CDR Richard Laurence Moffitt, USN (Retired)

Richard Laurence Moffitt was born at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene OR on November 6, 1930 to parents Laurence and Mildred Moffitt. He attended elementary school in Springfield and Eugene and graduated from Grants Pass High School. Dick graduated from Oregon State in June 1952 and married Rose Marie Beckley the following September. During the Korean War, he served as a Naval Officer on the minesweeper USS Toucan (AM-367). After the armistice, he entered flight training and Pensacola, FL. He earned his pilot wings and served for several years aboard the USS Yorktown (CVA-10). After his active duty military service, he attend dental school at Oregon Health and Science University, but was recalled to active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He graduated from OHSU in 1963 and practiced dentistry in Springfield from 1964 to 1997. During this time, he served in the Naval Reserve as a pilot and later retired as a Commander in the Dental Corps. In later years, he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease yet continued an active life. He died at RiverBend Palliative Care unit on May 22, 2013 following surgery for a broken hip. He is survived by his wife, a brother Robert, sons David and Robert, daughters Paula and Alice, six grandchildren and one great-grandson. His love of outdoor activities started with his father taking Dick and his brother Bob hiking and climbing. He rode a bicycle as a paper boy and continued riding the rest of his life. After retiring, he pursued his lifelong dream of sailing the world.