Mr Arthur "Buck" Richey Jr's Obituary
Arthur (Buck) Richey Jr. was born in Santa Ana, CA. in 1924 to Lena and Arthur Richey Sr. Buck was the third of 7 kids. First were brothers Ted and Bill, followed by Buck, Sue, Barbara, Floyd (Bud) and Ray. The family lived in Buena Park, Anaheim and San Bernardino where their father worked at furniture refinishing, cabinet making and at Norton AFB.
Buck joined the US Navy on July 7, 1942. He served honorably during WWII and saw action in the South Pacific while aboard both destroyers and submarines. He was very proud of his service and especially of the years he spent on board the submarines The Catfish, The Charr and the Ronquil. He was awarded the Rank of SOC (SS) – Sonar Chief, and retired as Chief of the Boat on August 31, 1962. Buck often was teased about his dislike of flying, since being in a “cigar tin” under the ocean didn’t seem to bother him at all!
After his separation from the Navy, Buck went to work for the US Post Office. He worked as a mail carrier and retired after 20 years of service.
Buck married Anna Jean Christensen in 1946 and had two daughters, Carol Maureen Bullins and Christine Ann Larsen. After a divorce Buck married Anna Edith Love-Lease in 1951. Buck and Ann lived in Chico, Paradise, San Bernardino, Lemoore and Lake Isabella, CA. He and Ann were married until her death in 1994.
In 1995, Buck met and married Irene Louise Wessel who was truly the love of his life. Irene and Buck loved traveling together, especially to see family in Washington State, Connecticut and throughout California. They treasured trips to Cape Cod and a cruise to Alaska. They also enjoyed family gatherings and Irene’s family embraced Buck as their own. Buck was so happy when he was surrounded by this loving family and could not believe how accepted and loved he was. Buck and Irene were members of the First Baptist Church of Redlands, and Buck enjoyed his coffee club with some of the other men in the church.
Buck loved spending time with his family and always looked forward to seeing his nieces and nephews – going out to dinner, lunch, or visiting in their homes. He enjoyed the time he spent with his siblings as well. He enjoyed visits from his sister Barb and brother Bud very much – he loved sharing a good dinner with them at one of his favorite restaurants. Trips to Sonoma to see his sister Sue and niece Patty were a highlight. Time with nieces Raelyn or Ginny, nephew Jeff, their spouses and the rest of their families were always looked forward to. Buck was good about trying to stay in touch with family – even those who lived out of the area. Ginny shared a story about a fishing trip she and Jeff took with “Uncle Buck” when she was about 5 or 6. She caught her first fish, and then proceeded to throw a crying, screaming fit, because he wanted to kill it for supper. Uncle Buck calmed her down by putting water and the fish in a cooler to “save it”. Hmmm – I wonder where that fish ended up!
Buck had many interests and hobbies. He always had a wonderful garden with lots of fruit trees. He hunted with a bow and arrow, and taught his daughters to shoot also, was an amateur radio operator for years, where he connected with a wide network of fellow ham radio operators. He was a member of CBAR – Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club. He did amazing work refinishing furniture, building cabinets, desks and prized grandfather clocks, which he made for many family members. His skills at woodworking came from working with his father and his brother Bud as a young man. Buck loved going on fishing trips with his grandson Michael Porterfield and son-in-law Ron. Later in life he was willing and able to master using his computer to make his own greeting cards which everyone enjoyed getting. He loved getting emails especially if they contained pictures of his family. He wasn’t fond of Facebook but did enjoy forwarding funny and sometimes a bit racy emails.
Buck had very clear ideas about what he liked and what he didn’t. He loved PB&J’s – with crunchy peanut butter, please; BLTA’s; beer; old time westerns; country music; peanut M&Ms; classic cars – in fact – cars in general; Mexican food; America’s Funniest Home Videos; and Pawn Stars. He was such a fan of Pawn Stars that he had really hoped to make a trip to Vegas to meet “the old man”. Buck loved to share the sights, good restaurants and history of the area with anyone who came to visit and could keep up with any of the drivers on the California freeways. Buck was teased when he’d give this rousing endorsement of a movie, food or whatever –“it’s alright”, boy - if you could get an “it’s good” you felt you really scored!
Buck was loved and respected by family and friends alike. A description that was used over and over about Buck was that he was such a “gentleman”. Buck had a loving heart and loved a good laugh. He was quick with a joke or a witty comeback. Buck was a quiet man, seldom raised his voice, but he loved to have a good time.
Buck was preceded in death by his mother and father, brothers Ray, Ted, Bill and Bud, grandson Michael Gordon and wife Irene. He is survived by his daughters Carol Maureen Bullins and Christine Ann Larsen and her husband , step-daughters Linda Kintz, Donna Wessel-Graham and Debbie Porterfield and their husbands, sisters Sue Kidwell and Barbara Wessel and her husband, thirteen grandchildren, twenty four great grandchildren, nieces Patty, Sherrie, Ginny, Raelyn and Judy and nephews Jim, Jeff, Mike, Keith and John, and their children.
Buck will be interred with full military honors at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.
Family and friends will be gathering at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1755 Waterman Ave, San Bernardino, CA. after the internment.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The First Baptist Church of Redlands, 51 West Olive Avenue, Redlands, CA 92373 to the attention of the Arthur Richey memorial fund.
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