Richard “Dick” Whitehurst II of Kennewick, WA was relieved of his struggle with frontotemporal degeneration in the early hours of February 6, 2026 with his wife René and daughter Channon by his side. He fought an incredible battle and ultimately won, passing from here to eternity in heaven, healthy and whole again. Even though Richard was mostly silent throughout his last year, he became many a caregiver’s favorite while living in memory care and they loved him without knowing his great story behind his smile. We are grateful for the love and encouragement his caregivers provided to Richard and the whole family during this difficult journey.

Richard was born in Portland, Maine on Dec 31, 1951 to Richard and Evelyn Whitehurst. While residing in Maine he was surrounded by loving family members. His grandmother Nora was fondly remembered for taking her rifle into the backyard forest to hunt deer for dinner. He had a wholesome early upbringing also eating from extensive gardens and his favorite food; Maine lobster.

Richard and his parents along with his sister Sandra relocated to Florida circa 1955 where his sister Leanne and brother Patrick were born. Richard spent many happy hours at the beach with his family, riding his bike everywhere, tinkering with electronics brought home by his father who worked for Westinghouse, and playing tricks on his sisters. He graduated from South Broward High School in Hollywood, Fl in 1970 and on a whim, he enlisted in the Navy with a friend.

Extensive testing in the beginning of his military years of service landed him in the US Navy Nuclear Propulsion program where he became a nuclear reactor operator on the world’s first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise. Shortly after, he was assigned to the USS James Madison, SSBN 627. This submarine was the lead ship in her class of ballistic missile submarines. Near the end of his years of service, he was assigned to a fast attack submarine, the USS Ray, SSN 653.

Richard’s first marriage was in 1975 and his daughter, Channon, was born in 1976 just prior to moving west for work.

The Hanford Nuclear Reservation was in need of nuclear reactor operators and they hired Richard at the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) in 1976 on ops crew B, where he made many close friends. After FFTF he moved on to become a highly rated engineer specializing in Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) for Fluor Hanford, DMJM H&N, AECOM, Kurion and others. While still in the employment of AECOM he was selected to be in a premier group at Kurion (contracted with TEPCO) to design, fabricate, systemize, test and commission a mobile system to remove strontium from the tank water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant due to tsunami devastation in March of 2011. All of this was completed within 30 days.

In 2007 Richard married René, the love of his life, bringing even more family and friends into his circle. His wife will love and cherish him for the rest of her days in this life and longingly looks forward to seeing him again in her next life. Even though they were both adults, Richard offered to adopt René’s two children as his own.

Richard stated that of all the things he did in his life, coming to faith in Jesus Christ through a visit from the Holy Spirit was of utmost importance. Even more important than his marriage to René. He was confirmed in his church in 2009 and became a board member at large soon after. He served his church for several years with faith and love.

A true outdoorsman, Richard loved to fish, camp in the wilderness, hike, walk with his dogs, swim, bask in the sun, hunt for beautiful rocks, play soccer (nickname: Knees and Elbows), gardening, almost anything outside, including pulling weeds all day with his shirt off. He was skilled in photography and he had recently learned how to play pickleball. His long arms and legs were definitely an asset! If he wasn’t on an adventure, he was cooking, either mastering the BBQ or whipping up some mean spaghetti sauce. He loved listening to his extensive music collection. He also dabbled with wine making and loved baking bread.

Richard has many loved ones that are waiting for him in heaven: Richard, his father; Evelyn, his mother; his Uncle Jim; Clifford & Nora, Walter & Jimmie Lou, his grandparents; Carol & Jerry, his mother and father-in-law.

Those of us left behind, looking forward to seeing him again: René, his wife; Aunt Faye; Sisters Sandra and Leanne (Eugenio); Brother Pat; Daughter Channon (Ryan); Stepchildren Trent (Jill), Dana (Jasen); and Grandchildren Chyanna and Micah.

A Memorial Service with military honors is planned for 1:00pm, March 14th, 2026 at:

Southridge Church

3315 S Sherman St

Kennewick, WA 99338

If you are so moved, please send any donations to The Hospice Healthcare: https://chaplaincyhealthcare.org/donate-now/

Our Heavenly Father has called his lovely servant home.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”. John 11:25-26 NIV