Richard Dean McMichael, Sr.

Former Hooker, Oklahoma, resident Richard Dean McMichael, Sr., 77, passed away peacefully September 23, 2023, in Amarillo, Texas. His final days were spent in the company of his children, Rick and Shelley, and their spouses while receiving comforting and loving messages from his friends and family.
Richard was born July 25, 1946, in Garden City, Kansas, to William Howard McMichael (1922-2012) and Vada Louise Barnes-McMichael (1927-1992) of Lakin, Kansas.
Richard graduated from Lakin High School in Lakin, Kansas, in 1964 and attended Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kansas, for one year prior to being conscripted into the United States Marine Corp in 1966. Richard honorably served his country as a part of Delta Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Marine Division for almost two years in Vietnam as a combat engineer/demolitionist, achieving the rank of corporal. He received the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Purple Heart. As a patriot, Richard derived much pride from his service to his country while in the United States Marine Corp.
Upon returning from service, Richard attended Pittsburg State Teachers College in Pittsburg, Kansas, receiving a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology with an emphasis in printing. Shortly after, he gained employment with Cities Service Gas Company which became Williams Natural Gas Company. Richard retired from Williams Natural Gas Company after 35 years of service. The last few years of his employment, he served as a Health and Safety Coordinator. During his employment with the gas company, Richard also worked on a part-time basis as a sewer demolition coordinator and as a printer with Guymon Printing Company.
Those left to cherish his memory include his brother Howard Wayne McMichael of Marion, Louisiana; his children Shannon René Rich-Castillo (Andy) of Edmond, Oklahoma, Shelley Ann Wisener (Shad) of Lubbock, Texas, and Richard “Rick” Dean McMichael Jr. (Aymee) of Hooker, Oklahoma; his grandchildren Alyssa Tarpley (Darin), Lane Henderson (Kendra), Shelden Wisener (Rachel), Shayne Wisener (Ana), Kimberly Loveday, Christopher Punto (Rebecca), Matthew McMichael, Kristian McMichael, and Madison McMichael; great-grandchildren Adelaide, Racen, Emmalynn Robertson, and Isabella and Jaxon Loveday; as well as nieces Carla Sue Harpin (Chris), Joanna Lewren Wilson (Nathan), and Pamela Yvonne McMichael. Richard will be missed by his friends from the Community Living Center at the VA Hospital in Amarillo, Texas, and his coffee buddies from Hooker, Oklahoma.
Graveside services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 21, 2023, at the Hooker Cemetery, 1059 Mile 46 Road, Hooker, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the American Legion of Hooker and sent to Roberts Brothers Funeral Home, PO Box 745, Hooker, Oklahoma, 73945.