Richard Eugene Harshman's Obituary
A kind and loving husband and father, Richard Eugene Harshman (CPO USN, retired) passed away peacefully on 16 January 2015, a month before he was to celebrate his 88th birthday. He was born 16 February 1927 in Marion, Indiana, and raised by his grandfather, Ross Harshman, and family friends, Jesse and Hannah Wolfe. When he was a young boy, he lived with Jesse and Hannah on their farm in Darlington, Indiana. After their passing, Richard moved to Frankfort to live with his grandfather, and attended high school there. In 1944, at the age of 17, he joined the Navy, seeing action in the Pacific Theater of WWII and in the Korean War. Richard married his wife of nearly 53 years, LaVonne, in 1950 in Tacoma, Washington, where they had first met. They moved from one duty station to another, while raising a family and finally settled in San Diego where he taught electronics for several years. In 1963, Richard retired from the Navy and moved his family to Tacoma. The family attended Christ the King Lutheran Church, and later Richard and LaVonne transferred to the Lutheran Church of Saint Paul. He worked for many years at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, primarily involved with the USN Submarine fleet. After retiring from the shipyard, Richard began his own business, R & L Harshman Fabrication, constructing and installing illuminated signs which still stand as landmarks throughout the Puget Sound region. He is survived by his three children, Gary, Joni and Dale; six grandchildren, Andrew, Lana, Natalie, Mathew, Daniel and Joshua; and great-granddaughter Jordan. May our Lord Jesus Christ bring him to his beloved LaVonne, and remain with them always.
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