Richard Edward DeWitt
August 31, 1925 - June 19, 2008
Obituary
Richard Edward DeWitt
1925-2008
Richard Edward DeWitt was born August 31, 1925 in Athens, Pennsylvania and passed away from complications related to Alzheimer’s disease on June 19, 2008 in Renton, Washington. He was preceded in death by his wife Sheila Leone DeWitt of Mount Elgin, Ontario, Canada in 1969. He is survived by: son Clif DeWitt and daughter-in-law Susan DeWitt, Renton, WA; daughter Mary DeWitt, Beaverton, OR; granddaughters Lacey Connor, Stanley, ND and Johanna DeWitt, Billings, MT; brothers John DeWitt, Towanda, PA; Lloyd DeWitt, Tempe, AZ; Carl DeWitt, Athens, PA and sister Doris Smith, Crystal River, FL.
Following graduation from Athens High School in 1944, Dick enlisted in the US Army in the 83rd Infantry Division and saw extensive action in the Ardennes Campaign ‘Battle of the Bulge’ for which he was awarded two Bronze Stars. Severely injured in an industrial accident while constructing ‘Bailey’ bridges across the Rhine River in Germany, he spent over a year recuperating in Paris, London, and in Virginia.
After his service, Dick earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. Excelling at academics, he was a member of Phi Alpha Theta historical honors fraternity.
Dick turned down a scholarship to Georgetown Law School, and took a job in the Payroll Department at the Athens factory of Ingersoll-Rand ‘for a few months’ to decide what he wanted to do with his career. The few months at Ingersoll-Rand turned into over 40 years, with stints in Reno and Seattle as Service Manager.
In 1953, Dick married Sheila Leone Fleming, the daughter of a Royal Canadian Air Force Wing Commander. Sheila had been visiting relatives in Athens and decided to stay after meeting Dick. After fourteen years of marriage, two young children, and a transfer to Seattle, Sheila tragically became terminally ill with a neuro-muscular disease. Dick lovingly cared for Sheila as well as the children during the length of her illness, while working a job that required 50+ hours per week. Sheila died in January, 1969 at the age of 42.
Before his illness, Dick was an enthusiastic and skillful outdoorsman. An avid fisherman and hiker, he fished the Finger Lakes of New York and hiked the Adirondacks in his youth, and ‘knew like the back of his hand’ the streams and lakes of the Cascades, Eastern Washington, and the Sierra Nevada in his later years. He hiked the Cascade Crest Trail from Oregon to British Columbia, and kayaked throughout northern Puget Sound and the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Dick made many good friends in his later years attending dances and events at the Renton Senior Center. He and his close friend, the late Virginia Campbell, ‘cut many a rug’ ‘dressed to the teeth’ throughout the mid 1990’s. Dick was known for his colorful outfits that did not necessarily follow the constraints of conventional fashion.
Dick was a voracious reader and amateur astronomer. He was a former member of the Seattle Chapter of The Mountaineers.
Dick was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s-related dementia in 1998. Throughout the remainder of his life, he courageously fought the disease with dignity and grace. He eventually lost the ability to function and communicate, but he was appreciative and good-natured to the end. Dick passed away at the Overlake View Adult Family Home in Kennydale, WA on the early morning of June 19, 2008. A memorial of his life will be held Saturday July 12, 2008 at Bonney-Watson’s Washington Memorial Park in Seatac, WA.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dick’s name to one of the following:
The Mountaineers
300 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98119
Advisory Board
Renton Senior Activities Center
211 Burnett Avenue North
Renton, WA 98057
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
322 Eighth Avenue
7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Or, please give to the charity of your choice.
It was a pleasure working with Dick. He provided great support to the outside sales force.
Dick loved his family.
Dick was proud that his family had deep roots with the Ingersoll-Rand Company in Athens PA
Dick will be missed.
Cliff and Sue
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Love,Victoria and Family
Other than a short stint at Boeing, Ingersoll Rand was my first real full time job and Dick was my first Boss. Dick was a great mentor and I am embarresed to remember the first real lesson he gave me. During my first review he told me that I was too smart to be asking him so many questions and many times repeat questions. He asked me to first try to figure out the answer myself, or try to look it up and do not be afraid to make a mistake. This was a lesson that I have passed down to many employees since that review. I will be forever thankful to Dick for this and many other life lessons most more gentle that he taught me. He was also a good friend I will remember him forever.
Dad–It was a privilege to be your son. Of all the things you gave me–the most precious was time. The memories that we made I’ll carry around with me always. Rest well, Dad…I’m thankful you’re at peace.