Richard Allan McCreary

With broken hearts, we announce that Lieutenant Commander Richard A. McCreary passed away on June 23, 2026.

He was born to Mary and Eldon McCreary on January 14, 1942, 38 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Rich grew up with two beloved sisters, Barbara and Carol. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 1960 and worked for a year before earning an ROTC Scholarship to Miami of Ohio University, where he majored in accounting.

Upon graduation, he was commissioned as Ensign in the United States Navy and proceeded to Pensacola, Florida and Kingsville, Texas, where he earned his Wings of Gold.

He married his wife, Janice Ann, on July 22, 1967, and then begin their lives together in Lemoore, California. Rich was stationed there for seven years and made four trips to Vietnam, flying A-4 Skyhawks.

After Vietnam, he taught aviation safety at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, California, then moved on to Bremerton, Washington aboard the U.S.S. Ranger. Upon completion of the Ranger’s overhaul, Rich and Jan moved with the ship to San Diego, California. From there, they went to Meridian, Mississippi where Rich was an instructor pilot, then back to Bremerton on the U.S.S. Kittyhawk (The Hawk is Back, We Press On!). His final duty station was at Sand Point, in Seattle, Washington, where he retired on June 30, 1985.

Not one to sit around, he dabbled in real estate, drove a Metro bus, worked at the waste water plant in Discovery Park, worked at SeaTac airport during the construction of the third runway, supervised construction on the new 911 building in downtown Seattle, supervised the laying of fiber optic cable in Bellevue, and probably had a few side hustles that we can’t remember.

He also started his own fence company, Arrow-Straight Fence, and Rich’s Chuckwagon, a mobile BBQ catering company which he and Jan operated for fifteen years together. He loved to cook and he loved to feed a crowd!

Rich had a big heart, and loved helping anyone in need. His favorite pastime was telling his plethora of Navy stories to anyone who would listen! He was also an avid reader of history books – especially about the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and WW II - and could describe in minute detail just about any historical battle you could name. He also enjoyed puzzles, and as far as we know he was only unable to complete one – it was called The Flat Banana. Rich also enjoyed working in his yard and around the house, fixing fences, maintaining a small but perfect lawn, and cleaning the end of the cul-de-sac for all of the neighbors. As one young neighbor wrote in a poem for Rich: “Is the street clean? Never!”

When Rich’s health began to fail, he and Jan moved to Tacoma, Washington to be near their daughter and son-in-law.

He is sorely missed by friends far and wide and his family. Rich is survived by his wife, Jan; daughter, Beth, and son-in-law, Rob; son Doug; sisters Barbara and Carol; nieces and nephews Tracy, Jennifer, Jeff, and Ben; as well as a great niece, great nephews, and great-great niece and nephew.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The American Cancer Society and The American Heart Association.