Richard L. Brickley

Richard "Dick" L. Brickley, 78, of Springfield Township, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after a short battle with esophageal cancer. He is once again able to eat, drink, dance and sing. It's not goodbye, it's see ya later.

He was born in Akron, Ohio on February 17, 1947 to Richard H. and Helen B. (Wiley) Brickley, the oldest of three, followed by his brother, Rex D. Brickley and his sister, Darlene (Lee) Dazey.

Richard graduated from Kenmore High School in 1965. His senior year he was voted "best dressed." He then enlisted in the United States Navy from 1965 to 1968, serving on the USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31). He then left the service with a medical discharge. When anyone would thank him for his service, he always replied, "It was a privilege."

Richard worked for 42 years in the restaurant and bar business. There wasn't a drink that he couldn't make. He wouldn't date customers. One day in 1999, he asked the Lord to send him someone to love. The Lord sent him me, Betty (a customer), the love of his life, his "Baby Doll." He taught me what love was and how to love, we had the greatest relationship! We had 25 and a half years together with 20 years of marriage. He was very loving and humble and he will be missed by so many.

When Richard and I rededicated our lives to the Lord, he was on fire! He ministered at the juvenile detention home for 10 years. He also served as an usher at our church and was known for bringing the sweets to bible study on Sunday mornings. He LOVED his sweets!

Richard loved to fish! That was something that everyone knew and he could talk for hours about his fishing adventures. His favorite fish to catch was the large mouth bass. It was a faster way of fishing and he could catch more in a shorter amount of time because he would fish in the morning, then nap before having to go to work for the evening. He loved to take others fishing, and if you caught more fish than him, that made him happy. He got so excited when we went fishing and I would have a "fish on"! A customer of whom wrote poems and such, wrote:

There once was a man named Rich.

He could catch a fish in a ditch.

But at night he was dapper,

With his waist in a wrapper,

And shoulders of many a inch.

I will miss fishing with him!

Richard was preceded in death by his parents; father-in-law, David "Dave" L. Mercer; brother-in-law, David T. Mercer; and the mother of his children, Dorothy "Dottie" Hendricks.

Survivors include his loving wife, Betty; son, Sean (Liz) Brickley; daughter, Angela Brickley-Thompson; step-daughters, Janine (Byron) Jones and Shea (Robert) Meador; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; mother-in-law, Ann Mercer; uncles, Jack (Peggy) and William (Pat) Wiley; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the food pantry located at: Shoreline Community Church (790 Carnegie Avenue, Akron, OH 44314).

A Celebration of Richard's Life will be held at Shoreline Community Church (790 Carnegie Avenue, Akron, OH 44314) on Saturday, April 26, 2025 starting at 10am, followed by the service at 11am.

Inurnment with military honors will take place at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery (10175 Rawiga Road, Seville, OH 44273).

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