of faithful service singing as a tenor in the choir. He had a lifelong love of music.
As a youth he hunted with his Dad and brothers. He was interested in airplanes and cars, and enjoyed travel and camping. He read his Bible daily and kept up a lifetime of active correspondence with friends and family. He was an accomplished photographer.
He loved family get-togethers. Though never married and with no children of his own, Uncle Bob was a devoted family man, a bonus parent for his many nieces and nephews. His excellent memory was a treasure trove and he had a delightful wit. He was a model of citizenship, Christianity, family values, good humor and love.
Viewing will be Thursday, January 5, 2012, from noon until 8 p.m., at Eversole Mortuary, 141 Low Gap Road in Ukiah. Private burial will be in the family plot at Russian River Cemetery.
Memorial service will be at 1 p.m., Friday, January 6, 2012, at First Presbyterian Church of Ukiah, Rev Sherry Budke, Pastor, 514 West Church Street, Ukiah, CA 95482. A reception will follow in the church hall.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the church are welcomed.