I remember Richard as a gentle soul who liked to shock the establishment. One time him and mcgoo shoved me in my locker and shit the door! Grrr. Him driving his car through the lawn at the park, us scrounging coins to put a gallon of gas in his car. So many memories. Miss the fun we used to have, miss him.
His eyes shined so brightly and they were full of happiness. He loved a good time, friends and driving fast !!! Richard, took me in as a teenager. Loved me like no other. Protected and provided for me. He had a gift of telling stories (yes sometimes they were a little raw) ....his children and mine have a lifetime of memories of these wonderful times. If you called him at 3 in the morning he was Johnny on the spot to help you with whatever you may have needed. I love this man with all my heart and miss him so. "Friends in Low Places" might have been his motto!
Richard was a good friend and a good person. I remember well when he bought his brand new Pontiac GTO. He brought it over to the house to show my Dad (Another person with a need for speed) My Dad swooned over it and didn't want to close the hood. He asked Richard what the GTO stood for and Richard didn't have the correct answer at the ready. My Dad told him it stood for, "Get Tombstone Orderd" and it stuck for a very long time. He wouldn't let my Dad drive it. Very wise of Richard, for sure. My Dad blew up my `60 Corvette test driving it! Dwight and Clifford were good friends as well. Lester, his Dad, always kept us laughing out at Boulder Auto Parts. Nice family, all!
It has been a while since Richard's passing, and a lot longer since I last saw him, but when I looked at the comments he received at his In Memory site I felt I should still add some of my own.
To have someone describe Richard as always available to help, even at 3 in the morning, describes him as a remarkably caring person, and I wanted to acknowledge that, and hopefully to learn from his example.
My 'growning up' memories are of a fascinating gentle giant. When we were young lads and had motorscooters, a fun activity was reving up the engines and snapping the clutch to burn some rubber. Only Richard's Cushman Highlander motorschooter didn't have a pedal clutch, it had a centrifigal one that engaged the engine slowly. So, to be part of rubber burning crowd Richard would straddle his motorschooter and reach back with his left hand and lift up the back end and the back wheel while he reved the throttle with his right hand to get the rear wheel spinning, then drop the rear end while jumping down onto the seat to burn rubber his own way. I never figured out how he did it, as it took me both arms and a lot of effort to lift the back of a Highlander. ,
Then, once for fun we lifted the back of a Volkswagon Beetle when one of our schoolmates was going to drive away. Richard was on one side, and about three of us were on the other side. The frustrated young lady driver reved the engine, which again resulted in burning rubber when we dropped the rear end. She was pretty upset, but I don't think we hurt her car.
The last time I saw Richard driving a vehicle, it wasn't along the muscle car theme described by Peter, it was a British Triumph something or other, so I guess he owned diverse vehicles at various times. I hope he enjoyed them.
Mariaelena Garn (Garn-McGough) (1962)
I remember Richard as a gentle soul who liked to shock the establishment. One time him and mcgoo shoved me in my locker and shit the door! Grrr. Him driving his car through the lawn at the park, us scrounging coins to put a gallon of gas in his car.So many memories. Miss the fun we used to have, miss him.
Donna Acosta (Roulias) (1966)
His eyes shined so brightly and they were full of happiness. He loved a good time, friends and driving fast !!! Richard, took me in as a teenager. Loved me like no other. Protected and provided for me. He had a gift of telling stories (yes sometimes they were a little raw) ....his children and mine have a lifetime of memories of these wonderful times. If you called him at 3 in the morning he was Johnny on the spot to help you with whatever you may have needed. I love this man with all my heart and miss him so. "Friends in Low Places" might have been his motto!
Pete Ostergard (1962)
Richard was a good friend and a good person. I remember well when he bought his brand new Pontiac GTO. He brought it over to the house to show my Dad (Another person with a need for speed) My Dad swooned over it and didn't want to close the hood. He asked Richard what the GTO stood for and Richard didn't have the correct answer at the ready. My Dad told him it stood for, "Get Tombstone Orderd" and it stuck for a very long time. He wouldn't let my Dad drive it. Very wise of Richard, for sure. My Dad blew up my `60 Corvette test driving it! Dwight and Clifford were good friends as well. Lester, his Dad, always kept us laughing out at Boulder Auto Parts. Nice family, all!
Karl Miller (1961)
It has been a while since Richard's passing, and a lot longer since I last saw him, but when I looked at the comments he received at his In Memory site I felt I should still add some of my own.
To have someone describe Richard as always available to help, even at 3 in the morning, describes him as a remarkably caring person, and I wanted to acknowledge that, and hopefully to learn from his example.
My 'growning up' memories are of a fascinating gentle giant. When we were young lads and had motorscooters, a fun activity was reving up the engines and snapping the clutch to burn some rubber. Only Richard's Cushman Highlander motorschooter didn't have a pedal clutch, it had a centrifigal one that engaged the engine slowly. So, to be part of rubber burning crowd Richard would straddle his motorschooter and reach back with his left hand and lift up the back end and the back wheel while he reved the throttle with his right hand to get the rear wheel spinning, then drop the rear end while jumping down onto the seat to burn rubber his own way. I never figured out how he did it, as it took me both arms and a lot of effort to lift the back of a Highlander. ,
Then, once for fun we lifted the back of a Volkswagon Beetle when one of our schoolmates was going to drive away. Richard was on one side, and about three of us were on the other side. The frustrated young lady driver reved the engine, which again resulted in burning rubber when we dropped the rear end. She was pretty upset, but I don't think we hurt her car.
The last time I saw Richard driving a vehicle, it wasn't along the muscle car theme described by Peter, it was a British Triumph something or other, so I guess he owned diverse vehicles at various times. I hope he enjoyed them.
Richard, God Bless, and thanks. Karl