Richard S. LaFleur

Richard S. LaFleur (1923-2009) ESCONDIDO --Richard "Dick" S. LaFleur was loved by so many! He was husband to Carmen LaFleur, and of course filled many other roles; brother, father, uncle, grandpa, great-grandpa, brother in Christ and friend. He stepped into eternity September 2, 2009. Born to the Christian parents of Sipke and Elisabeth in Crookston, Minnesota on October 21, 1923, he was the first of four sons, Herm, Sid and Ed. At the age of seven, the family moved to Orange City, Iowa circa 1930 where he worked weekends and summers on his uncle's farms. Dick attended Orange City Christian School and O.C. High School, graduating in 1941. Dick was going to be a country doctor until the "Wonders of All Things Working" captured him changing his career course to engineering...one of his passions throughout his life. Dick served in WWII with the Army Signal Corps in India. He earned several medals, including the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Service Medal, and was honorably discharged May 15, 1946. Reentering civilian life, Dick married Ruth Bosma from Hospers, Iowa and started a family with the birth of his first of four children, Sharon. He graduated Tri-State College in Indiana, earning a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1949. For three years, he worked at Chapehart Farnsworth Television & Radio Corp. in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as a "DJ" spinning 78's and doing TV and radio repair. Although Indiana/ Iowa were home, the "Westward" call, and especially his dislike of the freezing winters, helped Dick decide to move to California where he fathered Ronald, Joan and Jeffrey. He accepted an engineering position, in the flourishing Southern California aerospace / defense industry, with Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City. Dedication, hard work, and strength of character, helped Dick to progress up the corporate ladder. Dick was a key member of the Edwards Air Force Base test team for Hughes working side-by-side with the nation's top test pilots and astronauts and became a vital leader in the Corporation. One of his major accomplishments was heading up the development of the radar system for the YF12A / SR71, better known as the "Black Bird." Dick's inexhaustible curiosity and desire to know about Gods awesome creation made him an expert on nearly everything - engineering, construction, astronomy, stamp collecting, fishing, physics, history, geography, geology, travel. Dick was at his best at the dinner table with his family all enjoying lots of laughter and much love abounding. A leader to so many, and a lover of all things family, including his church family at New Life Presbyterian. He is already missed so much. The life he lived in Christ, and challenged others to live, is a legacy which will endure through generations.

Richard S. LaFleur's most important event in his life was the day he made Jesus the Lord and Savior of his life. His love of Jesus Christ and the desire to know Him and serve Him with all his heart, blessed Dick with an awesome level of knowledge and wisdom which he obtained by studying and living His word. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Carmen; his children, Sharon Beth (Mrs. Thomas Greene) son, LCDR Todd Reynolds Greene, Ronald Bruce, and his wife Brenda, and daughters, Dianna and (great-granddaughter, Claire), and Jessica. Elizabeth Joan (Mrs. Gordon Francisco) and their children, Bryan, Meghann and (great grandchildren, RJ and Dominic), Katelynn, Brett, Libby. Jeffrey Allen and his wife, Denise, and their children, Danielle, Kristen, Richard, and his step children; Scott and his wife Karen, Steve and his wife Jana, and grandson, Michael and Linda (Mrs. Brian Hartman). The memorial service for Dick LaFleur is set for Saturday, September 12, at 2 p.m. at New Life Presbyterian Church, 615 W. Citracado Pkwy., Escondido, Calif. Dick's burial service with military honors is scheduled for Monday, September 14, at 10 a.m. at the Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery on Pt. Loma. Sign the Guest Book online obits.nctimes.com