Richard Barry Ford

Richard Barry Ford, known affectionately to many as Papa Rich, left this world unexpectedly on October 10, 2024. Though it is comforting to know he is in Heaven where there is no suffering but pure Joy in the presence of the LORD, our sorrow is great. The "Old Man" will be greatly missed and never forgotten.

Our loving dad, husband, grandfather, and friend will be remembered for many things, one is his positive attitude. He woke up happy nearly every morning, saying, "Good morning, day!"

Rich Ford was a principled man who taught us that honesty was highly prized. He passed his principles and work ethic to his children and grandchildren. A bit of a perfectionist, he also taught us that if you don't have time to do the job right the first time, you definitely don't have time to do it twice.

Rich was also known for his famous quotes we called "Richardisms." And there is a whole bunch of them. He was a whole lotta fun and quite the practical joker. We could write a book filled with his hilarious pranks.

Maybe not wealthy by the world's standards, Richard Ford was extremely wealthy in other ways, including the legacy he left through his six children and his beloved grandchildren. To quote someone he greatly admired, Paul Harvey, "And now here's the rest of the story."

"Richie," as his older sisters called him, was born May 7, 1943, in Escanaba, Michigan, to Marvin and Marianna Ford. He grew up on a UP (Upper Peninsula dairy farm.) He shared stories of so much snow that they had tunnels from the house to the barns. When he was seven, he and his parents and older brother Roger moved to a dairy farm in the Poe Valley, outside of Klamath Falls, Oregon. His two older married sisters, Elaine Jenson and Gerry Thornton, remained in Michigan and Wisconsin. After his mother suddenly died when Richard was in high school, he went to live with his brother and sister-in-law Pat.

An independent teen, he moved to his own apartment at 16 and worked full-time at Weisfield's in Klamath Falls while finishing high school at Klamath Union. Then, he met a pretty gal living across the street who just happened to have the same last name, even though they were NOT related. Betty Jo and Rich married in 1963 and welcomed their first-born daughter, Marlee, in 1964. Eleven months later came Cheryl, and they were blessed with Gregory five years later.

Richard worked as an electrician for Weyerhaeuser until 1970. As the story goes, he and his brother Roger could whoop any of the 4,000 employees who dared to arm wrestle them. Years later, Richard arm wrestled in Northern California and Oregon, winning or placing in several big tournaments, including the Northern California Heavyweight Championship in 1974 and the Oregon State Championship.

In 1970, Rich and his young family moved to Yreka, California, where he was hired by Pacific Power & Light as a high-voltage electrician. It didn't take him long to be promoted to Wireman Working Foreman, a position he held until he retired at 54, in Walla Walla, Washington.

Life is not always perfect; Richard and Betty Jo divorced after nearly 20 years of marriage. Looking to start fresh, Rich and Janice relocated to Washington State, eventually ending up in Waitsburg, happily living in the house they built on Caroline St. How they built their home speaks volumes about the kind of man he was. Who builds a home designed for entertaining their grandchildren? Papa Rich, that's who. The three-story house has built-in baby gates, a basketball hoop, a huge sandbox with a water faucet, Tonka trucks, and shovels. Papa Rich loved to spend time with his grandkids, and it wasn't unusual for him to take five or more of them to the couple's cabin on his own for several days.

One summer several years ago, a bunch of the grandsons asked for Mohawk haircuts; guess who else got one? Yep, you got it, Papa Rich. Kids spell love T-I-M-E, and Papa Rich gave his grandkids an incredible amount of love.

Richard is survived by his loving wife & partner of 42 years Janice, his children; Marlee (Scott) Billingsley of Yreka, Calif., Cheryl (Jesse) Gonzalez of Spring Creek, Nev., Greg (Amy) Ford of Kennewick, Wash., Aaron (Leah) Trent of Benton City, Wash., Kim (JC) Picton of Kennewick, Wash., and Kaylyn (Daryl) Rutherford of Waitsburg, Wash. Papa Rich was the proud Grandfather of 20: Jace (Alyssa), Blake (McKenzie), Scotty (Emily), Gage, Elaina, Brooklyn, Bryce, Addisen, Gabriella, Garrett, Colton, Ben, Lauryn, Annie, Michael, Jonathan, Lucas, Alexa (Eman), Ryder, and Brody.

His legacy continues as the Great-Grandfather of seven: Sophia, Belimy, Luke, Leytin, Pierce, Adalee, and Adriel.