Obituaries

To my dear cousins, Sue and Scott and their families, I was saddened to hear about the loss of your Dad and Grandpa, and my Uncle. Although it's been many years since we had seen each other, we did keep in touch over the phone and through eMail. He always took the time to check in on me and my family over the years. Uncle Dick was a very big part of my life growing up and into my 20's. We had a large and close family in the early years with nine adults and 10 cousins. Grandma McPhail would have the family over to her tiny 750 sq. ft. house for Sunday dinner at least once a month. Packed in like sardines, it didn't seem so bad, it's just the way it was, and there us kids listened to the adults, Tom, Dick, Harry and Mary get into some very spirited and interesting conversations and debates about things like the price of gold and silver and the reasons behind the rise and fall, religion, the Pope, astronomy, astro-travel, Nastradamus and more! We also heard many stories of the kids growing up in rural Southfield in that small home that was built by their father and being raised by a full-time working single mother. One story that sticks out to me was of Uncle Dick and his dog, Sport. One day, Uncle Dick went up to the corner store with Sport in-tow to play some pin ball. Apparently, he was the neighborhood champ and impressed the ladies with his skill! He told Sport to wait outside for him, like he always did. While inside playing the game, the weather turned bad without him knowing. It was an all-out blizzard! When the boys came outside they found Sport gone. They figured he went home because of the blizzard so they went to look for him, but he wasn't there. They continued to search for Sport and eventually found him sitting outside at the corner store where Uncle Dick had told him to stay, almost frozen to death. Sport was a loyal boy and your Dad's/Grandpa's beloved pet. When Sport's time came years later, the boys buried him behind the garage at Melrose in Grandma Leona's garden. May Sport and your Dad continue to rest in peace!

I will always remember Richard, the moments we shared, and his great presence in this world. I am grateful that he was able to meet his great-granddaughter, Thea, here in Missouri with us. She loves to play with his model toy cars! May he Rest In Peace and continue to live on in all of our hearts. With love, Andrea

Our sympathy goes out to Susan, Kei and their family. We had the pleasure of meeting Richard recently and understand how he will be missed. Karen & Glenn Meyer

Dear Grandpa, I'm grateful to have been able to spend time with you in this last month and to listen to the stories of your life. Your presence and stories reminded me that we come from a line of smart, independent thinkers with strong values and a willingness to work hard and provide for our loved ones. I trust you are in the hands of God with a deep sense of freedom and ease now. Thank you for the gift of my life. I will carry you with me through my life and honor you through whatever good that I do for others, knowing I am a continuation of you and anything good I do is because of your life and the life you gave my mom. Love you.

I am very grateful I got to meet you Richard. You shared your stories, griefs, and wisdom with me in a time that was short but very special. You showed me warmth even though I was a stranger, and I am deeply appreciative of your compassion, honesty, and vulnerability. Most of all, thank you for remembering my name. I will remember you when I think of all the love that resides in St. Louis.

Richard My dad was always there for us and he was always there to help fix our cars or any other problems. My dad had three kids by the time he was 22 yrs old and supported us on a stock boy job with no help. He was a hard worker and a great dad. I will miss talking on the phone on weekends and rare visits due to 3500 mile distance My dad was a kind generous man and will be missed. Richard Scott McPhail

Dear Grandpa, I am so grateful I got to see you several times before your passing. Before this time in St. Louis, it had been years since we last saw each other, but these last times I saw you I was able to appreciate your kind blue eyes, endearing softness, and compassionate soul. Even when you got stressed out about global conflicts and division in the world, beneath the panic I could see your deep desire for peace, love and harmony around you, which is a beautiful ideal to hold so highly even until the end your material life. I loved and still love learning about the sides of you that cared for our natural world and its non-human inhabitants as well. The pet crow that you and your brothers rescued as children, the saguaro cacti and citrus trees you grew and tended to for the past 20 years, and all the stunning scenic and natural areas you traveled to in your retirement. I am sad that I didn't get more time with you, but I know you are at peace now and free from suffering. I hope to carry forward your love for nature, your tender spirit, and your hope for a more peaceful and loving world. As your atoms become part of the trees, grass and flowers above you, and your soul spreads to the sky and stars, I will look for you in the sunset, and I will know that you are finally feeling the peace you longed for in your life. Until we meet again. Love, Jolena

