Richard Vance Dick was born on October 30th, 1935 in Shelley, Idaho to Glenn and Sadie Dick. After a few years in Shelley, the family moved to Boise. Richard graduated from Boise High School in 1953 and was already working in the family business delivering equipment, driving trucks, etc. Dad started driving an ambulance which led to an interest in the medical field, and he eventually went to Mortuary Science School in San Francisco, graduating in the summer of 1961. When he returned to Boise, he started working for Gibson Funeral Home. He worked there for a few years until his desire to be outdoors drew him back to the family business of logging. When the family got into farming, Richard ran the family farm in Owyhee County. Time spent in the beautiful Idaho outdoors was one of the greatest joys in his life - hunting, fishing, and more recently, exploring petroglyphs around Idaho. His kids learned about multitasking and hard work by his example. Richard worked until well into his seventies, never the type to sit back and relax.
Before he left for Mortuary Science School he met a beautiful young lady named Bethel Joanne Richardson. After writing love letters back and forth, they married upon his return to Boise. The wedding was in Nampa, Idaho, on September 1, 1961. They were together until Joanne’s death in 2004 - Richard never remarried, saying that he gave his heart away once and it was perfect. They had three children - Glenn, Ron, and Cheryl.
Though no longer able to hunt, he still enjoyed going into the mountains with his friends to ‘deer camp’. However, his love of the outdoors began to be slowly taken over by his grandson, Ford. They became absolute best friends, enjoying chocolate milk, soft blankies, and antics of Wedge, the family dog.
Richard died peacefully at home. The last bit of his life was robbed by the cruelty of dementia. His son Glenn spent the last five years taking care of dad, which cannot be measured in verbal gratitude. Richard is preceded in death by his parents, sister Norma, wife Joanne, son Ron, brother Yale, and several other family members and friends. He is survived by his brother Kaye (Joanne), son Glenn, daughter Cheryl (Shannen), grandson Ford, and granddaughters Cora, Leah, Katelyn, Madalynn, and grand-dog Wedge.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Idaho Humane Society, Alzheimer’s Association, or Boise Bully Breed Rescue.
A viewing is scheduled on February 18th 2021 at Cloverdale Funeral Home from 5-7 pm, and a graveside service will take place at Dry Creek Cemetery on February 19th 2021 at noon.
Click here to view a webcast of the service on 2/19/2021 at 12:00 PM, Mountain Standard Time.