Richard "Dick" Blevins

1933 - 2017

On Sept. 29, 2017, Richard "Dick" Blevins left this earth to be with his family who preceded him and to await those he loved to follow. His way was to make every child, grandchild, great-grandchild, nephew and niece feel special in their own way. He truly loved his children and stayed in close contact with them as often as he could. He would call every few days to keep on top of everything going on. 
Dick was born on Feb. 15, 1933, to Nellie and Davis Blevins, just outside the town of Jordan, Montana, where he grew up on the banks of the Missouri River. He excelled at all things wild and outdoors, including football, riding horses and hunting. As a young man, when the war broke out, he left home to go to Alaska to help build up the Army bases in Alaska. He later enlisted in the Navy and was sent to Korea as part of an underwater demolitions team.
While he was aboard a ship sent to undergo repairs in California, he met his wife of the next 64 years, Joan K. Blevins, of Green Bay, Wisconsin. They were soon married and then stationed in Anchorage. That was where his eldest son, Bruce, was born, with Randy next and daughter, Lorrie, and sons Brian and Ricky after. After his discharge, the young family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then to Chicago, Illinois, where he went to school at DeVry University and received a degree in electronics, which, in turn, brought him back to Alaska to work at Gilmore tracking station outside of Fairbanks.
He worked there until the flood of 1967, and that prompted him to go back into construction. He went to work for a young man named Jim Thurman, clearing power lines for a new company called Earth Movers. After building a few roads, bridges, harbors and oil pipelines, he decided it was time, so he "retired" in 1988. He then tried his hand at gold mining on Portage Creek with lifelong friend John Cole until he realized one day that he was "retired" and now working longer hours and harder than ever. He also put in a stint as a Shriner clown and could be seen wandering around the Tanana Valley State Fair to the delight of many of the local kids, including his own herd of 19 grandchildren.
It wasn't too many years after he "retired" that he found his true calling. In his travels around the country in his RV with wife, Joan, he learned to carve wooden figures of cowboys, Indians and almost every Alaskan animal you could imagine, and then Joan would paint them for him. It was what made him a very rich man, as he never sold a single one. His fortune was in the smiles and delight of everybody who was on the receiving end of his gifts, or the many donated to various charity auctions. 
After many laps around America and a visit back to Alaska every other summer, Dick and Joan settled into a small community on the Colorado river between Parker Arizona and Lake Havasu, and he whittled away the years in his wood butchers workshop. He cherished this time spent with the many residents and neighbors who he liked to call his extended family. He went on many adventures with them in Jeeps with the Verde West 4-wheelers Club every Tuesday, followed by perhaps one of his other favorite pastimes, barbecues and dining out. As most happy stories end, it was at just such an event that he joined many friends at the Parker Elks Club for a nice steak dinner and some comradery that he peacefully came to rest.
Through all of Dick's life experiences and adventures, the most precious things in the world to him were his children and wife, Joan. As Joan stated, "He sure loved you kids."
Bear with us as we list all of his loved ones who left this earth before him, and the scores of family members left behind. He was predeceased by his mother and father, Nellie and Floyd "Davis" Blevins; sister and brother-in-law, Betty and Bud Taylor; brother and sister-in-law, Calvin and Arlene Blevins; brother-in-law, Kenneth Anderson; niece, Leslie Steiner, and husband, Glen Steiner.
All the loved ones he left behind include his dear wife, Joan Blevins; and loving sister, Neva Anderson; sons, Bruce (Jane) Blevins, Randy (Carol) Blevins; daughter, Lorrie (Kent) Harris; sons, Brian (Sue) Blevins and Rick (Kelley) Blevins; nieces, Roxanne Taylor and Lisa Jackson; nephews, Jeff Blevins, Craig Anderson, Vince Taylor and Dave Blevins; grandchildren, Kristine Reed, Scott Blevins, Carrie Jones, Maggie Riegle, Kristina Wood, Michelle Stepp, Kathy Acosta, Jimmy Blevins, Karen McCarthy, Jennifer Hersom, Justin Harris, Joshua Harris, Jacob Harris, Stephene Simmons, Richard Blevins, John Blevins, Courtney Gwin, Joe Moser, Tom Moser; and great-grandchildren, Devin, Tyler, Bruce, Layla, Isabel, Collin, Colby, Hunter, Jayann, Jacklynn, Ariha, Cheyenne, Sierra, Dorothy, Kayla, Dylan, Jayden, Lillian, Brynna, Ashlynn, Karsten, Lincoln, David, Keaton, Mariska, Bentley, Addisyn, Robert, Aiden, Alani, Lawson and Morley. 
A celebration of life is being put together for friends and family to gather in Dick's honor on Feb. 17, 2018, at 4985 Highway 95, Parker, Arizona. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Hospice of Havasu in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.