Top: Rich at his dad's service station.
Middle: Rich with grandson AJ (the one in the Purdue sweatshirt!)
Bottom: Rich with his grandparents in 1968 or 1969.
Some family members may have seen this tribute to Rich before. I just read it for the first time. I might have never seen it except for the blog. I learned so much about Rich reading it. A lot of gaps were filled in for me. I knew the essence and most important point... that Rich was a kind man. Of course, Shirley says it in a way that only she could have done.
Thank you Shirley!
Who Is This Kind Man?
By Shirley Thacker
Who was this kind man? They compared him to a prince, a great man that had fallen in Israel. (Samuel II: 3:38) They said his time of departure had come. (Timothy II: 4:6) They said that he had fought a good fight, and finished the course. They said he was a good friend, a great American. Who was this kind man? He was a husband and father of two, grandfather of one. He was the eldest son, brother to four brothers. He was uncle, cousin, and friend to many. Who was this kind man? Was he king, dignitary, famous? He was an ordinary man that lived and walked on this earth for a few years, fifty seven to be exact. He had been a teacher, a caring man who wanted his students to be respectful, hard working, and know the basics of all subjects. Who was this kind man? He would be the first to say that he had many faults. Having somewhat of a temper from now and then, being prone to love money, and being too quick to judge would be three that he would mention first. He would be the first to say that he was just a sinner boy that he hoped would be saved by God’s grace and mercy. Who was this kind man?
He wanted his brothers to be proud of him. He wanted to be strong and a leader to them. He felt the pressure of being first born, and hoped they could learn from some of his mistakes. He told wonderful stories of the brothers. Curt (Helene Curtis) and his love for school, his bow tie at Christmas, his sharing a room with him was the brother next to him. He chuckled when he talked of Tim and his rag, disintegrating elastic in his shorts, and his sailor hat. He smiled when he talked about Jim and first grade, his boots, and of coarse the fan capturing story. And then he fondly remembers John, his littlest brother. He was so proud to fix a bike for him that he had taken apart and put back together. And the worst part of going to service was that John was grown up when he got back. That little guy that fell asleep on his lap while watching TV, he carried up to bed, had grown up those four years. Who was this kind man?
He loved being the eldest son, and working with his dad at the filling station. The life lessons he learned there were many. He was champion at making change, changing tires, fitting in with the chat and chew cronies that found time to come and spend time. He got to go more than the other boys and that made he feel very special. He loved the Cat House story, and grandma watching his dad whiz by with her car. Who was this kind man?
He had to repeat first grade. He always hated that, but he just didn’t figure out the game, called school. He knew there was much more fun going on at home. He learned and did well after that. He said, he really didn’t get the meaning of school until fifth or sixth grade, when the competition gene kicked in. No girl was going to outscore him. Studying became important. Chemistry was when he learned he needed glasses. He couldn’t see the periodic table. The teacher thought he was playing him for a sap. He asked if he needed this credit to graduate. A smart remark was handed to the teacher, but he realized that he couldn’t see it. Who was this kind man?
He went to Vincennes after high school because he thought his family wanted that. He thought about being a forest ranger. The other alternative was service. The economics’ professor was always reminding them to do well or they would be out, and service would no longer be a choice. He tired of the threats and decided to enlist. The Air Force was his choice. It was a long trip to Indy that day with his dad. One part wanted to be ruled 4F, the other wanted to serve. Several in front of him were turned down for one reason or another, but he was chosen. Who was this kind man?
He went to Lakeland,Texas; Biloxi, Mississippi; Naha, Okinawa; Ubon Thailand; Cam Rahn Bay and Tan San Nhut, Vietnam; Minot, North Dakota. He was a radar repairman. He tried to fix things with old parts, put things back together. He scavenged the planes that were down in Vietnam, and brought back the good parts. He didn’t go to work one day because he was sick. The hanger was hit that day; his chair had holes in it. He didn’t worry, he said, about being killed. He was just young and stupid was his comment. Maybe it was his faith in God, more than he knew. Who was this kind man?
