I was 19 years old and two weeks after getting married to my high school sweetheart wife, I was off to bootcamp in Kentucky June 1977. She stayed with her parents while I worked through bootcamp and AIT (training to be a wheel vehicle and track mechanic).
After receiving orders to Germany, my wife joined me, and we lived in a small town called Weidenberg. We enjoyed the culture, did some traveling, and made some German friends. It was fun learning what we could from them and their families. We had a child we named Chris, who was born in Nürnberg Germany.
I was assigned to the 1st Regiment 2nd Cavalry Alpha troop in Bayreuth Germany where we did a lot of field training and patrolled the east German and Czech border. I was able to gain E5 (Sergeant) status by the time my active enlistment was nearly four years later with an Honorable discharge February 1981.
Upon leaving the service we went back to Pensacola Florida where we had family. I carried on with vehicle repairs by working the next 8 years at a Buick dealership honing my skills in all aspects of car repairs. My wife had an opportunity to take a good job in a retail store in Tampa Florida, so we packed up and made a home outside of East Tampa for the next 20 years where I stayed working at a Buick dealership as a mechanic, services advisor, body shop estimator.
Unfortunately, I lost my wife of almost 30 years to colon cancer when she was only 49 years old. I decided to change my carrier and trained to fly helicopters for a while. I was blessed to meet someone that I fell in love with and married three years later. At that time, I went back to working with cars as a collision estimator and manager for a large car dealership.
My second wife and I have been together for 16 years, and we raised my stepson and welcomed our first grandson from Chris. We bought a home where we still live in North Tampa. I ended up retiring from being a body shop manager soon after starting dialyses.
I was first diagnosed with my kidney disease (PKD) at 42 years old while trying to see why my blood pressure was so high. I started going to the VA at about 52 years old to monitor my disease and have been seeing them ever since .In December 2022, I started peritoneal dialysis (PD) which leaves me with some limitations: limited diet, lifting restrictions, must stay out of the water for fear of infections. The physical restrictions on my life have sped up my retirement.
I do miss enjoying the water because I like to be active and there are plenty of opportunities in Florida. So, try to play golf and walk three miles every day, I need to be hooked up to my machine for 10 hours every day to get the proper treatment. So, to pass the time I also read and paint with oils and some drawing. We like to travel as well, and when doing so try to hike the trails in the national parks.
For medically cleared donors, giving the gift of life through living kidney donation has been proven to be very safe. DOVE will assist all prospective donors throughout the process and make sure they do not incur any out-of-pocket expenses related to the evaluation or surgery. A healthy person can live a normal life with one kidney and save Richard’s life with the other!
Your support, whether through spreading the word on social media or considering becoming a donor, can make a profound impact on his life and the life of his family!
Please click on the link below if you would like to learn more OR call (551) 233-1611