Richard Tarter

If you awoke Tuesday morning and had an odd feeling the sun shone colder or the children smiled less, you felt the absence of a great man who died Monday. Dec. 5.
Richard Lee Tarter, 72, worked as an engineer most of his professional life in too many cities to name both across this country and abroad. He built great structures like hydro dams, bridges and interstates.
Richard spent his childhood in a modest home with loving parents and his older brother, Bruce. He learned to work hard for what he wanted and to appreciate and cultivate his intelligence.
When his father remarried after his mother's death, Richard became part of a much larger family. Yet, love still centered them all.
Richard easily formed friendships throughout his life, many of which endured until his death. Not everyone who met him called Richard friend, perhaps, but no one called him an enemy.
None of these experiences, by themselves, made him the person he became, but they laid a strong foundation.
Richard found a soul mate in his wife, Victoria, and together they made the journey of their lives an adventure to be cherished and enjoyed. His love and devotion to his wife comprised the cornerstone of his life.
Many people today would not recognize the building blocks that distinguished Richard. They are well known traits and yet so rarely exemplified.
Richard was gentle with people, always reticent to judge, slow to anger but quick to help. He was humble.
He expressed a genuine joy for living, and could be heard laughing at his own bad jokes.
Richard adored children, and they loved him. In that twinkle in his beautiful eyes, they saw a comrade, a co-conspirator in all types of mischief. Any family gathering found Richard on the floor playing with the kids and their toys.
Richard used his intelligence to solve problems, help others and converse about the events of the past and today. He never made people feel less if he knew more.
Warmth will return to the sun. Children will grin with wide smiles again. But humanity will be a little poorer because we lost Richard.
Richard is survived by his wife Victoria Lynne Tarter (ne Hitt) of the home, brother Bruce Patrick Tarter (Chico, Calif.), sister Pamela Dawn Peterson (Oroville, Calif.), cousin Debora Louise Teel (Boise, Idaho), and several nieces and nephews.
Service will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17 at Moore's Funeral Chapel, 206 W. Center St. Fayetteville. Richard will be inurned Dec. 19 in the columbarium at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Okla.
Donations may be made to Cystic Fibrosis or the American Lung Association in lieu of flowers.