Richard Nevin

Richard Nevin, 68, passed away December 4, 2009 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was born March 11, 1941 in New York, New York to Robert and Agnes Nevin. Richard is survived by his daughter Mary; and brothers Bob and Tom. He is preceded in death by his parents and his wife. Funeral Services will be 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at Queen of Angels Catholic Church with interment to follow at Ft. Sill National Cemetery.

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Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!
Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished
children of Eve, to thee do we send
up our sighs, mourning and weeping
in this valley, of tears.
Turn, then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us; and
after this our exile show unto us the
blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus;
O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God

That we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.

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Richard Nevin was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this man was an outstanding luminary and that his natural abilities served him well. He knew with certainty how he wanted to set priorities in all aspects of his life. He struck those who knew him as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what he expected from his day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Richard was a man who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Richard would set about immediately to create it.

His parents were Robert and Agnes Nevin. Richard was raised in Woodhaven, Queens, New York City. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout life.

Growing up in the Nevin household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Richard was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep stress at bay. Richard was raised with two siblings. He had two older brothers, Robert and Thomas. Richard and his siblings may have the typical rivalries while growing up but Richard was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Richard was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn't pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Richard developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Richard took part in various street sports – stick ball, roller skate hockey, and touch football. He was a Boy Scout and a Sea Scout. However, what Richard enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Richard as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in 1959. He enjoyed some course more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was History. Richard was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Richard always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

The work habits and approaches to studying that Richard utilized in high school served him well in college. Richard always seemed on a quest for knowledge. He was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for his classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Richard was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. He earned his Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Philosophy. His favorite courses were Logic and Business Math.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Richard was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Richard was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Richard to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. Later in life, he became friends with Al and JoAnne Schroetel.

On June of 1975, Richard exchanged wedding vows with Ingrid Weber at Elgin AFB Chapel of Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. Compassionate and devoted to Ingrid, Richard held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Ingrid and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Family and children were important to Richard, even if he didn't always show it. Richard was blessed with two step children, step daughter, Mary, and one step son, Peter. They were also blessed with one grandchild, Kendra Louise. Richard was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as he did at work. Richard rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, he was subtle and patient in his dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

At work Richard was viewed as a natural leader. He could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. He was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Richard was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. He was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Richard might have been described by some as an overachiever, he was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. His primary occupation was as a Commissioned Officer in the U. S. Air Force as a Radar Command and Control Officer. He was employed for 27 years for the United States Air Force.

Richard was an Air Force Veteran. Richard saw action for a year and a half in Vietnam stationed at Monkey Mountain and later in Saigon. Through his dedication and hard work, he achieved the rank of Lt. Col. He received several awards including Bronze Star, Air Medal, Defense Meritorius Service Medal and a Meritorius Service Medal. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Richard seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Not only did Richard find pleasure in pursuing his various hobbies, he also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. His skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. His favorite pursuits were photography, home beer brewing and wine making, cooking and woodworking.

Richard found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included bowling. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were baseball and football.

Richard was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of Queen of Angels Catholic Church. During that time, he was the Chapel Sacristan for four years. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

When Richard's retirement finally came in 1990, he was well prepared. He had worked out all of the details well in advance and knew exactly what he was going to do. In retirement, he found new pleasure in his the vending service business that he started. Always a well-informed person, Richard enjoyed adding to his wealth of knowledge. Retirement afforded him the time to enjoy that experience and provided one more opportunity to look ahead at what life might offer him.

Richard passed away on December 4, 2009 at his home located at 10125 Mantle Drive in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He fought a long battle against cancer. He is survived by his daughter, Mary, and brothers, Bob and Tom. A funeral mass was held at Queen of Angels Catholic Church on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 10 o'clock in the morning. Richard was laid to rest in the Ft. Sill National Cemetery located in Elgin, Oklahoma.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Richard Nevin. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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Arrangements under the direction of Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 8701 N.W. Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73162 (405)721-3182.