Who was my daddy? Most of you knew him in some way, but quite a few of you never met him. Daddy was officially Richard L. Baran, Sr., Ret. USAF Major. He started out flying as a copilot in B47's, in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1955. He met my mother while there, courted her and married her, all in a month's time, in 1957. They had 51 wonderful years together. I was their first child. He went through B52 training when I was 1, at Castle AFB, California. From there, we were sent to Warner Robbins AFB, Georgia. My brother was born there. While there he went from copilot to pilot, or as the AF called them, Aircraft Commanders. We were transferred to Westover AFB, Massachusetts, where he worked as an Aircraft Commander, but also worked the "Nock", or the underground command post. In 1969 we were sent to Andersen AFB, Guam, where unknown to me and my brother, he flew bombing missions over Vietnam. His other job was one I didn't understand at the time. Once in a while, he'd come home, put on his dress blues, mama would put on this one particular dress, and they would leave. Sometimes after a few hours mama would return with him, and sometimes she would be gone for several days. Years later, as an adult, I found out it was part of daddy's job to go to pilots' wives to break the news of their loss or capture in Vietnam. We returned stateside in 1972, to Castle AFB. That's where daddy spent the last 3 years of his Air Force career as an Instructor Pilot. We remained there, daddy working for a gardening center (Stribling's) then Terminex. In 1981 he welcomed another B52 crewman into the family, my husband Jeff. It was at that point I began to hear stories of daddy's career. In 1986, when told by his manager at Terminex that he could not have vacation time to go to Michigan to welcome his first grandchild, he turned in his resignation. He and mama bought a truck and trailer, and moved into it. They enjoyed their years "on the road" as snowbirds. Sometime in those years, while in San Diego with my brother, he began working parttime as a security person at the mobile home campground they were living in. One thing led to another, and he was "all of a sudden" the head of security for the campground. Owned by a corporation, he began to be sent from site to site, managing various campgrounds. In 1997 after a fall on ice, he retired again. He and mama found a place in Lodi, California, to be close to the last members of my mama's family. With us at Beale, we could see each other whenever we wanted. In 1999 or so, daddy and mama became full time caregivers to my brother's three children, allowing Rick to remain in the Navy. When Rick was stationed to Whidby Island, Washington, they joined him there. Daddy bought a place in Burlington, Washington. Mama passed away in October, 2008. Daddy enjoyed his life in Washington, with his boys. Friends of my nephews became adopted grandsons. In 2018, daddy took the train east to meet Caleb and I in Ohio, where he enjoyed spending time with his brother Alan and wife Edith, his brother Jim and wife Saundra, and our daughter Amy and her family. He got to visit his boyhood home (the "farm") again. He enjoyed the ride home with Caleb and I, seeing the painted desert, petrified forest, meteor crater, the grand canyon, and his property in Arizona. Daddy is survived by his brother Jim and wife Saundra, and their children Jimmy, Sarah, Heather and Heidi. He is also survived by his brother Alan's wife Edith, and their sons Benny and Timmy, as well as Edith's son Bruce.

Daddy is survived by my brother Rick and his 3 children, Megan, Ricky and Ethan, myself and Jeff and Caleb, our daughter Amy and her husband Pat and their children Emily and Gunner. He also is survived by my mother's nephew Billy and his wife Lani and children Mary and Billy. Lastly, he is survived by his adopted grandsons, Earl and Alex. Daddy lived a full, exciting, wonderful life. He lived most of that life with the love of his life, my mama. We were lucky to share small portions with him. Celebrate his life. If you have pictures or memories, add them.