Richard W. Lilly

Richard Wallace Lilly passed away at home on December 18, 2021.  He was born March 29, 1944 in Pendleton, Oregon to his parents Bill and Doris Shannon Lilly.  His father was a railroad worker for the Union Pacific and they lived in railroad line homes until his father's death when Richard was 18.  He always described his youth as being almost idyllic.  He had his horse Queenie and his home right next to the railroad tracks at the base of the foothills outside of Pendleton.  Some would say living right next to the tracks would be a noisy place to live but he said the long train could go clickety clacking past their little house at night and he would be asleep before the end of the train. He would saddle up Queenie and grab his 22 or his fishing pole and ride for hours through the sage brush.  He raised and sold chickens for extra money and he was a frequent guest and helper at the neighboring sheep and cattle ranch owned by the Lewis family.  He loved the country life, driving the tractors and working with livestock.  He was also active in the Boy Scouts and got a chance to travel across the US to Washington DC for a Jamboree.

He graduated from Pendleton High School in 1962 where he was active in Future Farmers of America and the Rifle Club.  He met and married Gayle Scholl and moved to Yakima to work with her father building homes.  He soon found a position with the Washington State Department of Transportation as a Signal Tech where he worked for 37 years.  They had two sons Mike and Rick but the marriage ended and Richard became a single father.  He later married Barbara who was also divorced with two daughters, Angie and Kathy.  He suddenly had a house full of women and a new adventure began.

They lived in West Valley near Wiley City on a small acreage where they raised a few head of cattle, several sheep with lambs coming every early Spring, chickens and turkeys for the freezer and farm fresh eggs, had a large garden, small orchard and were living like he had always dreamed.  Some of the farm animals were so tame he had roosters ride on his shoulder or on the top of his head when he was on his tractor.  There was a Black Angus cow who would let him sit leaned up against her drinking a cup of coffee while she was stretched out chewing her cud.  He could be seen almost daily on his Kubota tractor or riding lawn mower running up and down their acreage and dirt road taking care of the property.  He and Barb were proud of the fact they were able to sit down to a meal knowing they had raised or grown much of what was on the table.

He had a love for those little short legged dogs (Dachshunds) and had several throughout his lifetime.  He always had at least two at a time and they followed him everywhere.  His heart would break when they got old and died but he would replace them with a new little fella and all would be right with the world.

He also volunteered many hours every month to the Yakima Police Department as a reserve officer, retiring as a Lieutenant after 35+ years.  He had a knack for fixing things no one else could fix.  He could grab a bunch of old pipe, bailing twine, duct tape or whatever was available and fix what needed fixing.  He was always being called on by the neighbors to help repair something on their property and he willingly helped.  His steady presence will be missed by all who knew and loved him. This past year, because his health was failing, the farm was sold and they moved to Burlington, Wa to be closer to the oldest daughter and several grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years Barb, his two sons Mike of Kalama, Wa and Rick (Dawn) of Sandy, Or., his two stepdaughters Angie (Jon) Wagner of Stanwood, Wa and Kathy (Greg) Weyand of Las Vegas, Nv., his brother Bob of Genesee, Idaho, 10 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Eldon.

No services are planned at this time.