He wrote letters and said little about his service life. There wasn’t much point in talking about it. He didn’t receive any awards, he was just an ordinary man doing his job, and counting the days that he could come home to Indiana and be normal again. I loved those letters and have kept them all these years. I wanted to get married when he came back home, but he didn’t want a service life for his family and he knew that I had one more year of school. So he wisely, took charge and we waited for his discharge. I wrote his first letter on February 29, 1968. He gave me my diamond on February 29, 1972. I gave him credit for being a romantic and remembering the important date. He said he was just lucky.
We were married on July 15, l972. He wasn’t sure what to think about all the girl moods and idiosyncrasies. Not having a sister was a disadvantage he thought. Even though he was not a romantic in one sense of the word, he was kind, caring, and gentle. He always put my feelings and needs first. We grew up from similar backgrounds which was a huge help in our marriage. We had the same religious background which was also a blessing. Who was this kind and gentle man?
He was so excited about being a daddy. First, Kimberly Richelle was born on December 29, 1973 and then Anna Kristin on August 31, l977. He would speak sternly, but he didn’t spank. He knew his own strength and didn’t want to hurt them. He left the disciplining to me. He loved to read to them. He loved to help them with school. He loved to ride bikes and take walks with them. He said on many occasions that he wished he could have done better. He wished he could take away all their hurts. He wished that he could have been healthier and stronger. He was most proud of them. Who was this kind and gentle man?
His greatest battle came on August 31, l981 (Kris’ fourth birthday). We were told that he had testicular cancer. Two days later, he had surgery, and the next day he began chemo at IU. Those were the darkest days of our lives, and yet they were the best of times too. We fell in love all over again, knowing we were in the battle of our lives. We put our trust in God, put on the armor, and fought the battle at hand. He just took it all, the poking, the meds, the throwing up, the loss of hair, the radiation, the exhaustion. At one point he gave up and said he couldn’t fight any more. About 15 min later there was a beautiful rainbow that we could see from Kim’s window. He said that was his sign from God and he would fight as long as God gave him breath. And he did just that, he fought until he had no breath left. He took three last breaths on June 8, 2005 and then he soared with the eagles. He had fought the fight, he had run the race, he had stayed the course. Who was this kind and gentle man?
He was my joy, my life, my soul mate. He was my true north, the center of my world; he was my life partner. Who was this kind and gentle man?
Richard Allen Thacker
Thank you Shirley!
Who Is This Kind Man?
By Shirley Thacker
Who was this kind man? They compared him to a prince, a great man that had fallen in Israel. (Samuel II: 3:38) They said his time of departure had come. (Timothy II: 4:6) They said that he had fought a good fight, and finished the course. They said he was a good friend, a great American. Who was this kind man? He was a husband and father of two, grandfather of one. He was the eldest son, brother to four brothers. He was uncle, cousin, and friend to many. Who was this kind man? Was he king, dignitary, famous? He was an ordinary man that lived and walked on this earth for a few years, fifty seven to be exact. He had been a teacher, a caring man who wanted his students to be respectful, hard working, and know the basics of all subjects. Who was this kind man? He would be the first to say that he had many faults. Having somewhat of a temper from now and then, being prone to love money, and being too quick to judge would be three that he would mention first. He would be the first to say that he was just a sinner boy that he hoped would be saved by God’s grace and mercy. Who was this kind man?
He wanted his brothers to be proud of him. He wanted to be strong and a leader to them. He felt the pressure of being first born, and hoped they could learn from some of his mistakes. He told wonderful stories of the brothers. Curt (Helene Curtis) and his love for school, his bow tie at Christmas, his sharing a room with him was the brother next to him. He chuckled when he talked of Tim and his rag, disintegrating elastic in his shorts, and his sailor hat. He smiled when he talked about Jim and first grade, his boots, and of coarse the fan capturing story. And then he fondly remembers John, his littlest brother. He was so proud to fix a bike for him that he had taken apart and put back together. And the worst part of going to service was that John was grown up when he got back. That little guy that fell asleep on his lap while watching TV, he carried up to bed, had grown up those four years. Who was this kind man?
