Obituary for Richard Harper McKenzie (1926-2018)
The life journey of Richard “Dick” Harper McKenzie, ended peacefully on Friday, December 21, 2018 at his home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was 92 years old and had lived life to the fullest with a lot of love, laughter, and happiness.
Dick McKenzie was born in Lorton, Virginia July 25, 1926. He was the second child of Benjamin Franklin McKenzie and Jessie Taylor McKenzie. At 16 years old, Dick joined the Merchant Marines and sailed around the world on a supply ship toward the end of WWII. Obviously, there were no “helicopter parents” back then!
In 1948, Dick met Frances Hutchins when she was visiting an aunt in Virginia with her mother. He convinced Frances to marry him (a fairly easy task) on March 17, 1950 in her hometown of Walhalla, South Carolina. The newlyweds went to Jacksonville, Florida on their honeymoon and lived there for the first year of their marriage, before moving back to Virginia after Dick enlisted in the Army (his draft number had come up for Korea). Dick served two years in Korea, earning a Korean Service Medal with three bronze stars, a Good Conduct Medal, a United Nations Service Medal, and a National Defense Service Medal. He was so modest, no one really knew about these medals.
Dick and Frances moved to Winston-Salem when Dick started working for IBM in 1956. In 1960, they welcomed their son, Charles Richard, into their family. Their daughter, Mary Frances, was welcomed into the family in 1963. IBM offered Dick the opportunity to maintain computers for the Army, requiring him to move his family to Heidelberg, Germany in 1970. This move provided many opportunities for travel adventures over the next four years, and again from 1985-1988. Dick and Frances met many people during these travels and made many new friends who traveled, danced, camped, sailed, and skied with them.
After 32 years with IBM, Dick retired, but continued working part-time for IBM for the next several years. During this time, Dick and Frances started traveling around the United States in a motor home, crossing the country several times, visiting friends, and exploring the beauty of our country. After 55 years of marriage, Dick’s beloved wife, Frances, died from complications from several strokes. He cared for her at home for the last two years of her life, then slowly resumed traveling, learned to “construct” cakes, and visited family and friends in other states, still enjoying the fun and laughter life brought him.
Dick is survived by his two children, Charles (Marjorie) McKenzie of Traphill, North Carolina and Mary (Michael Szymanski) McKenzie of Charlotte, North Carolina, his two granddaughters, Marlee Michelle McKenzie and Amry McKenzie Szymanski, his great-granddaughter, Lyla Kenzie, and his three step-grandchildren, Lucas Inman, Matthew Blue, and Samantha Blue, his sister, Barbra Lambert, and his sister-in-law Shirley McKenzie, along with nieces and a nephew of Barbra, and nieces and nephews who survived his brothers Douglas, Franklin, and Wayne, and his sister Mildred.
The service for Richard H. McKenzie will be held at Davidson Funeral Home, 858 Hickory Tree Road, Winston-Salem, NC on December 29, 2018. The visitation will be from noon until 1:00, followed by a Celebration of Life from 1:00-2:00. The commitment service will be at the cemetery of Hebron United Church of Christ, 129 Hebron Church Road, Winston-Salem, NC immediately following the Celebration of Life. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice of Davidson County, American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, National Stroke Association, or any other preferred charity.