Dick died of a massive heart attack at age 58. He was living in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Friends and family had been trying to reach him and became especially concerned when they couldn’t reach him over Super Bowl weekend. Finally the Cheyenne police were called to check his home. Dick’s car was in his garage. They entered the house and found Dick sitting in his chair with a book and holding a cigarette in his mouth. The coroner determined he had died of a fatal heart attack 7-10 days before being discovered on February 5th. There is a possibility that his condition may have been hereditary. At least 4 family members died under similar circumstances, ages ranging from 42 to 80. Two doctors diagnosed his problem as severe indigestion. Their treatments were ineffective. The malfunction of a major artery located above the heart can cause similar symptoms. If blood flow in the artery is blocked, death is instantaneous. Dick was born in Venezuela in 1953 where his parents were living in a Gulf Oil camp. They moved frequently. Dick graduated from Duquesne U with a degree in Philosophy. He received 3 Masters Degrees through night school. He was a starting member of school football, basketball and baseball teams, and a sports enthusiast. Dick was an avid reader. His technical papers were published in “Computer” and “Enterprise Systems” magazines. Richard’s father told us he had purchased ranch land north of Cheyenne WY. This was to be his eventual retirement location, where he could pursue fishing and hunting, perhaps write a book on some aspects of his studies of the Old West. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Richard had a daughter.
Deb Hoolahan Pegher: I grew up living next door to Dick and years later I always thought it was sad that I never really knew him. During grade school he was always mean to me so I stayed away from him. It wasn't until his family was moving that I found out why he was mean to me-he had a crush on me. Dick went to live in Texas, married, had a daughter and divorced. Never really got to talk to him again. Life is too short.