Richard P. Ware

Richard grew up knowing one thing. He was special. He was special because he was the first chosen son of Louis and Ginny Ware. Shortly thereafter, he was christened at the Community Church of Christ in Northfield, Illinois. It was there that he attended Sunday School and learned about the importance of having our loving savior in his life. Known to his family as Dick, he grew up being loved and adored by his parents, as well as both sets of grandparents. He especially adored two other women. One was Mrs. Helberg, a house maid, who would play with him for hours and hours. Another woman was Harriet, also a house maid and nanny. To this day, Richard would spend hours talking about Harriet and how he really loved her relaying many stories of what they did together.. The first eight years of his life gave him a sister, Virginia Boyd and then a younger brother, Griswold Louis. As big brother, he did what big brothers do and gave his younger sister and brother a path to choose or not to choose. His early education began at Sunset Ridge Elementary. He later went out to Fountain Valley, a boarding school in Colorado. He finished his education at New Trier High School in Illinois. As his father was a business entrepreneur, engineer, and founder of Growth Systems Inc. Richard wanted to pursue engineering. He later attended Northwestern University as well as the University of Wisconsin. .. Growing up, Richard had many friends. They would play all kinds of games together. His best friends were Lynn Miller, Buddy Hobart and Don Ryan. Those three were inseparable. He enjoyed playing with cars and trucks. A special play time was with his father. Together, they would hammer nails into wood, over and over. A simple way to play but one that Richard enjoyed immensely. While in school, Richard loved to play sports. He enjoyed hockey the most and was very good at it. He also played baseball and football. He loved to golf and ski. When he was older, he skied with such Olympians as Billy Kidd and Jean Claude Keely. With his parents being chaperones for the US Olympic Ski Team, Richard was able to ski with the most famous athletes of the era. When he was attending school in Colorado, Richard discovered a love of hiking in the mountains. He also loved the Cubs, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks. Family time was important in the Ware household. Every Sunday and holiday was celebrated with a family dinner. They took many car trips together. One trip was down to Arkansas when Richard was a teenager. This was a special trip for him. With his father and younger brother as well as a bow and many arrows, a hunting trip was scheduled. While his father put Gris in a tree for his safety, Richard took aim at a wild boar, successfully hitting the animal. It took many arrows to bring down the boar but Richard won the battle. Unfortunately, this brought Richard to tears, not because the animal was dead but because all of his arrows were broken. As an adult, Richard became PADI certified as both an instructor and diver for ice diving and cave diving. He enjoyed this immensely. He has quite a collection of items that he has found in the sands of the oceans he dove in. Some of the items he has collected has come from shipwrecks as well as the phosphate mines off the coast of Florida. As a diver, Richard also worked for Cook County in search and rescue. In 1978, Richard enlisted in the US Navy. Stationed at Great Lakes Naval Academy, he learned about sonar radar. As he often said, I served my country with pride. Shortly after his discharge from the Navy, Richard started getting sick. He was later diagnosed as having Multiple Sclerosis. This changed his life forever. He no longer could do what he loved to do. He had to give up diving. He could no longer ski. When it came to golf, he would always say that he would go farther than the ball did. Richard became a car salesman and worked for many dealerships in the Chicago area. When he came to Muskegon, he worked at Great Lakes Ford. Richard developed an attraction to Muskegon when for many years, he came up here over Memorial Day weekend to go camping. One time, he drove one of the newer cars from a car lot down in Chicago to Whiteys Woods where he camped every year. It rained that weekend and his tent and camping gear were drenched. When he returned to the Chicago area, he had left these items in the trunk of the car and forgot about them for a couple of days. Unfortunately, they started to smell after sitting in the car in the hot sun. When he finally removed them for disposal, the car had a very strange odor. He convinced a buyer that this was a new car smell and the buyer agreed and purchased the car. Next to the dealership in Muskegon worked a young lady who thought Richard needed a woman in his life. She arranged a blind date with Richard and her friend, Cheryel Sabin. On October 8, 1988, nearly two years after this date, Richard and Cheryel married. They purchased a home in the South Heights area. Richard owned a snowmobile at that time which his wife named Excited Misery. As his health continued to deteriorate with the MS, Richard was forced to sell it. He purchased a Craftsman Band Saw. This began the beginning of the hobby with his wife making wood crafts. Over the next six years, Richard became the father of two sons. His oldest is Richard Price Ware, Jr. and his youngest is Michael Louis Ware. Now being a husband and a father, it was time for a bigger house. Together with his wife, they found a house in Norton Shores and that became their current home. For Richard, this was paradise. The home had an extra building on the property which had all the extras he dreamed of. It had its own bathroom and heat and was large