He loved being the eldest son, and working with his dad at the filling station. The life lessons he learned there were many. He was champion at making change, changing tires, fitting in with the chat and chew cronies that found time to come and spend time. He got to go more than the other boys and that made he feel very special. He loved the Cat House story, and grandma watching his dad whiz by with her car. Who was this kind man?
He had to repeat first grade. He always hated that, but he just didn’t figure out the game, called school. He knew there was much more fun going on at home. He learned and did well after that. He said, he really didn’t get the meaning of school until fifth or sixth grade, when the competition gene kicked in. No girl was going to outscore him. Studying became important. Chemistry was when he learned he needed glasses. He couldn’t see the periodic table. The teacher thought he was playing him for a sap. He asked if he needed this credit to graduate. A smart remark was handed to the teacher, but he realized that he couldn’t see it. Who was this kind man?
He went to Vincennes after high school because he thought his family wanted that. He thought about being a forest ranger. The other alternative was service. The economics’ professor was always reminding them to do well or they would be out, and service would no longer be a choice. He tired of the threats and decided to enlist. The Air Force was his choice. It was a long trip to Indy that day with his dad. One part wanted to be ruled 4F, the other wanted to serve. Several in front of him were turned down for one reason or another, but he was chosen. Who was this kind man?
He went to Lakeland,Texas; Biloxi, Mississippi; Naha, Okinawa; Ubon Thailand; Cam Rahn Bay and Tan San Nhut, Vietnam; Minot, North Dakota. He was a radar repairman. He tried to fix things with old parts, put things back together. He scavenged the planes that were down in Vietnam, and brought back the good parts. He didn’t go to work one day because he was sick. The hanger was hit that day; his chair had holes in it. He didn’t worry, he said, about being killed. He was just young and stupid was his comment. Maybe it was his faith in God, more than he knew. Who was this kind man?
He wrote letters and said little about his service life. There wasn’t much point in talking about it. He didn’t receive any awards, he was just an ordinary man doing his job, and counting the days that he could come home to Indiana and be normal again. I loved those letters and have kept them all these years. I wanted to get married when he came back home, but he didn’t want a service life for his family and he knew that I had one more year of school. So he wisely, took charge and we waited for his discharge. I wrote his first letter on February 29, 1968. He gave me my diamond on February 29, 1972. I gave him credit for being a romantic and remembering the important date. He said he was just lucky.
We were married on July 15, l972. He wasn’t sure what to think about all the girl moods and idiosyncrasies. Not having a sister was a disadvantage he thought. Even though he was not a romantic in one sense of the word, he was kind, caring, and gentle. He always put my feelings and needs first. We grew up from similar backgrounds which was a huge help in our marriage. We had the same religious background which was also a blessing. Who was this kind and gentle man?
He was so excited about being a daddy. First, Kimberly Richelle was born on December 29, 1973 and then Anna Kristin on August 31, l977. He would speak sternly, but he didn’t spank. He knew his own strength and didn’t want to hurt them. He left the disciplining to me. He loved to read to them. He loved to help them with school. He loved to ride bikes and take walks with them. He said on many occasions that he wished he could have done better. He wished he could take away all their hurts. He wished that he could have been healthier and stronger. He was most proud of them. Who was this kind and gentle man?
His greatest battle came on August 31, l981 (Kris’ fourth birthday). We were told that he had testicular cancer. Two days later, he had surgery, and the next day he began chemo at IU. Those were the darkest days of our lives, and yet they were the best of times too. We fell in love all over again, knowing we were in the battle of our lives. We put our trust in God, put on the armor, and fought the battle at hand. He just took it all, the poking, the meds, the throwing up, the loss of hair, the radiation, the exhaustion. At one point he gave up and said he couldn’t fight any more. About 15 min later there was a beautiful rainbow that we could see from Kim’s window. He said that was his sign from God and he would fight as long as God gave him breath. And he did just that, he fought until he had no breath left. He took three last breaths on June 8, 2005 and then he soared with the eagles. He had fought the fight, he had run the race, he had stayed the course. Who was this kind and gentle man?
He was my joy, my life, my soul mate. He was my true north, the center of my world; he was my life partner. Who was this kind and gentle man?
Richard Allen Thacker
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