Richard Constantine Sachlis

1939 - 2024

Richard Constantine Sachlis, a retired IBM Marketing/Sales Rep with IBM, died after a brief illness on April 19, 2024 at Commonwealth Senior Living in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his parents Gus Sachlis and Ruby Flack Sachlis, and his brother James Minor Sachlis. After working early jobs at his father's diner (The Herald Square in Washington D.C.) and driving a rescue squad in Bethesda, MD, Mr. Sachlis joined IBM in September 1961 as a punch card operator, working to support his pursuit of a Bachelor's degree at night, and then was promoted to Marketing/Sales rep soon after finishing his degree. He frequently achieved membership in the IBM 100% club, and thrived in his sales career, often bringing home emerging IBM innovations including the IBM Correcting Selectric Typewriter and personal desktop computer. Mr. Sachlis was well known for his professional style of dress, typically wearing a 3-piece suit with French cuff shirts and cufflinks during his IBM years. He continued his professional dressing well after retirement though saving the 3-piece suits for every special occasion, and strived to be the best dressed retired man at Commonwealth Senior Living. He was an intelligent, principled, and determined man who loved people and went out of his way to make strangers feel seen and heard throughout his post-retirement career as a sales rep for Nestle and other distributors, as well as to people he might meet in a store, restaurant, and towards the end of his life, at Commonwealth Senior Living where he made many friends among staff and residents and liked to be known as "Rockin' Rich on the Radio". He was actively involved at Commonwealth Senior Living and made an impact on residents and staff alike, including resurrecting the residents' council for the assisted living residents, giving them a voice in their facility.

Mr. Sachlis was born in Washington, DC November 9, 1939 during one of the worst times of the Great Depression, to an immigrant father who was one of eight siblings (Gus emigrated from Greece to the U.S. through Ellis Island in 1907) and a midwestern mother from a farm family who was one of 15 siblings. He lived in the region until 1971 when he moved to Waynesboro, Virginia. Mr. Sachlis graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in 1957. He attended the University of Maryland, University College where he graduated with honors with a B.S. degree in Business in 1968. He was a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi honors societies. Mr. Sachlis was a lifetime fan of the Chevrolet Corvair line, and an avid NASCAR fan, no doubt fueled by his early days driving the rescue squad and riding (illegally) an Indian brand motorcycle purchased with his earnings from part time jobs. He had a passion for WWII events and was quite knowledgeable about WWII planes. Mr. Sachlis is survived by two daughters: Maria Elkins (John) of Glen Allen, VA; Lynn Hoffman (Alan) of Clarksville, TN; three grandchildren - Christoper D. Sachlis of Springfield, VA.; Claire E. Moulder (Aaron) of Glasgow, KY; Shae Mowry (Elliott) of Lovington IL; and three great grandchildren- Jasper A. Mowry, Emery L. Moulder, and Emmett L. Mowry.

The family will hold a Celebration of Life service at Commonwealth Senior Living, 1550 Pantops Mountain Place, Charlottesville on May 10, 2024 at 1:00PM. Hill and Wood Funeral Home in Charlottesville is handling the funeral arrangements (www.hillandwood.com)

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation (mjhfoundation.org) or the UVA Cancer Center through the UVA Health Foundation (giving.uvahealth.com).