DICK MECKEM CHITTY

1930 - 2008

Dick Meckem Chitty was born on November 12, 1930 on a farm outside of Crawford, Nebraska. His parents were Merrill and Katherine (Meckem) Chitty. Dick started school in Nebraska. Due to the Depression, the family moved to Dubois, Wyoming where the parents found work.

In 1941, before the war started, his father went to Anchorage to work on the construction of Ft. Richardson. Dick, his mother and brother arrived in Anchorage in the spring of 1941.

Dick attended school at the only high school in Anchorage and graduated in 1947 in a class of less than 50. He went on with his education to University of Alaska in Fairbanks for one year and then charged to the University of New Mexico.
He was briefly married in 1951 and had two children, Mike and Dawn.

There was a break in his education and he went to work for the Territorial Highway Department. While working on a project in Ketchikan in 1956, he met his future wife at the bowling alley in the Elks Club. Dick and Diane were married in November 1957.

The Territorial Highway Department became the State Highway Department and Dick was involved with the Right Of Way Division and was transferred to Juneau in 1960. He didn't particularly like to eat salmon but he liked to catch them. So he was very happy when the state allowed sports fishermen to have a permit to fish with 4 lines and sell the fish they caught.

Oil exploration was expanding quickly at Prudhoe Bay and equipment needed to get to the site. As Chief Right of Way Agent, he worked to get approval for the haul road.

His hobby interest had moved to aviation and he and two others bought a Cessna 210 air plane, but his favorite flying was in a Beaver on floats for the Civil Air Patrol doing search and rescue work.

His job changed to Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Transportation.

In 1983 he retired and picked Anacorates as his residence.
Hi interest in service clubs saw him working with the Lions Club in Juneau and in Anacorates, the Sunriser Kiwanis Club. He also belongs to the Masonic Lodge in Juneau, Pioneers of Alaska, Alaska/Yukon Pioneers, Anacorates Elks Club, Fidalgo Yacht Club, The Sunrisers Golf Club and the Tuesday Morning Methodist Men's Club. He was a former member of the Anochords and the Coyote Barbershop Chorus in Tucson. He also loved to read and bowl. He lived the life he loved.

Dick is survived by his wife Diane of 50 years; son, Mike and wife Konnie of Juneau, Alaska, Mike's sons Casey and Cole of Portland, Oregon and Dick's daughter, Dawn Kasiash of Seattle; brother-in-law, Terry and wife Nancy Hannum of Denver, Colorado.

Dick passed away on May 8, 2008 after a years battle with small cell lung cancer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Don of Anchorage and George of Dubois, Wyoming.
Services were held on May 12 at the Anacorates Methodist Church.

Memorials in Dick's name may be made to the Anacorates Methodist Church or Skagit County Hospice.