Richard died December 22, 2016, in Reno, Nevada. He was born in Bakersfield, CA, December 10, 1928. He moved to Williams, Arizona, where he graduated from Williams High School in 1946. Richard served in the Signal Corps, in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He graduated in 1953 from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a degree in forestry.

At age 14, Richard started work during the summer months for the U.S. Forest Service due to a shortage of adult men during WWII. After college graduation, Richard started his Forest Service career on the Nez Perce Forest in Idaho. Moving to California, Richard held several positions with the U.S. Forest Service. On the Six Rivers National Forest he was District Ranger. His last position was on the Plumas National Forest, in Quincy, where he served as Fire Suppression Officer, ending his 37-year career with USFS. Richard jumped the 1950 season at Missoula.