Richard F. Post

1918 - 2015

Richard F. Post
Nov. 14, 1918 - April 7, 2015
Walnut Creek
Richard F. Post, eminent physicist and beloved husband and father, died at age 96 of a sudden and short illness on April 7, 2015, surrounded by his family. He worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for 63 years, "retiring" twenty years ago, which actually meant that he only went to work four days a week instead of five. He was, in fact, at work on Thursday, April 3, four days before his death. Much has been written in recent days about his extraordinary accomplishments in his chosen field of alternate energy solutions, ranging from his many years working on controlled fusion energy, to magnetic levitation for friction-free train transportation, to his most recent passion - flywheel energy storage. His family wishes to add to that picture. He was a man with a global mission. His belief was that "energy is the ultimate raw material" and that with an independence from oil would come not only a cleaner earth, but a freedom and improved quality of life for all. His family would like him to be remembered for his humility, modesty and tenacity. He never gave up on a complex problem or his higher purpose in life and he never gave up on his resolve to keep his beloved wife, Marylee, at home during her six-year struggle with Alzheimer's disease. When she died three years ago, he drew on his inner resources, and with his heart shattered, continued his work. Those years proved to be some of his most productive of his life. After the age of 90 he received an astonishing 8 patents and 28 records of invention. He often credited his family for keeping him going, but it was his tenacity, love of life and his "use it or lose it" philosophy that kept the beautiful smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye. He was an extraordinary and uncommon man, and is terribly missed by his family: his sons Stephen and Rodney, daughter Markie, son and daughters-in-law Linda Post, Analillian Post, and Michael Ross, grand-daughters Alex, Annalisa (and husband David), Maggie Lee, Kate and Daisy and his first great-grandchild, 7 week-old Olin.
There will a memorial service at 11:00 at Hillcrest Congregational Church in Pleasant Hill California on May 23, 2015. All are welcome.
For those who wish, the family suggests a donation to Hillcrest Church or Pomona College, Richard's alma mater.