Richard D. Acott

1936 - 2018

Richard D. Acott

- - Richard was born in Fort Collins, Colorado April 23, 1936. He held a B. A. in Political Science from Chapman College, Orange, California and a Juris Doctor from the Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon. He was commissioned a Marine Corps Officer and received his Naval Aviator wings in 1957. While stationed in Florida Richard met the love of his life, Constance, and they were married within a month of their first date. In 1966-67 he flew 115 combat missions from Chu Lai, Vietnam in the A4 Skyhawk. His awards and citations included the Distinguished Flying Cross. After his Marine Corps experience, he worked in the insurance business, was owner/broker of a real estate company, attended and graduated from law school, was in private law practice, a deputy district attorney and then appointed to the county court bench as a Magistrate. During his entire life he had an enduring love of art. In 1988 he began studying sculpture at the Loveland Colorado Art Academy. In 1995 he opened a studio in Loveland, changing his career a final time. Richard passed away on February 18th, 2018. He was preceded in death by his son Stephen and grandson Jesse. He is survived by his wife Constance, his daughter Lorri, sons Garret and Phillip, eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren. His humor, love of live and laughter will be missed by all of us that were blessed to know him. Richard's life will be celebrated at The Colonnade retirement community in Surprise, AZ on March 31st.

"This is life. We are born, we do the best we can with what we have, and we die. We can be sad because it's human nature to be sad when someone we care for dies and it is all right to be sad when forced to look at one's own mortality…. So, what is the lesson? Live, Learn, Love and Laugh. Study hard, but not too hard. Work hard, but not too hard. Play hard but not too hard. Cry for your loved ones, but do not allow your sadness to destroy your life. Have a good sense of humor through it all and do not take yourself or anyone else too seriously. Money is important, but not as important as love, integrity and self-respect. Take risks, but think first and make them calculated risks. Life is somewhat like the sport of boxing. It is not how many times you are knocked down that count; the true test is how many times you get back up. And no matter how bleak your present circumstance might be, keep moving." - Richard Acott 2000