- Date Of Birth: April 9, 1928
- Date Of Death: January 25, 2018
- State: Idaho
On January 25, 2018, surrounded by his loving wife and three children, Richard Lowell “Dick” Halbert, 89, of Nampa, Idaho slipped sweetly into the eternal presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In spite of the dementia that robbed his memories, Dick kept his sense of humor and ability to express his deep love for Jesus and his family almost until the end. Just one day before he was finally unable to recognize his family, he was still able to sing the bass line to “In the Sweet Bye and Bye”, as he had done so many times before in his life. As he lay in a hospital bed, he continued singing “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me”. Dick was truly a man that loved the Lord with his whole being.
Dick was born in Mansfield, Ohio on April 9, 1928, the second son of Albert and Edna Halbert. When Dick was about 2 years of age, his father noticed that Dick and his brother were beginning to mirror a lot of their Daddy’s habits and actions and that bothered their father deeply.
In the midst of the depression, Dick’s dad could not find work and could not feed his family. He was not a religious man but while traveling back from a failed attempt to find employment in the nearby town, Dick’s father told the Lord that if God would just feed his family, that they would serve Him. Albert took a few more steps and there, standing on its side in a bank of snow was a shiny half-dollar which bought the family armloads of groceries, and as Dick often remembered, those groceries included a piece of penny candy for each of the boys.
Dick and Ruth welcomed their first daughter, Judy, in December of 1955 and Jeannie came along about three years later. Their family was completed when in 1961, their son Jim was born.
After completing his college education, Dick became a commercial artist and advertising executive. He opened Richard Halbert Advertising in the Los Angeles area in 1966. Over the years he continued his hobbies of car repair, photography, hunting, reading, working in his shop and singing. A devoted disciple of Christ, Dick spent his life serving the Lord.
Dick was a tender, loving man that always, unashamedly expressed his love for his family.
Dick is survived by his wife of 63 years, Ruth Halbert, their children, Judy and her husband Wes Beaver of San Diego, California, Jeannie and her husband Chuck Keneley of Eagle, Idaho and Jim and his wife, Dori Halbert also of Eagle, Idaho, 7 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Albert, his mother Edna and his brother Ken.
Dick’s last words on this earth were spoken just days before he passed. The last time he awoke, he told his daughter, Jeannie “I gotta get out of here!” Two days later, he did just that and is now in the presence of his Savior and so many others that he loved.
