Rich’s favorite saying: HUMILITY IS NOT ONE OF MY FAULTS, BUT IF I HAD ONE THAT WOULD BE IT. This will not be an ordinary obituary, since Rich was anything but ordinary. He hated rules, unless he made them, so he asked that there be no funeral, memorial service, wake, or any big deal made. He just wants his friends and family, who number in the hundreds, to smile when they remember him and to pay forward any kindness, comfort, love or support he showed to them in his short 69 years on earth.

So let this be a tribute to the man in the bright Hawaiian shirts with the million dollar smile.

Rich loved to sleep. Monday afternoon, November 16, 2015, he took a nap and peacefully died in his sleep. He leaves behind Linda, his wife of 32 years, step-son Jesse Brown, beloved granddaughter Alyssa Brown, his mother Iris Donaldson, brothers Dale Sifford (Jan) and Don Donaldson (Darlene), as well as nieces and nephews. And scores of friends he made over the years from work, play, or the many associations he joined.

Rich proudly served his country in the Vietnam War as a Marine Corp Sergeant. And as the saying goes, “once a Marine always a Marine”. Rich chose to be cremated and his uniform went with him draped over him as it no longer fit.

He never met an animal he didn’t like, a person he couldn’t make his friend, heard a joke he couldn’t re-tell ten times, or a pretty girl he wouldn’t make a pass at. One of his favorite stories was about a time in the service when he passed a very pretty lieutenant without saluting. She told him to halt and asked; “Soldier, didn’t you see the bars on my shoulders?” He promptly saluted and replied, “Mam, I hadn’t reached that far”. For those who need an explanation it meant he was checking her out and had only reached her chest. Yes, that was our Rich.

When he left the service he went to school in computer programming and over the years worked for the Federal Reserve Bank, Poorman-Douglas Corp., and US Bank Corp, where he retired after 20 years. Because he was nagged to keep busy he worked as a postal carrier, petting every dog on his route and making sure he had dog biscuits in his pocket. He also did a stretch as a retail clerk at Fred Meyer, and then found the job that was made for him, Hospitality at the Rose Garden. Here he could do what he loved, talk to people and help them out during Trail Blazer and Portland Winterhawks games. He also did Hospitality at Timbers games. To spot Rich you just had to look for that great big smile.

He and his wife Linda were heavily involved with the local junior hockey team the Portland Winterhawks. They were active in the Booster club and were a host family for 13 years. They had wonderful experiences together traveling to away games in Washington and Canada and even took a trip to Europe to visit some of their European players’ families. Rich loved classical music so visiting Mozart’s home in Salzburg, Austria was a real thrill.

He and Linda purchased a timeshare on Kauai a number of years ago and he fell in love with the islands. He would always wear a colorful Hawaiian shirt no matter the season or the weather. His final wish is to have his ashes dropped into the volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, however, it is feared that he will either be spit back out or the volcano will erupt, so he’ll have to make do with a water burial near the volcano. But you can bet your last dollar that he is already there in a bright Hawaiian shirt looking for someone to talk to, cute girls to flirt with, or sleeping under a palm tree.

Rich had a strong need for achievement and made his dad “Poncho” happy when he joined the Masons and worked to reach a 32nd degree and Master of his Masonic Lodge. He was also a seeker of knowledge and studied religions, was an avid reader of science fiction, and a receptacle for strange and useless information. Just ask him a question about something and he had the answer. He volunteered wherever and whenever the need and over the years donated gallons of blood to the Red Cross.

Rich touched the lives of so many people it’s impossible to count. Once he found Facebook the opportunities to meet and talk with more people were endless. Some of his friends and family have shared thoughts, comments or funny stories. Below are just a few:

• • “Rich was always among my favorite ribald characters, making me laugh and throwing everything about political correctness out the window. He was always one to step up when others were in need.”

• • “There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone, the light remains. He was always so kind and loving to all of us.”

• • “He was a real joy to work with, and the nurses all enjoyed his sense of humor. I remember seeing him at the Blazer games helping and directing people.”

• • “When he was in the Marines, the other guys headed for the bars and girls, he went to the San Diego Zoo. He had seen a cheetah there. She was close enough to the fence he was able to take a stick and scratch her ears. With succeeding visits she finally got right up against the fence and watched for him and he was able to pet and scratch her with his hand. She purred so loud eventually one of the zoo attendants heard and told him to leave and not come back. Knowing him, I am sure he made a few more clandestine visits. Once I asked him if he had done that and he just smiled his “wicked” smile. He was a “cat person” even then.”

• • “Rich was not a stellar student in high school, and pre-joined the Marines, to take effect on graduation. The way I heard it, he took the entrance exam and scored in the genius range so they trained him as an IBM analyst, which provided him with a career when he left the service. I was so proud of him as a Marine, and then as a high-tech analyst. It may have influenced my choice of a career in computer engineering. As adults, we went our own ways, but whenever we got together for holidays and family gatherings, we three brothers were famous for our outrageous humor, bouncing jokes and quips off each other with lightning speed. I know he will be missed by many, many people.”

If you wish to commemorate him in any way he would love to have donations made to any of the following organizations in his name.

• • Cat Adoption Team – 14175 SW Galbreath Dr., Sherwood OR 97140 www.catadoptionteam.org

• • Oregon Humane Society – 1067 NE Columbia Blvd, Portland OR 97211 www.oregonhumane.org

• • All Classical – 211 SE Caruthers St., Portland OR 97214 www.allclassical.org

Goodbye my love, you are the only man I will ever love. And the cats send their love as well.

Boots, Billy, Daisy and Dora