William H. Richey Jr.

William H. Richey, Jr, 86, of Spring Road, Shermans Dale, died Saturday, July 5, 2025, of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Born July 2, 1939, at Governor’s Island, Manhattan, NY., he was the son of the late Annie Kitner Richey and William H. Richey Sr. Bill was an engaging conversationalist with an encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything, but he was an Air Force guy to his core. Born in Governor’s Island, New York, to a local Perry County gal and Air Force guy from Pickens County, South Carolina, Bill spent his formative years immersed in military culture, traveling to various states on his dad’s many transfers, whenever the families were allowed to tag along. Bill had a sense of untamed boyish adventure, creating stories that demanded to be told. And boy, could he tell a story. And the adventures were just beginning. In 1958, after graduating from Perry Joint Jr. Sr. High School, he enlisted in the Air Force, which eventually sent him to South Korea, where he served as a language specialist. There he met a pretty telephone exchange operator named Susie, and life took a dramatic turn for the better. His roles in the Air Force would change, but he would forever be a husband, father to two sons, and perhaps most notably, a grandpa. Bill also received a degree from the University of Maryland. The military took him across the world, often separating him from his family for a year at a time while he worked in foreign places setting up radio communication systems. While everyone dealt with the hardships of separation, it was here that the depth of his stories came from. In 1976, they settled at Yokota Air Base in Japan, where both boys would graduate from high school. In 1982, the family moved back to the States, and he served out his last two years in the military at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Upon his retirement, both he and Suzie settled in the familiar Perry County, where they would both live out their days. However, Bill was never one to sit still for long, and in 1985, he landed a job at the State of Pennsylvania, where he worked for another twenty years until his retirement in 2005. During those years and beyond, the couple did much to make each other happy. They went for long walks along their property, planted a prolific garden, and renovated much of the 1953 brick ranch that his own family built. It was the perfect spot to feed his passion for being a ham radio operator and a well-rounded car guy. It was also the idyllic landscape to spoil a few grandkids. Three, in fact. Their property was a playground from heaven where they took the kids for long walks in the woods or for wagon rides to the pond. They rode bikes, played in the kiddie pool, picked blueberries and fresh corn that didn’t quite taste the same coming from any place else. They took the two oldest girls to the commissary, as if it were a trip to the movies. As the youngest grandson grew old enough, at the cost of a couple of Sheetz hot dogs and a tank of gas, Bill would take Daniel across the county, visiting old haunts and close relatives, telling him stories of life in the country and around the world. His two chosen careers, in both the Air Force and the State of Pennsylvania, as well as his numerous volunteer hours within Carroll Township, provided a living and an identity for a man who always wanted to work. But his true identity was found within the roles of a husband, father, and one of the best grandpas a kid could ever have. He was the widower of Susie Richey and is Survived by a son, James and Wife Janet, Mechanicsburg, PA, Grandchildren Emma, Anna, and Daniel. A sister, Jane Bentzel and brother Bob Richey, several nieces and nephews. In addition to his wife and parents he was preceded in death by a son Edward Richey. A celebration of his life will be held at 11 AM on Monday, July 14, 2025, in Mt. Gilead Church. 935 Windy Hill Road, Shermans Dale. Pastor Brian Doyle will officiate. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the service. The burial will be in the church cemetery. The Boyer Family is honored to handle the arrangements for the Richey Family.

William H. Richey Jr.

July 2, 1939 - July 5, 2025