RICHARD'S STORY: Ashes interned in the cemetery.
Richard was born in Flint, Michigan to Edwin and Grace Sullivan Coates. He had 1 older brother who had preceded him in death and 1 older sister. A younger sister arrived later.
The family was living at 2406 Sloan Street in Flint, Michigan in 1940.
At a very young age, before the start of WW II, his family moved to a farm in Genesee County at the southeast corner of Duffield and Bristol Roads in Clayton Township, Michigan. One mile to the west on Bristol Road at M-13 was the county line between Genesee and Shiawassee. Going east on Bristol Road was the City of Flint. The address of the residence was 4071 Duffield Road with a Lennon post office. His father was working for General Motors and his mother was a homemaker.
They rented the farm out to the Zsigo family (#229692956) who lived west of the farm about 1 and a half miles away in Shiawassee County. Edwin, Dick's father built a chicken coop on the north side of the barn and it was about 50 yards east of the house. The garage was about 100 yards south of the house and was located off Duffield Road on the west side front of the barn and the garage had a cement floor. The barn burned down after Edwin sold the property. The area where the barn burned down was later used as a parking area. The cement block well house remains in place being situated about 20 yards to the south of the house out from the side door.
The house on Duffield Road was a 2 story with a basement. As one walked into the house from the side door, one could go up a series of steps to the main floor or go down steps into the basement. Entry into the basement saw 2 sinks on the east wall, to one's right, with running water. The furnace was in the center of the basement and used kerosene supplied by a huge outside storage tank.
Later, his father sold the farm and they moved to a house at Nepessing Lake in Lapeer County. The House Number was 3679 Lakeshore Drive. They also owned an empty lot on a hill across the lake. Richard loved the lake. He'd fish and told of the wonderful life on the lake.
Richard attended St. Michael's Catholic High School in Flint, Michigan. In June of 2021, after 177 years the St. Michael's church held its final religious ceremony with a farewell mass on a Thursday in downtown Flint.
Richard would work at his sister Grace Brunger's farm at 7648 E.M-21 Corunna in Shiawassee County in the summers. Grace had moved to her farm in the late summer of 1953. He lived with Grace during his last year in high school. During his time in high school, he dated a girl named Suzanne whom he later married. Richard's father took a promotion with General Motors (GM) with his father and mother moving to Delaware. The plant was located at 801 Boxwood Road in Wilmington. It was under the management of GM's newly created Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division which had been created in 1945, manufacturing cars for Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac.
After attending high school, Richard joined the Air Force, where he served for 4 years from June 1955 to August 1959. He trained in Texas. For many years, the government refused to acknowledge his Vietnam era services. The designated service time was from 1961 to 1975. Just before his passing, the Vietnam era veteran service designated dates were changed to 1955 - 1975.
The family called him "Dick." While training in Texas, he sent his sister Grace a very special package. He got a couple of live baby alligators and sent them to Michigan by mail. Unfortunately, the alligators arrived dead, but his nieces and nephews got to see real gators.
Richard was stationed in Massachusetts at Hanscom AFC, Bedford, MA. 66th Air Base Group where he worked on electronics. He helped support the test and evaluation for Lincoln Lab's new "Cape Cod" experimental air defense system. Since 1945 Hanscom has emerged as the Air Force's center for the development and acquisition of electronic systems. He worked in electronic countermeasures as a technician and used that role for later work in life. Richard was part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), a U.S. military command that served as the bombardment arm of the U.S. Air Force and as a major part of the nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union.
Richard would take his turn guarding B-52 bombers with a loaded M-1. He said one time a crew came out for alert to board the aircraft, and one officer refused to board. A call was made, a jeep, lights flashing, pulled up with a replacement, and the reluctant officer hauled off.
Richard married Suzanne Wright and was married for 67 years. Richard and Susan rented a house out at a quarry while in the Air Force in Massachusetts. The man sold gravel to the county and got paid extra by the county so he could give a kickback to the county officials as Richard told the story.
Richard went on to work for Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, Washington; GM Fisher Body in Flint, Michigan while living in Flushing, and Norton Abrasives in Texas. His primary time working at Norton before retirement was in Stephenville, Texas. He also did electronic contract work for various companies.
While working at Boeing in Seattle, Richard worked on the U.S. Air Force Boeing SAM 26000 which was the first of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the president of the United States. It used the call sign Air Force One when the president was on board, otherwise SAM 26000, with SAM indicating Special Air Mission. Richard worked on the VC-137C aircraft's secret electronics.
Built in 1962, this aircraft carried eight presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton, in addition to carrying heads of state, diplomats, and other dignitaries and officials, on many historic journeys. The plane is on display at The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. According to museum historian Dr. Jeff Underwood, SAM 26000 is one of the most important aircraft in aviation history.
