Richard Franklin Alvord

Richard was born in Chicago on November 29, 1926. One year later he and his family moved to Sous St. Marie, Michigan, where Richard lived with his parents, brother and sister until he was 16 years old. During the warmer months, Richard spent his days running around in the woods (which he knew well for miles and miles) and even built a tepee where he would sit by the fire for hours. In the winter, he cross-country skied and built his own ski run in a small ravine. He was a superb ice skater and enjoyed ice hockey and skating on the various ponds and lakes near his home. In April of his sophomore year, he left high school and moved to Detroit to live with his mother where he remained for two years. Two years later he turned 18 and in February of 1945 was drafted into the United States Army. Richard completed basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and then deployed to Hawaii where he spent one month. After a month he deployed to Osaka, Japan, where he spent one year. During his time in Osaka, he was a truck driver for Headquarters Company and was discharged December, 1946, and returned to Detroit. In March, 1951 Richard enlisted in the Army and was sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma where he spent a year and a half. While he was there he did “odds and ends,” and went to the pool everyday while attending electronics school. In November, 1952 he was deployed to Inchon, Korea and was sent into the battlefield somewhere in Korea. He went through two major battles, but his ribbons did not say exactly when. He received a rifleman’s badge which gave him an additional nine dollars a month. He once told his wife Patricia, “Even though I grew up in Sous St. Marie, North Korea was the coldest place I have ever been.” He went further to say, “When sleeping in tents, the night guards would turn the soldiers’ heaters down at each end and as soon as they left, someone would get up and turn them up again. We were much warmer when we were sleeping in caves.” Richard put his electronics skills to work by picking up the pieces of radios, repairing them, and by morning they were ready for his fellow soldiers to carry them out on patrol and to the front lines. He spent nine months in Korea and left in August, 1953. He had earned 36 points in total, and an extra four points for serving on the front lines the entire time. Upon returning to the United States, he became a platoon sergeant at Fort Riley, Kansas and ended his military career three years later in March, 1954. After leaving the Army he returned to Detroit and in 1958 moved to Portland with friends. When he arrived in Portland he could not find work so he headed to Seattle and went to work for Safeway. While working at Safeway he was diagnosed with TB and spent seven months at the VA Hospital in Walla Walla, Washington. Still sick, he transferred to Deerborn, Michigan to be by his mother’s side as she was dying of breast cancer. After his mother’s death Richard had surgery for his TB and later recovered. Richard returned to Portland once again in 1958 where from 1958-1961 he worked on his electronics engineering associates degree. After completing his degree, he was hired by Tektronix making $1.78 an hour. He worked there for 20 years including two years in Alaska. In 1983 Richard retired early from Tektronix and a year later began working for OECO as a components engineer. Richard officially retired from OECO in 1991. Following his retirement he and his wife with the help of family planted a very successful vineyard in the Chehalem Valley 11 miles northwest of Newberg, Oregon. When they moved to their vineyard land, their neighbor Mike Etzel said, . . .“those toys won’t last long,” and he was right. Richard is survived by his wife Patricia, daughter Anne, and stepchildren Craig, Charles, Todd, Elaine and Melanie. He also leaves behind nine grandchildren, Kim, Timaree, Sofia, Sage, Sterling, Madisen, Kane, Charlton, Olivia and seven great grandchildren. Memorial Service 3:00 PM, Saturday, August 6, 2022 at the Alvord Residence.

Richard Franklin Alvord

November 26, 1926 - May 11, 2022