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Richard (Dick) K. Saunders, 87

Richard (Dick) K. Saunders, 87, died last Thursday, February 10, 2005, after a valiant fight against cancer. He was born on May 30, 1917. He is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Marion Saunders, and his son, Rick, and Rick’s partner Vicki Chamberlain; daughter Vicky and her husband Dan Schwartz; grandchildren Eli Saunders, Lindsay Saunders, Summer Flores and her husband Carlos and their daughter Haley, David Schwartz and his wife Teresa, and Lora Schwartz Council and her husband Chad Council.

Dick was the youngest of 12 children and was the last survivor. He leaves many loving nieces and nephews and many friends. He made friends wherever he went. If you were his friend, you were his friend for life.

He graduated from San Diego High School, Santa Ana Junior College and Northern Arizona University. During WWII he was a physical education instructor in the Army Air Corps, stationed in Panama, Texas and Oklahoma. Following the war, he returned to Northern Arizona University to get a Masters in education. He began teaching in Camp Verde, AZ, and then moved to Fallbrook, CA, where he taught physical education and math at Potter Junior High for 32 years.

He coached football in Camp Verde and Fallbrook and refereed games all over San Diego County. He started and ran the Fallbrook summer swim program for many years. He loved teaching and helping kids. He was also very proud of starting the soccer program and helping to start Little League in Fallbrook. Many of his former students have come back to see him over the years.

He was interested in the history, geography and people of the United States. Dick and Marion traveled and camped extensively, visiting every state several times. He was always interested in flying. As a ten-year-old Dick saw Charles Lindbergh fly the “Spirit of St. Louis” out of San Diego on his way to cross the Atlantic, then, as an 82-year-old, he was in Florida to watch the launch of the space shuttle Columbia as it delivered the Chandra X-ray telescope into orbit.

He loved fishing (especially surf fishing), football, baseball and golf. When he retired, he took up golf, which he always called “flog” because he said he played golf backwards; however, he just made another hole-in-one at age 87.

He and Marion were part of the Rancho Monserate community, where he was a member of the Gooney Birds Golfers, Men’s Club and the Who Cares Gang. He was a member of the Fallbrook United Methodist Church since moving to Fallbrook in 1953.

There will be a memorial service in his honor on Saturday, February 19, at the Fallbrook Methodist Church at 1 p.m. There will be a private interment at a later date at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Berry-Bell & Hall Fallbrook Mortuary handled the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, PO Box 2701, Fallbrook, CA 92028, or to the Fallbrook Methodist United Methodist Church, 1844 Winterhaven Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028.

 

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