Richard and his family had moved back to Michigan from Washington state. He went to work for GM. One time he went out to his sister's farm and hunted pheasants with a friend. They parked his car alongside a field on the gravel road. The main house was on a paved road. His oldest nephew, John, had seen the car parked on the road but didn't realize that it was Uncle Dick's car. He went out to the car, popped up the hood, and took the distributor rotor out. When Richard came up to the car to leave, the car would not start. He had to walk about a mile to the main house. John gave him his distributor rotor back. It was a good laugh. After their introduction from China in 1895, it didn't take long for ring-necked pheasants to become one of Michigan's most popular wildlife species. Because pheasants thrive in a mix of cropland, hayland, grassland, wetland, and brush, populations exploded in southern Michigan.
Richard and Suzanne owned a ranch near Stephenville, They lived on the ranch for over 20 years where they raised cows and other animals. They were members of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. They had their own registered cattle brand.
Richard was very active in church activities during his life. He would visit nursing homes to entertain the residents. Richard played many musical instruments.
James Brunger, a nephew wrote: Uncle Dick liked playing music. I remember him playing the banjo and guitar. Back in the 70s, he had a band and I can't remember who all played with him but me and Shirley went and saw him a couple of times. I got him a gig playing for the people I was working with for their grandparent's 50th anniversary. Everybody had a blast and they all thought Uncle Dick and his Band were fabulous. I and Shirley went to see them play and we had a wonderful time. Uncle Dick and the band members said it was a wonderful gig.
One nephew wrote: When Richard and Sue went to Brownsville, he worked for the Bus company (don't recall the name), and while in Brownsville, Texas, he assembled a band and played in the local area.
He said the reason he left the Valley was because all the chemicals that were used in the aerial spraying affected him. After Brownsville, Richard and Sue went to I believe College Station to work for ACME (no kidding,)Brick. He said a guy was hired to modernize the production and looked for a computer programmer who could program the equipment that they were planning to assemble to automate the manufacturing. Unfortunately, the ownership did not wish to proceed and fired the innovator and in turn let Uncle go.
When Uncle found a job with Norton, an Abrasives Company, he programmed the machines that placed abrasives on the paper. The programming had to be precise. Richard would be called in while on his off time to reprogram the machines. In semiretirement, Richard worked on contract projects being hired to build some equipment for a radar platform at Eglin AFB. He worked on that site on and off for about 2 years. He programmed huge elevators.
Other observations:
Richard taught Sunday School and sang in the Choir.
Richard was a licensed HAM radio operator. He liked to oil paint. He was a firm believer in the Second Amendment.
Richard loved animals. He wrote an e-mail, on Monday, June 25, 2012, at 8:15 PM, "Our little dog Evita died yesterday afternoon. We all miss her. She was about 11 years old."
Well done,
thou good and faithful servant:
enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
Matthew 25:21
RICHARD'S STORY: Ashes interned in the cemetery.
Richard was born in Flint, Michigan to Edwin and Grace Sullivan Coates. He had 1 older brother who had preceded him in death and 1 older sister. A younger sister arrived later.
The family was living at 2406 Sloan Street in Flint, Michigan in 1940.
At a very young age, before the start of WW II, his family moved to a farm in Genesee County at the southeast corner of Duffield and Bristol Roads in Clayton Township, Michigan. One mile to the west on Bristol Road at M-13 was the county line between Genesee and Shiawassee. Going east on Bristol Road was the City of Flint. The address of the residence was 4071 Duffield Road with a Lennon post office. His father was working for General Motors and his mother was a homemaker.
They rented the farm out to the Zsigo family (#229692956) who lived west of the farm about 1 and a half miles away in Shiawassee County. Edwin, Dick's father built a chicken coop on the north side of the barn and it was about 50 yards east of the house. The garage was about 100 yards south of the house and was located off Duffield Road on the west side front of the barn and the garage had a cement floor. The barn burned down after Edwin sold the property. The area where the barn burned down was later used as a parking area. The cement block well house remains in place being situated about 20 yards to the south of the house out from the side door.
The house on Duffield Road was a 2 story with a basement. As one walked into the house from the side door, one could go up a series of steps to the main floor or go down steps into the basement. Entry into the basement saw 2 sinks on the east wall, to one's right, with running water. The furnace was in the center of the basement and used kerosene supplied by a huge outside storage tank.
Later, his father sold the farm and they moved to a house at Nepessing Lake in Lapeer County. The House Number was 3679 Lakeshore Drive. They also owned an empty lot on a hill across the lake. Richard loved the lake. He'd fish and told of the wonderful life on the lake.
Richard attended St. Michael's Catholic High School in Flint, Michigan. In June of 2021, after 177 years the St. Michael's church held its final religious ceremony with a farewell mass on a Thursday in downtown Flint.
Richard would work at his sister Grace Brunger's farm at 7648 E.M-21 Corunna in Shiawassee County in the summers. Grace had moved to her farm in the late summer of 1953. He lived with Grace during his last year in high school. During his time in high school, he dated a girl named Suzanne whom he later married. Richard's father took a promotion with General Motors (GM) with his father and mother moving to Delaware. The plant was located at 801 Boxwood Road in Wilmington. It was under the management of GM's newly created Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac Assembly Division which had been created in 1945, manufacturing cars for Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac.
After attending high school, Richard joined the Air Force, where he served for 4 years from June 1955 to August 1959. He trained in Texas. For many years, the government refused to acknowledge his Vietnam era services. The designated service time was from 1961 to 1975. Just before his passing, the Vietnam era veteran service designated dates were changed to 1955 - 1975.
