Richard Robert Klein

Born July 15, 1933 in Boston, MA; died January 18, 2023 in Lynnwood, WA.

He joins his loving wife of 40 years, Patricia Klein.  Youngest child of Francis & Matilda Klein.  Survived by his children, Margaret Metz and William Metz (Jennifer); grandchildren Edmund Holland and Kayla Thom (Mike); great-grandchildren Melvin Thom and Malcolm Thom; and numerous nephews and nieces.  Preceded in death by his siblings Frank, George, Adele, Mary, and Dorothy.

Brother, husband, uncle, friend, dad, grandfather, & great-grandfather; like many men of his generation, Richard was strong, quiet, and stoic.  He was active through most of his life, and was very much at peace when he was outdoors scouting for next seasons hunt or out on the water filling his fishing net.  Richard loved his country, his Catholic faith and deeply loved his wife, Patricia.

Richard was the youngest of 6 children born to Frank & Matilda Klein in Cambridge Massachusetts.  While the family moved to the Seattle area when he was 3, he still had fond memories of climbing Bunker Hill as a toddler.

When his family moved from Boston to Seattle, they first moved to a house in the Georgetown area.  After a bit they bought the house on 11th Ave SW in West Seattle in the Holy Family parish that would become the family home and the place where he and his siblings grew up.  He completed grade school at Highland Park Elementary and moved on to West Seattle High School.

Richard was a typical teenager of the early 1950’s.  When he wasn’t able to be out hunting and fishing, sports were his focus.  As a tall, lanky teenager with long legs, he exceled in track & field.  He had no equal in both the Broad Jump and the High Jump, becoming the Seattle City Champion of 1952 in those two events, holding the record for distance for many years following that.  Additionally, he was scouted for the US Olympic team in those events.  Unfortunately, at that time, athletes paid most of their own expenses and the family couldn’t afford to send him to the upcoming US Olympic team trials at the time.  He went on to graduate from West Seattle High School in 1953

Richard always believed strongly in service to his country.  After graduating high school, he followed the example of his father and brother and joined the US Navy.  He always had fond memories of his time in the service.  Most of his active service time was spent as helmsman abord the USS Walke.  The Walke was part of the US 7th fleet , patrolling the waters in and around Asia.  While in the service he participated in evacuating the Republic of China forces to Taiwan and keeping the Straights of Taiwan safe.  He also had fond memories of the times he and his shipmates spent visiting Sasebo and Yokosuka Japan.  Ever the dutiful son, it was on one of those trips that he bought an extensive set of China for his mother, something she always had wanted but was never able to afford.  To his last days, this was something that he was always proud of being able to do for her.

Richard continued his service to his country after leaving active military service by becoming a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service.  He would spend 26 years as a letter carrier, all based out of the Westwood Village post office, which allowed him to be a mailman for the area in West Seattle that he grew up in.  Even after he married and moved to north Seattle, he kept working in West Seattle until he retired, keeping connection with where his roots were from. He would joke that in all his years as a letter carrier, dealing with weather and territorial dogs, the worst injury he ever received was from a cantankerous cat on his route that scratched him.  When Richard had the chance to retire after a combined 28 years of service to the US Government he jumped on it, so he could spend more time with his two true loves; his wife Patricia and the outdoors.

As an adult, Richard had settled into a comfortable, stable life.  He had his work at the post office, and in his free time he would spend it at his cabin at Lake Cavanaugh, hunting and fishing, or wherever else the hunting and fishing would take him.  He was generous with the cabin, allowing family and friends to use it whenever they wanted through all the years that he had it.  Many fond memories were generated there for both himself as well as others.  When he was finally forced to sell it as the upkeep became too much, a part of him was left up there.

Richard was a confirmed bachelor into his early forties, until he met Patricia.  They first met at an Elks club dance which his friends took him to.  When he went to another dance a few weeks later and saw Patricia there as well, it began a love affair that never stopped.  He fell so deeply in love with her that he said goodbye to bachelorhood and became a married man, willingly stepping into the role of not only husband to Patricia but step-father to her 13-year-old daughter Margaret and 8-year-old son William.  Richard was always the quiet & stoic man throughout his life.  However, the one time that he was seen to cry was the day Patricia passed away.  He deeply missed her in the years that followed, and now he can once again be with her.

Under the wide and starry sky,
    Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
    And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you grave for me:
    Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
    And the hunter home from the hill.

(Robert Louis Stevenson)

Recitation of the Rosary will be Thursday, February 9th at 7:00 PM at

Harvey Family Funeral Home Chapel

508 N 36th St, Seattle 98103

A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, February 10th at 11AM at

St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church

106 N 79th St, Seattle 98103

Interment, Holyrood Cemetery

205 NE 205th St, Shoreline

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to

Providence Hospice of Snohomish County