Rich wrote those words in a scrapbook sixty years ago, not knowing the life that lay ahead of him and how many lives he will have touched by the time he was done.
Click the button below to leave a message or share a memory of Rich and to remind us all how much of a hero he was.
Growing up, I visited Uncle Rich's home for many reasons. Knowing his cop background, I knew he was not the one to mess with.
A brief background: my family and I are deaf and use sign language as a primary language. My uncle knew very small gestures, we often communicated through texts (paper/pen, notepad, etc) or through my mom whom can speak pretty well.
One afternoon, my mom was packing up to leave back to our home. She asked my (bratty) brother and I to go sit in the car and wait. We were maybe 8 and 9 years old. My brother started something in the car as usual. I came out of the vehicle to tattle on him to my mom. My uncle was the one who came out of the front door (oh shit! yeah) and saw me incoming. He thought I was rebelling and I couldn't explain what I was doing (for right reason) as he won't fully understand my signing.. before I know it, he grabbed me and pulled me in the air to his face level, I was in awe like it was a cool experience. I remember this vividly clear, I got a better grasp of his face close up. He started speaking/yelling, and I had to wait in the air before I resume to my goal (to tattle). I could catch a few words out of his mouth "NO… YOU STAY CAR… MOM SAID… BAD… LISTEN.." and when he put me down. I wasn't scared or upset, instead marched proudly to my mom to report on my brother and now on Uncle Rich too because he yelled at wrong kid. He ran behind and tried to get me back in the car. It was my proudest moment, like I defied a strict man!
Another recent memory, I came to visit him with my grandma (his sister) and my fiancée. Growing up, I always beg to drive the golf cart but he wouldn't let me, because of my age. Until recent visit, I was nervous to ask because no was his favorite word during my upbringing. Yet, he chuckled, and say go on! So I hopped on quickly and took many videos to show him afterward. One of the video was, me walking close up to the pond to capture a baby alligator, he rolled his eye and laughed.
His house was my favorite adventure (delicious food, games, golf cart, visiting alligators in the pond, oh and many things)!
A brief background: my family and I are deaf and use sign language as a primary language. My uncle knew very small gestures, we often communicated through texts (paper/pen, notepad, etc) or through my mom whom can speak pretty well.
One afternoon, my mom was packing up to leave back to our home. She asked my (bratty) brother and I to go sit in the car and wait. We were maybe 8 and 9 years old. My brother started something in the car as usual. I came out of the vehicle to tattle on him to my mom. My uncle was the one who came out of the front door (oh shit! yeah) and saw me incoming. He thought I was rebelling and I couldn't explain what I was doing (for right reason) as he won't fully understand my signing.. before I know it, he grabbed me and pulled me in the air to his face level, I was in awe like it was a cool experience. I remember this vividly clear, I got a better grasp of his face close up. He started speaking/yelling, and I had to wait in the air before I resume to my goal (to tattle). I could catch a few words out of his mouth "NO… YOU STAY CAR… MOM SAID… BAD… LISTEN.." and when he put me down. I wasn't scared or upset, instead marched proudly to my mom to report on my brother and now on Uncle Rich too because he yelled at wrong kid. He ran behind and tried to get me back in the car. It was my proudest moment, like I defied a strict man!
Another recent memory, I came to visit him with my grandma (his sister) and my fiancée. Growing up, I always beg to drive the golf cart but he wouldn't let me, because of my age. Until recent visit, I was nervous to ask because no was his favorite word during my upbringing. Yet, he chuckled, and say go on! So I hopped on quickly and took many videos to show him afterward. One of the video was, me walking close up to the pond to capture a baby alligator, he rolled his eye and laughed.
His house was my favorite adventure (delicious food, games, golf cart, visiting alligators in the pond, oh and many things)!