Richard Otis Brenneman

1923 - 2016

Richard Otis Brenneman

Born March 22, 1923, in Roswell, New Mexico, passed away on November 21, 2015. In the 92 years of his life, he made an impact on many people with his philosophy of "Strive to be the best in whatever you do and be a leader and not a follower". He was an all-star football and basketball player in high school and continued to play both sports at the University of Colorado where he graduated with a B.S. in Education. He was a member of Sigma Chi, a Cadet Commander in the ROTC then later a Cadet Commander at both St Mary's Pre-flight Training and at the Norman Oklahoma Primary Flight School. In 1945, he earned his Naval Pilot Wings and Officer Commission; he continued his Navy career in the reserves until 1978 after being promoted to Commanding Officer of Squadron Opcon 8T2.

He taught and coached at Mt. Rainier High School until 1980 and was inducted into the WA State Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. After his teaching career, he became a Master distributor and salesman for Little Giant Ladder Industries of WA and Oregon.

He wishes to be remembered for his love of his family and of our Nation. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Ruth, and six children, Mike (Lisa), Tad (Ginny), Kelley, Sue Tillotson (Ralph), Nancy Peterson (Chuck), and Bo (Kim) along with eleven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

There will be a military service at Tahoma National Cemetery at 1:00 p.m., February 12, 2016 followed by a reception at the Des Moines United Methodist Church, 22225 9th Avenue S., Des Moines, WA, at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to a charity of choice.