Richard Otis Carden

1931 - 2023

Richard Otis (Dick) Carden, 92 of Richmond, died Tuesday September 12, 2023. He was the retired editor and publisher of The Virginia Engineer magazine.

He is survived by his wife, Georgeen Dahlem Carden; four children from a previous marriage, Richard II, who preceded him in death (Patty), of Hanover; W. David (Susan), of Cumberland; Susan Baskette (Roland), of Cumberland; John Earl (Jan) of Cumberland; and two step-children, Stephen Garfield, of Texas, and Bonnie Garfield (Keith), of Pennsylvania. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Jessica Sharp, Elizabeth Carden, Isaac Porter Carden, Robert K. Lipscomb, IV, Sara Welton and Megan Richardson and step-grandchildren, Leah Gonzalez and Joel Garfield. He has nine great-grandchildren and four step great grandchildren.

Born in Richmond on January 19, 1931, his early years were in Victoria, VA, where his father, Roscoe, was a lawyer. His mother, Francis Otis, was a retired Director of Public Welfare for the City of Hopewell.

An honors graduate of both Greenbrier Military School (1949) and Washington and Lee University (1952), he later earned a master's degree at the University of Richmond.

He was Chief of the Suffolk Bureau for the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch, and ended a 10-year newspaper career to become the first Director of Public Relations for the Virginia Retail Merchants Association. He later became Executive Director of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers, a position he held until he resigned in 1972 and became owner/publisher of The Virginia Engineer. After retiring, he built and flew his own airplane.

He and his wife lived in Cumberland County for more than 40 years before moving to the Masonic Home of Virginia in 2016. An active Episcopalian, he served as both Parish and Cure Warden; he was a past president of the Cumberland Farm Bureau and the Farmville Chapter of the Experimental Aviation Association, and served on the boards of the Cumberland Public Library, Cumberland County Meals on Wheels, and the Cumberland Community Christmas Mother. He was a Past Master of Cumberland Masonic Lodge and was a District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. After moving to Richmond, he became active in the Varina Food Pantry, an outreach activity of Varina Episcopal Church.

A memorial service with reception following will be held at the Masonic Home of Virginia, 500 Masonic Lane, Richmond,VA 23223 on October 2, 2023 at 11:00 am. Interment will be at Grove Church Cemetery, Old Buckingham Road, Cumberland, VA 23040 on October 3, 2023 at 11:00 am. Heading west on Old Buckingham Road (Rt 13) from Powhatan,VA the cemetery is located on the left just past Sunnyside Road. Heading east on Old Buckingham Road (Rt 13) to Powhatan,VA from Cumberland Courthouse, the cemetery will be on the right just past Strawberry Hill Road.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Varina Episcopal Church Food Pantry, 2385 Mill Road Henrico, VA 23231 or the Masonic Home of Virginia, P O Box 7866 Richmond, VA 23231.