Richard Carl North, Jr.

Richard Carl North, Jr., a 37-year resident of Sparks, was one week shy of his 92nd birthday when he passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2009. He was born on April 25, 1917, in Los Angeles, California, to Richard and Elizabeth North. He grew up in Matfield Green, Kansas, where he lived through his high school years. Throughout his life, Richard lived in Dodge City, Kansas; Denver, Colorado; San Francisco, California; Tulsa and Norman, Oklahoma; and Kingsville and Houston, Texas. He held jobs as a disc jockey in Dodge City, then later for the Federal Communication Commission, Douglas Aircraft, and the Federal Aviation Agency as an electrical engineer. He served his country with pride during World War II in the Pacific Theatre as a staff sergeant/radio specialist in the U.S. Marine Corps, 3rd Division. He was part of the invasion force on Saipan and Iwo Jima. Richard was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 56 years, Marjory Ruth Woodward North; and two sisters, Maude and Eve. The family wishes to thank his fine neighbors whom he valued and respected and who provided him food, fun, fishing, and friendship. Survivors include three children, Richard C. North, III, and his wife, Charlene Weir, Nanci Allison Wiggins and her husband Robert, Mark North and his wife, Wendy; three grandchildren, Lindsey North Kankainen, Richard Clay North, Mackenzie Ritter; and great-granddaughter, Lily Ritter. Memorials may be made in Richard?s memory to the Sparks Nutrition Center, P.O. Box 148, Sparks, OK 74869. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 11:00 AM, at Parks Brothers Funeral Chapel in Prague.