- Date Of Birth: September 19, 1934
- Date Of Death: January 23, 2021
- State: Arizona
Richard (Rich) Lee Mack
September 19th, 1934-January 23rd, 2021
Richard, (Rich), Lee Mack of Payson Arizona passed Saturday January 23rd 2021 at home with his family and beautiful bride of 65 years after a courageous battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Rich was born in Cleveland, Ohio September 19, 1934, and left school in the 8th grade to take care of the family and tend to the farm. He worked and lived above a gas station where most of his wages earned went directly to support his Enlisted into the United States Navy when he was 17 years old from 1952-1956, he fought in the Korean War from 1952 to 1953. He was stationed on the U.S.S. Achernar A.K.A.-53. He was a true Navy Sailor at heart, loved the Navy and was a top met and fell in love with his bride Leeta Mae Atkins and decided to leave the Navy so they could start a family; they married March 10th 1956.
After leaving the Navy he went to work for the Nickel Plate Railroad in 1956 and eventually decided to own and operate a gas station in Ashtabula, Ohio while he studied law enforcement. He became a Police officer for the Lakeville, Ohio Police Department from 1958 to 1962.
Growing tired of the cold, snowy wet winters of Ohio, he decided to move his family out to Arizona and arrived in Scottsdale on July 4th 1962. In the evenings he worked towards attaining his GED, and starting working as a Deputy for the Scottsdale Police Department until 1966. As the family grew to 7, he decided to leave the police force and went to work for Melroe/Clark Equipment as a District Sales Manager, selling Bobcat Machinery, from 1967 to 1977. His dedication and hard work to sales and setting up distributor dealers across the west coast is why one sees so many Bobcat machines along the west coast today. Life on the road was decidedly his hardest years of his life having to leave his family alone. He sacrificed so much to provide for his family and hated hotel rooms more than one could imagine. In order to expand his territory and spend more time with his family, he studied and became a pilot in which he became the proud owner of a Mooney Exec. After 10 years on the road, he quit Clark Equipment and ventured out on his own. A true entrepreneur at heart, he began his own heavy equipment sales business and also bought and sold eventually became involved with Lowe Equipment where he helped to design and market the Lowe Trencher.
After years of searching for the perfect house, he and his bride moved to Payson, Arizona in April of 2004. He sat daily overlooking the view of the rim in which he lovingly called, “The Eagles Nest.”
He is Survived by his bride, Leeta Mae Mack; son Barry Mack; daughters Sharry Mack Davis (Nathan), Tarry Mack Mulera, and Karry Cabrales (Gil); ten grandchildren, Jeremy Mack (Tammy), Jacob Mack (Ashley), Kara McIntee (Kyle), Trecia Taylor, Kendra Mack, Naomi Mack, Krista Taylor, Michael Mulera, Brandon Mack-Lee; twenty beautiful great grandchildren with one due in April 2021; brothers Paul Mack, Jimmy Lynch, Dave Mack (Nancy), Edward Mack; sisters Florence George (Richard), Leah Acierno, Wanda York, Eleanore Acosta, Betty Kokal, Joyce Howell; and many nieces and nephews.
Rich is preceded in death by his father Herbert W. Mack and mother Irma Mack; son Garry Mack; granddaughter Shannon Marie Mack; brothers Alan Mack, Bill Mack, Russell Mack, Buddy Mack; and sisters Billie Mack, Arloa Stacy, and Patsy Mack (Darker).
He had a determined faith in the Father and Jesus Christ and is now with all of his loved ones that have preceded him.