enough for him to add extra wood working tools. This building became Richards Shop. Over the course of the next 15 years, Richard was in the shop everyday, all day. A 40 gallon fish aquarium was added and that was his pride and joy. While his wife was at work, Richard was happy and content in his Shop. In 1993, when his father turned 70, he wanted to do something special with his two sons. They went on a week long fishing trip to Canada. Richard made friends with several hedgehogs while there, One incident that was funny to everybody was when they were out in a boat. Richard had caught a large fish and was reeling it in when his pole broke. Their Indian guide responded with Big fish too hard. Several years later, with all of the family in mind, Louis and Ginny Ware wanted to do something special for everybody. They made arrangements for the whole family to spend a week at Club Med in the Bahamas. Richard was in seventh heaven as he was allowed to experience a life he thought he had lost. In June 2010, Richard became very ill and had to be placed in a hospital. As it was necessary that he receive long term therapy, he was transferred to the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans where such facilities were available for Richard. As the circumstances changed and time progressed, it became clear that Richard would never be allowed to come home. This realization was very unsettling to Richard and his family. Richard wasnt happy and continually requested to come home to his wife but he was denied that. If it wasnt for the support of the other veterans at the Home, he would have gone insane. While at the home, he made many friends. There was Jerry who would do anything for any veteran. There was Mike who always had his radio with him when the Detroit Tigers were playing.. Mike and Richard always listened to the game together. So many veterans knew Richard and were always around him. When he ate his meals in the lunch room, he ate with George. He was there a lot of the time to help Dom light his cigarettes. Family members of other veterans at the home also came to know Richard. There was Tim who spent hours with Richard. Tim became a very close friend to Richard and then his family, bringing Richard into Muskegon for Michaels high school graduation, Rickys wedding to Stephanie and other events that would bring Richard home. There were volunteers like Mack and Mona who would always call Richard when they were coming to the home to make sure he was around so they could visit with him. These are just some of the friends that Richard made at the Home. These friends supported Richard in many ways but most important, they could call Richard their friend. Unfortunately, the Home couldnt offer Richard what he needed physically or mentally. He became very angry and frustrated. He was hospitalized often with pneumonia and other illnesses characteristic of a home such as this. The highlight of his day was when he would sneak off to Too Talls for a cheese burger, fries and a root beer shake. He would call his wife many times a day letting her know when he was going to lunch, for a ride in his electric scooter or even going to the bathroom. He missed her terribly and as other veterans often said, all Richard wanted to do was come home, share his home with his wife and children and be in his Shop. Richard was a fighter and had more courage than anybody. He hated the MS that had cursed his body. The MS prevented him from doing many father son events but Richard continued to try. He loved his sons and was very proud of both of them. When his oldest son, Ricky, graduated with a Youth Ministry degree from Grace Bible College, it was the proudest day of his life. When his youngest son, Michael, decided to pursue Criminal Justice and then join the Army after college with hopes of getting into the Rangers, Richard beamed with pride. Shortly before his death, with tears in his eyes, he said to his wife, We did good with the boys, didnt we Not a question, but a statement. When thinking what his greatest accomplishments were in his life, thats easy. Richard kept his faith in God despite way too many adversities. He fought the disease with a very valiant effort. The last conversation he had with his wife included these words, Im tired and tired he was as he took his last breath. Richard is gone but the love for him remains strong and will forever be constant. He will be truly missed and the emptiness inside those he has left behind can never be filled. For those of you who know Richard and his confinement to a wheel chair, you can understand what is meant by the words Today, Richard walks with God. Mr. Richard P. Ware, age 59, passed away Wednesday, May 21, 2014. He was born in Winnetka, IL on April 13, 1955 and his parents are Louis & Virginia (Price) Ware. He served his country in the US Navy during the Vietnam Conflict. Richard married the former Cheryel Sabin on October 8, 1988 and had been employed as an engineer at DACOR until retiring. Mr. Ware attended Berean Church, was a member of the Vietnam War Veterans Association and a long term member of AA. He loved his family and enjoyed woodworking with his wife, the outdoors, fishing, archery and teaching his sons all that he knew. He is survived by his Wife of 25 years, Cheryel; sons, Richard P. (Stephanie) Ware Jr., Michael L. Ware; mother, Virginia Ware; sister, Ginny McCord; brother, Gris (Lois) Ware. He was preceded in death by his father. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2014, 1:00 PM and visitation one hour prior to the service at Berean Church with Pastor Rick Pilieci officiating and Military Services under the auspices of the Muskegon County Council of Veterans. MEMORIAL: Women's Ministries of Berean Church.