- Date Of Birth: October 21, 1932
- Date Of Death: February 1, 2022
- State: Colorado
Richard A. Black
Richard “Dick” A. Black passed away in Colorado Springs, CO on February 1, 2022, following a brief illness. He was born in 1932 in Westmoreland TN. The son of the late Harley and Alda Black (Keen). In addition to his parents, Richard was preceded in death by his first wife, Doris (Artis), his son, Gary, and stepdaughter, Debbie (Moss) Travis, as well as his brother William.
Dick was raised in Akron, OH and spent many of his early summers with extended family in Westmoreland TN. He graduated from Garfield High School and attended Akron University where he studied Business. Dick entered the US Army after WWII and was stationed in Germany. When he returned from Germany, he had a chance meeting with Doris, a girl he knew from High School, while stopped at a traffic light. This brief encounter would eventually result in marriage. He was always a hard worker and had jobs going back to a very young age. Dick eventually migrated to sales positions in the tire industry where he worked for several companies starting with Seiberling and ending up with the Goodyear Rubber Company. Dick’s areas of responsibility changed over the years, and he moved his growing family several times from Akron OH to various cities in New York, Columbus OH, and finally New Castle DE. After his two sons graduated from school Dick and Doris moved again, first to Cumberland MD, then to Scottsdale AZ. Doris passed away in Arizona after a short battle with cancer. He married Shirley in 1993 and moved to Colorado Springs where they resided until his passing.
In recounting stories of his youth, he called his summers in Tennessee as “working” at his uncle’s Keen Hollow farm, but they always sounded more like he was having great fun, enjoying time with family, eating good southern food, and exploring the fields, creeks, and ponds of the Tennessee countryside. Likewise, his stories as a boy growing up during the Great Depression in Akron were upbeat and positive despite them taking place during the backdrop of what must have been a bleak and meager struggle. Those experiences of his early years surely resulted in his great love of food and drink later in life. Dick enjoyed art and produced many drawings and paintings using various media. He was a stickler for organization and would spend as much time organizing his tools and fasteners as he would doing the job they were intended for. He liked to keep busy on projects, “puttering around” as he would call it. Even at the age of 89 he could still be found in his front yard pulling weeds and cutting back bushes, even if it meant doing so from his wheelchair. In his later years as his clarity of mind started to fog, he could still recount the smallest of details of his career in the tire industry. He truly loved his work, the people he worked with and the good times they shared. Likewise, he loved being surrounded by family and especially enjoyed the noise and commotion of small children in the house.
Dick is survived by his wife, Shirley (Artis), his son, Terry Black (Theresa) of Newark DE, stepson Eddie Moss (Diana) of Loveland CO, stepdaughters Shari McCann (Brian) of Manitou Springs CO, and Becky Blain (Dick) of Pampa TX, 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.
