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Richard E. 'Dick' Suber Klamath Falls, OR QCWA # 26332 Chapter 188 |
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Richard "Dick" Edwin Suber "K7DDI" passed away on March 4, 2019.
A service of love and tribute will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, in Bible Baptist Church, 4849 S. Sixth St., Klamath Falls, with the Rev. Kevin Kroefer officiating. A potluck reception will follow. Dick always liked a good potluck. Internment will be at Klamath Memorial Park.
Richard was born on Aug. 31, 1922, on his father's farm on a Thursday night about 7 p.m. in Richland Township, two miles northeast of Wharton, Ohio. He weighed eight and one half pounds and was 20 inches long. When it became time to name him, his mother, Sarah, wanted Richard Edwin, but his dad, Charles, wanted Ted and to this day in Ohio, his name is Ted.
In 1928, at age 6, he started to Wharton High School, which held grades one to 12 in this small town. After graduation from the high school in 1940, he worked on a neighbors farm. He also worked at a rubber plant making stair and door mats and at a porcelain plant that made insulation for electrical and telephone wiring for one meal and a dollar a day.
In 1942. Dick enlisted in the Marines and was shipped to Parris Island, S.C., for basic training. He continued on to Camp Lejeune, N.C., for rifle training. He was then shipped to Norfolk, Va., and on to British Samoa via the Panama Canal and to American Somoa, where he was put in a tank battalion. He continued on to Hawaii, where to received experience in Sherman Diesel Tanks. Dick was transferred to the Marshall Island, continuing on to Guadalcanal, then to Guam, and back to Hawaii. He was shipped to Klamath Falls, Ore., to the Marine Barracks to recuperate from malaria and filoriasia. Dick was honorably discharged from the Marines on Oct. 13, 1945.
After recuperating, he held several jobs, some of which were working with Southern Pacific Railroad, driving taxis and delivering bakery goods. He was also a lumber grader at this time. Fire history: Beginning May 1, 1951, Dick started to work in Klamath Falls as a firefighter. He was on call to fight fires and rescue people in car and truck accidents. He retired after 31 years from the city fire department as captain, Aug. 31, 1982.
In 1960, Civil Defense purchased a van for rescue operations. He and Jim Brown were sent to Portland for a two-week class for rescue training. In 1964, Dick was appointed deputy civil defense director, which is now known as Emergency Services. While as a civil defense director, he was able to acquire several military surplus vehicles for most of the fire departments in Klamath County. He also acquired vehicles for Klamath County Search & Rescue. During that time, he started the fallout shelters for nuclear attacks. When the items became outdated, he then disposed of them and eventually dismantled each shelter. He retired from Klamath County Emergency Services as director on Dec. 31, 1989. He continued to assist the director until 2012. Per the Herald and News newspaper, Klamath Falls, Ore., July 18, 1971: On this date, Glenda Gardner, a 2-year-old girl got lost on a juniper-covered ridge two miles from her home. Unknown at the time, this event was the catalyst that eventually brought about the first step in Oregon to form Search & Rescue. At that time, the sheriff had neither the time nor the manpower to search for people. With the news of a lost little girl, over 500 people emerged from the community to help Dick search for the girl. With enough volunteers interested in search and rescue, Dick was able to start a team in Klamath County. He submitted a proposal to the State Legislature for a bill to create someone in each county in Oregon who would be responsible for search and rescue operations. In just two months, Oregon Gov. Tom McCall signed into law the bill that created Search & Rescue for each county in the state.
After World War II, Dick got his pilot's license, which he held until October 2012. He enjoyed flying, such as frost patrol for the potato farmers, and flying his family to Ohio. As a pilot, he was an active member of Civil Air Patrol for 23 years. During that time, he flew search missions for a missing hunter, woodcutters and hikers lost in the outback of Klamath County. He served as search coordinator for over 800 searches throughout those years.
When the Coast Guard Auxiliary came into Klamath County, Dick naturally joined the organization since he was already familiar with the lakes, reservoirs, and other water in the county because of his search and rescue background. He helped with the sailboat races for over 20 years.
Dick was one of the first firefighters in Klamath County to learn CPR from Dr. Cameron Bangs, who came down from Portland to teach the firefighters. He worked with the American Red Cross in many aspects, including the diaster team as well as teaching CPR and First Aid locally. When the county received their own radio frequencies and radios, he installed them as well as put up a radio repeater on a local mountaintop for better, overall coverage. He was part of the American Red Cross for over 30 years. Dick's close association with the emergency radio organizations when he was emergency services director served as a catalyst in acquiring radio repeater sites on mountaintops such as Hamaker and Hogback, which had a phone patch for remote access. He was involved with SOAPRA, Southern Oregon Amateur Radio Packet Association maintaining mountaintop repeater equipment for emergency communications in Southern Oregon counties and the local KBARA, Klamath Basin Amateur Radio Association as well as his affiliation with MARS, Military Auxiliary Radio System for over 10 years.
In December 1956, Dick became an Amateur Radio Operator, a "HAM." The familiar K7DDI was heard on radio frequencies from California to Canada as well as around the world. In January 1959, he joined the OEN, Oregon Emergency Net. He'd been the Net Control and had served on the board of directors as well as the chairman. He earned a certificate of award for checking into the net every day for 30 continuous years.
Dick was preceded in death by his parents, Sarah and Charles W. Suber, his first wife, Dorothy Hafar Suber of 39 years as well as a brother, Robert Suber. He is survived by their daughter and son-in-law Virginia and Robert Rada, two grandsons, Kenny and Kriss Rada, two great-grandsons, Tylor and Hunter, two great-granddaughters, Zurah and Kaya Rada, niece Linda and-great nephew Denny Suber. His is also survived by his wife of 34 years, Ivy, and her daughters, Carie Burkey Baca, and son-in-law, Ronnie Baca, Deborah Shaffer and son-in-law, Michael Shaffer, son Grid Lee Margraf and Jerry Brook and daughter-in-law Laura Brook.
In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to the Klamath-Lake Counties Food Bank.
Published in Herald And News on Apr. 16, 2019