Richard Dennis Borders

1970 - 2020

Richard Dennis Borders

August 31, 1970 - July 1, 2020

Cary

Richard Dennis Borders left this world suddenly and too soon on July 1, 2020. Devoted son to Kathy Jackson, loyal brother to Brent Jackson (both of Gray, GA), and loving father to his three children: Francesca Lane, Lorelei Snow, and Richard Doxey Borders, he was known by many and left an indelible impression upon all.

He joined the Marines directly out of high school in 1989 and proudly served 6 years – rising to rank of Sergeant, with a key role in Reconnaissance during both Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and part of the team liberating Kuwait Airport in Feb 1991. He received a Bronze Star for Valor, among other honors.

The Marines saw his extraordinary aptitude in the application and use of technology, and he earned his nickname "Pentagod" by being one of the first individuals in the U.S. to build a Pentium based PC. Upon leaving the military, Rich worked for several companies in Administrator roles before joining his beloved Network Appliance (NetApp) in 2002. He was instrumental in creating teams of highly skilled and dedicated technical support for the company worldwide, including a site in Bangalore, India, where he lived for a year. Rich enjoyed the technical challenges of his work, but even more his role as teacher and mentor to anyone wanting to learn more. He would often 'connect the dots' between Physics and Artificial Intelligence, and frequently marveled at the beauty of our universe and the "Unbroken Thread" that unites us all, as proclaimed by Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman.

Rich began his life as a father because he truly believed that by raising independent, empathetic, and intelligent children he would be leaving the world a better place. He worked hard to instill these gifts first to his daughters and son, to other children in his family, and to those children who became his "chosen family". He loved playing trivia games and puzzles that developed the mind, and he contributed to the development of several popular video games. He was happiest surrounded by his children and those he loved. Just prior to his death he spent two long weekends at the beach – where he felt true peace and renewed hope for his future.

Rich survived and beat cancer three times, most recently Stage 4 Lymphoma, and completed a stem cell transplant in January 2020. But our son, our father, our friend, our love, was called home to be in God's eternal presence. And the loyal and faithful Marine he was, he followed the Divine Orders. Charlie Mike.