Richard Dean Price

Richard “Dick” Dean Price, 86, passed away 13 October 2024 surrounded by family in his home in Green Valley, AZ.

Dick was born 19 March 1938 in Cando, ND as the only child of William “Bill” Price and Olga (Robley) Price-Minetti. The family moved to Spokane, WA in the early 1940s, where Dick was a 1956 graduate of West Valley High School.

Dick served in the Coast Guard 1957-1959.  Following his term of service h e worked for Great Northern Railway. In 1964 Dick and Teresa (Terri) Milbert were married in Spokane. Dick and Terri went on to raise a family and spent 50 happy years together.

The couple initially lived in the Seattle area where Dick continued working for GNR. In 1973 the family moved to Spokane where Dick worked for RA Pearson. In 1977 the family relocated to Chewelah, WA when Dick began working as an electrician for Northwest Alloys, a subsidiary of Alcoa, until his retirement in 1997.

Dick enjoyed hunting, camping, fishing, swimming, and boating. Annual family vacations were often spent camping at one of the many area lakes. Often joined by the families of Dick’s lifelong friends Marty Welch, Jerry Jameson, and Tom Elliott. Dick’s other lifelong interests included the railroad, guns and a variety of sports. Dick’s forever happy place was his workshop as he was a skilled metal and wood worker. Dick was a tinkerer and innovative thinker. He enjoyed the challenge of engineering, creating, and modifying anything and everything he thought needed improvement.

As an empty nest approached Dick and Terri invested in vacation property on North Twin Lake, near Inchelium, WA. Dick enjoyed years of planning and developing the property, setting up a workshop and continual home and other improvements. Dick enjoyed the company and conversation of friends and family who visited North Twin. Dick surprised many by becoming quite social in his retirement years and with easy banter and humor to make those around him laugh. Dick was a creature of habit who never missed the evening news, and nights were spent watching the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, and classic Westerns.

In 2001 Dick & Terri purchased a Roadtrek in which they embarked on a cross country road trip, traveling 6900 miles and stopping in 20 states to visit distant family & friends. They sold their Chewelah house and bought a house in Green Valley, AZ, officially becoming snowbirds. They RVed between the Lake in WA for the summers and AZ for the winters. They traveled different routes over the years to visit people and explore new parts of the US. Throughout these travels and within the neighborhood, Dick made many new and lasting friendships.

In 2019 Dick adopted a rescue dog, a cocker spaniel needing a quiet life & gentle care. Dick named her Tracy as a nod to his sense of humor. Dick and Tracy were great companions in their travels north and south for the seasons, and they kept each other company through the long days of the pandemic.

Dick is survived by his children Kerry (and Rebecca) Hansen of Whidbey Island, WA, Angela (and Dean) Proszek of Blue Creek, WA, Kristen (and Tim) Trottier of Deer Park, WA, and Cathi (and Lyle) Starr of Tucson, AZ; his grandchildren Rich (and Alex) Proszek, AJ (and Cara) Proszek, Tyler (and Krysten) Proszek, Danielle Trottier, Jessica (and Andrew) Krohn, Malana Starr, Megan Lehman, Gabe (and Ally) Hansen, Oliver (and Danielle) Hansen, Adeline Hansen, Altanie Hansen, and Lydia Hansen; and ten great grandchildren.

Dick was preceded in death by his wife Teresa and his parents, William and Olga.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1:00pm, 11/23/2024 at St. Mary’s Church in Chewelah, WA.