Richard Lee Emery, 80, of Crystal Lake, passed away peacefully on the morning of July 17, 2018. “Dick”, as he was known to family and friends, was born on May 21, 1938 in Altadena, CA to Talitha Youngblood and Francis Eric Emery. He was the beloved husband of Betty Lou Emery.
Dick and Betty Lou were married on February 10, 1967 and had just celebrated 51 years of marriage where he was a loving father to sons Christopher and Eric and daughters-in-law, Jennifer and Deanna. Dick was also a doting “Pop” to grandchildren Will, Julia and Elise. The oldest of four children, he is preceded in death by his parents; loving sister, Kathy; and best friend and brother, Bill; and is survived by his dear sister, Mary (Woods).
After his birth, his family lived briefly in Pasadena, CA where he attended St. Peter’s Catholic School through the second grade. His family then moved to their permanent home in Concord, CA where he was a student at Queen of All Saints School and a graduate of Mount Diablo High School where he played football and baseball. In 1957, Dick enlisted in the Navy to pursue his dream of flight.
In 1958, he entered OCS and flight training as a member of the Naval Aviation Cadet Drill Team “58” at NAS Pensacola. He earned his Navy Wings of Gold in February, 1960. During his primary and advanced training, he flew a variety of aircraft including the T-34, T-28 B&C, SNB, S2F, P2V-5 & 7.
He was discharged from active service in July, 1962 but he continued on in the Naval Reserves and retired after twenty years with the rank of Commander. After his discharge, Dick took time to pursue a degree and graduated with a BS in Business and Industrial Management from San Jose State University in February,1966. Shortly afterward, Dick was hired by United Airlines.
He completed his training and began his career as DC-6 Flight Engineer based in San Francisco, CA. During his time at SFO, Dick was promoted from Flight Engineer to First Officer on the B727. His career advancement at United led he and his family to move to Crystal Lake, IL where he flew out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
He transitioned to the DC-10 in 1984. Shortly after the settlement of the United Pilot’s Strike in 1985 he was promoted to Captain on the B727. Dick also flew as Captain on the B757/767 and DC-10 before retiring in June, 1998 after a career of 32 years.
In retirement, he looked forward to building and living in his dream home with Betty Lou, their yearly trips to Maui with friends and family, or watching his grandchildren learn how to swim. Regardless, he could always be found poolside working on cryptograph and Sudoku puzzles. He also enjoyed lively debate, a skill crafted over years of intense study of Fox News programming.
Friends and family are welcome to attend the memorial Mass, officiated by Fr. Koutnik, on Saturday, August 4 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 451 W. Terra Cotta Avenue, Crystal Lake, Illinois, 60014. In lieu of flowers, donations appreciated to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, 1140 W. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60607 www.
mercyhome.org.
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