The family called him "Dick." While training in Texas, he sent his sister Grace a very special package. He got a couple of live baby alligators and sent them to Michigan by mail. Unfortunately, the alligators arrived dead, but his nieces and nephews got to see real gators.
Richard was stationed in Massachusetts at Hanscom AFC, Bedford, MA. 66th Air Base Group where he worked on electronics. He helped support the test and evaluation for Lincoln Lab's new "Cape Cod" experimental air defense system. Since 1945 Hanscom has emerged as the Air Force's center for the development and acquisition of electronic systems. He worked in electronic countermeasures as a technician and used that role for later work in life. Richard was part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), a U.S. military command that served as the bombardment arm of the U.S. Air Force and as a major part of the nuclear deterrent against the Soviet Union.
Richard would take his turn guarding B-52 bombers with a loaded M-1. He said one time a crew came out for alert to board the aircraft, and one officer refused to board. A call was made, a jeep, lights flashing, pulled up with a replacement, and the reluctant officer hauled off.
Richard married Suzanne Wright and was married for 67 years. Richard and Susan rented a house out at a quarry while in the Air Force in Massachusetts. The man sold gravel to the county and got paid extra by the county so he could give a kickback to the county officials as Richard told the story.
Richard went on to work for Boeing Aircraft Company in Seattle, Washington; GM Fisher Body in Flint, Michigan while living in Flushing, and Norton Abrasives in Texas. His primary time working at Norton before retirement was in Stephenville, Texas. He also did electronic contract work for various companies.
While working at Boeing in Seattle, Richard worked on the U.S. Air Force Boeing SAM 26000 which was the first of two Boeing VC-137C United States Air Force aircraft specifically configured and maintained for use by the president of the United States. It used the call sign Air Force One when the president was on board, otherwise SAM 26000, with SAM indicating Special Air Mission. Richard worked on the VC-137C aircraft's secret electronics.
Built in 1962, this aircraft carried eight presidents: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Clinton, in addition to carrying heads of state, diplomats, and other dignitaries and officials, on many historic journeys. The plane is on display at The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. According to museum historian Dr. Jeff Underwood, SAM 26000 is one of the most important aircraft in aviation history.
Richard and his family had moved back to Michigan from Washington state. He went to work for GM. One time he went out to his sister's farm and hunted pheasants with a friend. They parked his car alongside a field on the gravel road. The main house was on a paved road. His oldest nephew, John, had seen the car parked on the road but didn't realize that it was Uncle Dick's car. He went out to the car, popped up the hood, and took the distributor rotor out. When Richard came up to the car to leave, the car would not start. He had to walk about a mile to the main house. John gave him his distributor rotor back. It was a good laugh. After their introduction from China in 1895, it didn't take long for ring-necked pheasants to become one of Michigan's most popular wildlife species. Because pheasants thrive in a mix of cropland, hayland, grassland, wetland, and brush, populations exploded in southern Michigan.
Richard and Suzanne owned a ranch near Stephenville, They lived on the ranch for over 20 years where they raised cows and other animals. They were members of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. They had their own registered cattle brand.
Richard was very active in church activities during his life. He would visit nursing homes to entertain the residents. Richard played many musical instruments.
James Brunger, a nephew wrote: Uncle Dick liked playing music. I remember him playing the banjo and guitar. Back in the 70s, he had a band and I can't remember who all played with him but me and Shirley went and saw him a couple of times. I got him a gig playing for the people I was working with for their grandparent's 50th anniversary. Everybody had a blast and they all thought Uncle Dick and his Band were fabulous. I and Shirley went to see them play and we had a wonderful time. Uncle Dick and the band members said it was a wonderful gig.
One nephew wrote: When Richard and Sue went to Brownsville, he worked for the Bus company (don't recall the name), and while in Brownsville, Texas, he assembled a band and played in the local area.
He said the reason he left the Valley was because all the chemicals that were used in the aerial spraying affected him. After Brownsville, Richard and Sue went to I believe College Station to work for ACME (no kidding,)Brick. He said a guy was hired to modernize the production and looked for a computer programmer who could program the equipment that they were planning to assemble to automate the manufacturing. Unfortunately, the ownership did not wish to proceed and fired the innovator and in turn let Uncle go.
When Uncle found a job with Norton, an Abrasives Company, he programmed the machines that placed abrasives on the paper. The programming had to be precise. Richard would be called in while on his off time to reprogram the machines. In semiretirement, Richard worked on contract projects being hired to build some equipment for a radar platform at Eglin AFB. He worked on that site on and off for about 2 years. He programmed huge elevators.
Other observations:
Richard taught Sunday School and sang in the Choir.
Richard was a licensed HAM radio operator. He liked to oil paint. He was a firm believer in the Second Amendment.
Richard loved animals. He wrote an e-mail, on Monday, June 25, 2012, at 8:15 PM, "Our little dog Evita died yesterday afternoon. We all miss her. She was about 11 years old."
Well done,
thou good and faithful servant:
enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
Matthew 25:21
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