Richard E. Chandler

Richard Edward “Dick” Chandler was born March 4, 1933 in Cocoa, Florida to Edward S. & Virginia Key Chandler. He had an older brother, Douglas and a sister, Mary, was added the next year. When Richard was a teenager, the family moved to Orlando. At age 20 he joined the United States Army and was posted to Northern France with the Army of Occupation. In 1955 he returned to Orlando, where he met Gladys Mentz, an RN, working at a local hospital. They married September 1, 1957. Afterwards, Richard continued his education, finally going to Fairleigh Dickenson University School of Dentistry, where he graduated in the top of his class of 1963. Moving back to Orlando to set up his practice, a daughter, Pat, joined the family in 1965 and a son, Rick, followed the next year. Richard retired from Dentistry in 1986 to do construction full-time. The family, including his mother, moved to Oregon in 1987, where he continued his construction business with his son Rick. About 1990/91 he unexpectedly got a job offer of converting a bus into a motor home. Having built several campers over the years, he took on the job and a new career was born. This one lasted until 2008/9 when the economy tanked. Richard then turned to doing RV restoration and repair. He did this until he retired around 2018/19. In 2008 he built the house he was living in at the end.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Mary in 2020, brother Douglas in 2021, and wife Gladys in 2021.

He is survived by his daughter Pat, 57, and son Rick, 56 both of Grants Pass, Oregon; and numerous nephews and nieces.

He was greatly loved and will be terribly missed.

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