Richard Stites

Richard Lee Stites
June 13, 1935 - April 3, 2018
Richard Lee Stites was born on June 13, 1935, in San Diego County, California. His parents were Roy and Beulah Howlett Stites. He attended Collbran schools and graduated from Plateau Valley High School in 1954. After graduation Richard joined the Navy and served on the U.S.S. Iowa and U.S.S. Roanoke where he served as a welder.
Richard married Barbara Hawkins on December 29, 1957, and they moved to San Diego, California for the last year of his Navy service. After discharge from the Navy, he worked on various construction jobs including Vega Dam. In 1970, he and Barbara formed DSC, Inc. They began contracting high pressure gas lines around Western Colorado and Wyoming. They continued working as a construction company for the next 30 years, laying gas lines, building locations, and creating ski runs and roads. In later years Richard traveled many miles in his trusty, black Volvo Semi hauling produce and other products to all of the western states.
After retirement, Richard spent his time tinkering on his red Model T, researching his family history and working on a project dear to his heart, which remains unfinished. Richard's project was locating all burial plots of veterans in the valley so flags could be placed on them for Memorial Day.
He sat on the boards of the Plateau Valley Hospital District and Plateau Valley Fire District. He served as chairman of both boards for several years. He was one of the first paramedics to be trained in the valley. He was a member of the American Legion Post 86 and the Plateau Valley Historical Preservation Society.
Richard is survived by his wife, Barbara; son, Jim; daughter, Anita (Richard Rowland), and grandsons, Parker and Landon.
Services will be held at the Collbran Congregational Church on Tuesday, April 10, 2018, at 1:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Legion, Post 86, PO Box 265, Collbran, Colorado, 81624 or the Collbran Congregational Church, U.C.C., PO Box 160, Collbran, Colorado 81624.