My name is Tom, I am Richard's first nephew. I want to express my condolences to my two cousins Sue and Scott and to all those that knew my uncle and remember his life and his laugh. I have so many memories of my Uncle Dick or (Richard) along with his two brothers, my dad Tom, my Uncle Harry, and their sister, my Aunt Mary. Yes, my grandmother did have three sons, named Tom, Dick, and Harry! My Uncle Richard told me several times that I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for him saving me when I was only one year old. He said that he was around 17, sitting in the passenger seat of his friend's car in the driveway of my grandmother's home and as his friend was revving the car engine and ready to throw the car into reverse, my uncle grabbed his friend's arm and yelled, STOP!!! I was sitting behind the rear wheel of his friend's car! So, I guess I owe him my life. My uncle sold me my second and one of my favorite cars, a 1964 Pontiac Tempest. That car was very well taken care of and I think he sold it to me for $150 (about what we pay today for a couple of tanks of gas). In 2004, my wife, Yangzee and I went with my sister Denise, her husband Matt, and their two sons to Scottsdale, Arizona to meet with my uncle and my cousin Steve. Matt unfortunately was in the hospital when we met them in our time share because he was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider the day before. What was so funny was that while we were all sitting around talking about the spider that bit Matt, while Steve was cooking, my uncle yelled loudly, jumped up and smashed a spider on the table with his hand. Then he started boasting that he killed the spider that bit Matt. It was a funny and entertaining evening as Steve and my uncle argued over if that was the exact spider that bit Matt or not? My uncle was adamant that it was the same spider. Lol. Over the past several years I mostly talked with my uncle about the past and the future. We talked about the day when we will meet the one that was crucified so that we could receive forgiveness, Jesus Christ. I hope that I will meet my uncle again in eternity and we will have more conversations because of the hope that we both shared. See John 11:25.

Dear Richard --- I am so glad that we were able to spend some fun time together over the last few months before your leaving this physical world to the spiritual one. I am especially fond of the multiple times we dined at Nanjing, your favorite Chinese restaurant in Sun City West, multiple evenings and new year's eve dinner at the Moose Club, listening to your friends sing at the Karaoke bar, watching your shoulder being massaged by a professional physical therapist after your fall last Christmas, exploring new Chinese restaurants and went to see Dune: Part Two in a movie theatre in St. Louis. We will miss you greatly but knowing that you are now in the eternal world gives us a sense of comfort. Your truly, Kei

I have known Richard for about 10 years now living in Sun City West. There is definitely a void that is felt and noticed from Richard's passing. Richard had a way of making you feel as if you are the only person in the room and says a lot considering most of our interactions are in very busy public places like the Sun City West Rec Centers. Richard spoke very dearly of his Family and friends. I am blessed & honored to have had time with Richard in my life. You will be truly missed my Friend. Michael Adelmann

Dearest Dad, It was lovely to spend Christmas, New Year and Easter with you this year in Arizona! I loved your garden very much and I know it meant a lot to you. I wish I had followed grandma around a bit more to learn her gardening secrets, but I think you inherited the love of plants and animals from her. That love of God's creation has been passed down to us all, for sure. It makes me happy to think of you at Bellefontaine Cemetery in a spot that anyone would love to spend the day picnicing. There's a gorgeous giant Osage Orange tree, lake and running water stream near your spot. Thank you for caring for us and I am really happy that you came to my life-celebration/funeral last month that the family surprised me with a Community Kirtan celebration with Ragani. Kei really loved taking you out to Chinese restaurants and to the movies. He took you on more dates than he took me on-lucky you. I am glad we could take our Route 66 road trip in the Camper that we brought you back to the midwest in. We love you and Pray for world peace. We know that's what you cared about the most. Peace and Joy. Love, your daughter, Susan Marie.

Richard became a very good friend and part of our family. He was seeing my mother-in-law, Arras Moffat, for the last 4 1/2 years. He treated her like an absolute Gentleman and made her happier than she had been in 45 years! He was so kind and caring and will be so missed!!! Rest in Peace, Richard. We love you!