Richard H. Backus

Richard Henry Backus, 92, died on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at around 5:00 am. Born on January 15, 1934, in New York City, his father was a marine ship captain, and his mother an actress who at one point was a stand-in for Mary Pickford.

Richard went to high school at Fitch School in Groton, Connecticut; upon graduating, he went to work as a T.V. antenna installer. He had a natural ability at graphics and eventually found a job as a draftsman. Richard was "a fast learner" and became an excellent designer, a craft he spent his entire life doing. He always had a story to tell, saying he drew "everything from otthouses to the tail fins on a rocket ship". This was in reference to his trade as a "job shopper", taking designer-draftsman assignments all over the East Coast and Midwest.

In addition to his parents, Richard is preceded in death by his first wife Doris and stepdaughter Vickey. Also preceding him is his second wife Barbara Buffum. He is survived by his stepdaughter Jill Adams.

Richard came to the New Orleans area on Super Bowl Sunday in 1978, as he worked on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Project in Reserve, Louisiana, with Walk-Haydel. Since then, he had designed and drafted and one- and two-story buildings with an engineer named Arnold Smyth, followed by numerous commercial buildings for Randy Gaspard, a contractor with engineer Thomas Smith. As he would ride around the area, Richard would point to various parking and commercial buildings and say, "That's a project I did." In his forty-odd years in the New Orleans area, he designed about 500 small to mid-size commercial buildings, as well as at least 500 one- or two-story houses.

Richard had a very strong work ethic, often working on at least one project each day of the week. Although often busy, he did find free time to enjoy various TV programs, such as "Gold Rush", "Jeopardy!", "Wheel of Fortune", "Ancient Aliens", and any show related to fishing. He also had an idolized personality, striving to never make a mistake and being determined to get something done (he was a "bulldog", much like Donald Trump); he also had a heart of gold, allowing various people in need to stay at his house with him, especially in light of his wife's passing.

A celebration of life service will be held at Parkway Presbyterian Church, 6200 Camphor Street in Metairie, on May 16th at 11:00am.