Richard Joe ADAMS

1942 - 2017

ADAMS, Richard Joe Richard Joe Adams, of Santa Rosa and Manhattan Beach, California, died at home on November 4, 2017, surrounded by his beloved wife and children, after a courageous three-year battle with melanoma. Richard was born on August 24, 1942, in Long Beach, California, the older son of Leola Mae (Garrison) and Richard Paul Adams (both deceased). He was the first of his family to go to college, graduating from California State University, Long Beach in 1964, with a major in math. He took additional graduate classes there, and completed coursework toward a M.A. in mathematics. Additionally, he had certifications in computer coding from UCLA extension. He had a long and distinguished career in the Southern California aerospace industry, beginning with two decades at TRW, and then another two-plus decades at The Aerospace Corporation, where he was Senior Engineering Specialist, Software Acquisition and Analysis Department, Computer Systems Division. Among the projects on which he worked were NASA's Cassini Mission to Saturn and the 2nd TDRSS Ground Station, in addition to numerous Air Force space systems, including ground stations, satellites, and launch vehicles. He managed teams that developed "best practices" for the acquisition and development of software for use in space systems for the Air Force. He was also the driving force behind bringing system dynamics modeling to The Aerospace Corporation's engineering group for use in modeling aspects of software development and acquisition. Although modest and shy by nature, he could be ferocious when fighting for the highest quality on government projects. He is survived by his adoring wife of twenty-three years, Susan E. Spar, his beloved children, Rachel Elizabeth and Richard Charles, their spouses, Franklin Perkins and Falguni Lakhani, his four grandchildren, Granite, Kestrel, Akshay, and Anaya, and his brother and sister-in-law, Roy and Ora Adams. Richard and Susan, a former attorney/mediator and television producer/director, met in 1993 at a Broadway Show Tunes singles event in Los Angeles, and married in Vermont in 1994. They had planned for years to retire to Santa Rosa, and finally achieved their dream in 2007. Richard was loving, brilliant, funny, kind, and generous. His smile lit up the whole room. He was an active volunteer in the folk music community in Southern California, and The Humane Society of Sonoma County and the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance programs in Sonoma County, lending his computer expertise even in the midst of his cancer treatments. In May 2017, Richard and Susan opened their garden to the Sonoma County Medical Association Alliance Foundation Garden Tour. They also enjoyed the region's fine wine and exploring the many back roads in Richard's treasured 1950 MGTD. A Remembrance and Celebration of his life is planned for Saturday, April 28 at Susan and Richard's home.