Richard Carroll Carver, Col USAF (Ret)
December 24, 1931 – July 19, 2024
Col. Richard Carroll Carver, age 92, son of Olaf Carroll Carver and Avis Beresa Morford, passed away on July 19, 2024, in the comfort of his home in Bellevue, Nebraska, under hospice care, with his wife Judy by his side. Richard and Judy were married in Bellevue on August 1, 1998, and enjoyed 26 years together. Richard was blessed with four children from his first marriage to Cynthia Rae Masters Carver, who passed away November 1, 1990, after 36 years of marriage. Richard’s children are Christina Reikofski and husband Blake (2022), John Carver with wife Kelly, Mark Carver with wife Renay and her son Kaleb Jeune and Mike Carver with wife Jane.
Richard had twelve grandchildren: Sarah Strzemienski and husband Adam, Stephen Carver, Rachel Carver, Mitch Carver, TJ Carver, Allie Ness and husband Jared, Sarah Vanderlinda and husband Nick, Nicole Carver, Mattie Carver, Stephanie Ortmann and husband Kit, Connor Reikofski and wife Lindsay, and Hannah Reikofski. Richard also lived to enjoy ten great-grandchildren added to his legacy: Lydia Strzemienski, Eden Strzemienski, Rose Strzemienski, August Carver, Gracelyn Vanderlinda, Dominick Vanderlinda, Lithadora Carver, Owen Ortmann, Brooklynn Cech-Reikofski, and Prescott Reikofski, who all adored their Great Grandpa.
Richard was born December 24, 1931, in Evanston, Illinois, the oldest of two children; his sister was Nancy Jane Petersen, who predeceased her brother in May 1998. Richard’s father was a butcher, and his mother a homemaker, and he lived most of his younger life in Illinois. Richard went to college at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he enrolled in the ROTC Officer Candidate program and graduated as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Richard and Cynthia were married in Williamsport, Indiana, on September 18, 1954; honeymooned at the Prevos Virgin Timber Lodge in Wisconsin; and nine days later, Richard reported for active duty with the Air Force and attended Officer Training College at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. From 1955 to 1957, Richard and Cynthia were stationed in Japan, just the first of many assignments that allowed them to travel the world, rarely staying for more than a couple of years at any station before moving again due to a new assignment or promotion. Cynthia recalled how, in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis—one of the scariest times for her—Richard was on high alert sitting in the cockpit of a B-52 while Cindy and the kids had been evacuated to a cabin in the Black Hills of South Dakota, awaiting bombing orders that thankfully were never given.
Richard was a navigator in the USAF, which included flying in B-52D and the F-105F, as part of the Wild Weasel squadron, where he flew 116 missions during the Vietnam War in 1969–70, with his pilot, George Dornberger. Richard served his country in the USAF for 30 years, retiring in September 1984 as a full Colonel in Bellevue, Nebraska, working at Strategic Air Command headquarters in his final assignment to complete his distinguished military career. During his military career, Richard received many decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, National Defense Service Medal, and Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars. The family lived in many locations during Richard’s military career, including Japan, California, Texas, South Dakota, Utah, Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Belgium, and Nebraska.
Richard had many interests and passions he passed on to his children as he and Cindy instilled a no-nonsense work ethic, which always included chores and duty rosters. The parents supported the boys with their multiple sports, the WPAF Flying Fish swim team, Boy Scouts, and many family camping outings in the 16-foot Fireball trailer. Christina was equally busy and supported in Girl Scouts, ballet, band/orchestra, debate, and JROTC. Richard took a very active role in Boy Scouts, serving in many roles, including Committee Chairman and Scout Master of Troop 192 at Wright-Patterson, Ohio, and in 1978, General Alexander Haig dedicated the construction of a Boy Scout Camp named “Camp Carver” for Troop 200 in Chievres, Belgium.
Richard was an avid runner and enjoyed exercising and would often be at the nearest base gym accessible to him. He had a fondness for black and white collies, which he always named Val. The first Val joined them in 1955 before Mark was born, and Val III passed away in 1991. After his retirement from the military, Richard worked in the defense contractor industry, continued his woodworking projects, home improvements, and created wonderful wood crafts, including tables and other items which have been passed on to his children to treasure.
During his retirement years, he and Judy organized three separate family reunions over the decades, always to the same lovely rustic resort in Minnesota called “Isle O’ Dreams” on Bad Axe Lake, with the last trip taking place in June 2019. With Richard, there were always two ways to get something done: the wrong way or his way. Whether it was how to sharpen the chainsaw blade, cross-stack the wood pile in the driveway, turn over mulch in the compost pile, trim the hedges, or light the grill (paper only, no Girl Scout water), these are but a few examples of life lessons he passed on to family and others. As Chris recently recalled, “Dad’s concept of ‘measure twice, cut once’ can be applied to so many ways in life.”
Richard never stopped teaching and enjoyed passing on his knowledge to others in a wide range of topics, including construction, mechanics, nature, and how to properly use any tool ever invented. He enjoyed helping boys and girls that worked at the house and yard over many years, taking the time to teach them some of life’s lessons. Those children have grown to adults, and when recently sending condolences remarked, “Col. Carver taught me a lot and I know I would not be where I am or the person I am today without him,” and “Col. Carver started as my boss and turned into a mentor and one of my closest friends.”
He had a sharp wit, enjoyed his classical music as well as a good scotch. He was the anchor for this family throughout his life, and as constant as the North Star he would point out to us on camping trips. He was always supportive yet firm, generous and thoughtful when it came to his wife, family—as well as others—where he shared his lifetime of acquired knowledge and resources to help others. He didn’t play favorites, as was evidenced at family events over the years, when he was known to say, “Everybody cranks” if they wanted to enjoy some of the homemade ice cream. Even in his 90s, he never forgot a birthday, anniversary, or other important family milestone with thoughtful cards and calls from he and Judy.
As was his nature to think of others first before himself, Richard donated his remains for anatomical research to the local medical schools in Omaha. At some time in the future, in a year or two, Richard’s remains will be cremated, put in a military ammo box he pre-selected for this purpose, and buried next to his first wife Cynthia with military honors, waiting for Judy to join him in the distant future, at a beautiful resting place under a Pin Oak he planted in 1990, which produces acorns for the deer to eat and overlooks the Missouri River.
Reception of Family and Friends: Sunday, October 20, 2024, 12:30-1:30 p.m. followed by
Celebration of Richard’s Life: at 1:30 p.m., Bellevue Memorial Funeral Chapel, Bellevue, Nebraska.
To view a live broadcast of the Celebration of Life, click the link below.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fontenelle Forest [https://8913.blackbaudhosting.com/8913/Operating—General](https://8913.blackbaudhosting.com/8913/Operating—General) or The Wounded Warrior Program [https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org](https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org).
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I had a profound respect for Col. Carver and his service to our country. I remember working with him in his yard on the weekend when I was a freshman at Creighton. He and I would have the best conversations about people and principles. Thankful for the opportunity to have known him for a short time.
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