Richard "Dick" Stuart

After a long battle with COPD, our husband, father, brother, grandfather and friend passed away in the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 18, 2025. He was at home, right where he wanted to be. Dad was born on Nov. 18, 1946, to Leonard and Margaret (Aamoth) Stuart, in Pocatello. Leonard and Margaret went on to have one daughter, Dad's sister Barb. At a young age, both Dad and Barb lost their mom in a tragic accident. Leonard then went on to marry Shirley Ruzicka, giving Dad six more brothers and sisters: Vicki, Mike, Karl, Shelley, Leni and Wenday.
Lewiston was his home for most of his life, where he attended all of his schooling. After joining the U.S. Army, he then went on to serve in the Vietnam War from 1965-71. While us kids were growing up, Dad's time in the service was a very difficult thing for him to talk about. We have learned quite a bit about his time in the service, one of those things being that he was awarded several decoration and service medals for his service. On March 5 of this year, he was a recipient of a Quilt of Valor, which was a tremendous honor.
While on leave, Dad married his high school sweetheart Karen Inghram. They brought into the world their first son, Timothy "Stu" Stuart. After being honorably discharged in 1971, they then went on to have the rest of us kids, Tammy, Travis, Trisha and Toby.
Dad then worked for the U.S. Postal Service and then for his father-in-law at L&H Welding, where he became proficient at welding and metal fabrication. You can still find many of his hand railings around the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley. He then went on to manage multiple hydraulic shops in Lewiston.
After retiring, his hobbies included fishing, woodworking, watching sports and NHRA (National Hot Rod Association), and just tinkering in his shop. He was an avid fan of the Seattle Seahawks and Mariners. Dad loved "Hot Rods;" he was always on the lookout for his "unicorn," a '65 Pontiac GTO that he had when he was younger. He had been in the process of building a Ford Model A, which he had been working on for many years. Dad was always the one we could call up with any questions about cars and or house repairs.
Dad is preceded in death by his mom, dad, stepmom, sister Vicki and son Tim. Surviving is his wife Karen, daughter Tammy (Travis) Stamper, son Travis, daughter Trisha (Donal) Kearney, and son Toby; grandsons Trenton (Karli) Stamper, Brandon Kearney, and great grandsons Hunter and Emerson; as well as all his brothers and sisters.
Our family would like to thank the doctors and staff of the local Veterans Administration, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, and especially the staff at Elite Home Hospice, who took such good care of him. Mountain View Funeral Home of Lewiston is handling arrangements. His memorial service will be held at a later date.