Richard Dean Willy

Richard Dean “Dick” Willy, age 84, of Seattle, passed away September 14, 2025 at Swedish Medical Center after a brief illness. He was born February 3, 1941 in Lincoln, Nebraska, the younger son of George and Gertrude (Carver) Willy.

DIck is survived by Mary, his wife of 61 years, his children Kate Sala (Spencer), Michael, and David; six grandchildren, Mack, Jacob, Tommy, Ellie, Henry, and George; Mary’s siblings and their spouses; and many nieces and nephews. Dick was preceded in death by his parents, George and Gertrude, his brother Don Eugene Willy and sister-in-law Norma (Locke.)

A funeral mass and reception will be held at 1:00 p.m. on October 11, 2025 at Trinity Parish (Episcopal) Church at 609 8th Avenue, Seattle. Complimentary parking is available in the parking garage with entrance on Columbia between 8th and 9th Avenues. The service will be live streamed on Trinity’s YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@trinityparishseattle. The reception and storytelling will be available on Zoom starting about 2:45 pm. The link will be on the Trinity website trinityseattle.org. Scroll down to the announcements. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his memory to the Trinity Parish of Seattle Memorial Endowment Fund at https://onrealm.org/TrinitySeattle/give/memorial or to another organization that betters the lives of others.

Dick’s family moved from Nebraska to Ottawa, Illinois in 1942. Growing up, he was active in band, played several sports, was an Eagle Scout and member of the Order of the Arrow. After graduating from Ottawa Township High School in 1959, Dick attended the University of Illinois where he met Mary and earned undergraduate degrees in Aeronautical Engineering and Finance and a Masters in Business Administration. Dick and Mary were married in 1964 and moved to Seattle in 1966 after Dick accepted a job at The Boeing Company.

Dick was a devoted husband and father who was active in the community. He was involved in a variety of activities at St. Edward Catholic Church and Trinity Parish Church. He volunteered for the Boys and Girls Clubs of King County where he served as a board member for several years and as board president. He was active in scouting for decades in Troop 53, in Troop 222, and as District Eagle Scout advisor. Dick’s service to scouting was recognized with the Silver Beaver Award, which is awarded for distinguished service to youth within a local council and is Scouting America's highest council-level recognition for a registered adult leader.

After his retirement from Boeing in 1999, he was able to spend more time on his favorite hobbies: bicycling, skiing, and autocross. In 2011, Dick was one of many individuals who raised money for the American Lung Association by bicycling from Seattle to Washington, D.C. on the Big Ride Across America. He was active in the Cascade Backcountry Ski Patrol, and was appointed to the National Ski Patrol. Dick was also a member of King County’s Search and Rescue Association’s Ski Patrol Rescue Team (SPART), and instructed avalanche safety courses into his seventies. When not bicycling or skiing, Dick actively helped organize and participated in autocross events throughout western Washington as a member of the Northwest Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA.)

Dick’s legacy of faith, service, love, no nonsense wisdom, humor, and outdoor adventure will be forever cherished by his family and friends.