Richard Otis "Dick" Peck

1938 - 2023

Richard "Dick" Otis Peck was born May 7, 1938 in Grand Ridge, Illinois and died on December 8, 2022 in Lakewood, Colorado at the age of 84. Dick is survived by his wife Janyce Austin Peck of Golden, brother Donald Peck of Ottawa, Illinois, son Steven Peck of Lakewood, and daughter Amy Kerns (husband Don Kerns) of Denver, and grandchildren Luke and Rachel Kerns. Dick graduated from Ottawa Township High School, Illinois, in 1956. He attended Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) and graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Dick was gifted in understanding how and why things worked, and in engineering new or better devices and processes. He began his engineering career at General Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio where he worked on such projects as aircraft tire testing and railroad wheels. Dick then worked as a Project Engineer at Amsted Research Laboratories in the Chicago area where he received several patents. In 1973 he moved to Colorado to work at Coors in can development and registered several patents with improvements to production processes. He obtained his Professional Engineering License. Dick then served as Manager of Engineering at Custom Engineering, Inc. for a number of years. He finished his career at Bolder Technologies in Wheat Ridge working in battery technology. Over the years he worked on conveyors, space shuttle experiments, government military design, assembly factory machinery, and many other projects. Dick took that same intensity and curiosity and applied it elsewhere, especially to two life-long hobbies: sailing and music. Dick discovered sailing and gravitated to one of the more technical and highest performing two-person boats, the 505 Class. He loved the exhilaration of flying across the water coupled with the technical challenges of quickly assessing the conditions of the weather, water, and race situation, and responding as skipper of the craft. He continually worked on improving his boat when not on the water, calculating the optimum design for hydrodynamics, strength, and weight. He competed at regattas in Colorado, Nebraska, and across the country, and he was an active leader of the Colorado 505 fleet. Similarly, Dick studied every characteristic of his stereo equipment, engineering the highest quality system possible. He loved to sit in the center of the room, with chair positioned perfectly for the best acoustics, with lights off, enjoying an album with the best recording of a classical composition or the powerful range and emotion of a jazz vocalist. He even designed and constructed his own speakers by hand, perfectly suited for his listening room. Dick spent time with his children sharing these passions. They both learned to crew his boats, sailing over the water on the trapeze and camping at lake's edge during regattas. He shared other interests with his children as well, leading Boy Scouts, participating and leading in their church, hiking and cross-country skiing the Colorado mountains, and vacationing across the American West. Dick was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, and he is deeply missed. A service of remembrance celebrating Dick's life will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Golden on Saturday, January 14th at 1:00 pm. Donations in Dick's honor may be given to the church.