Richard P. Needham

Richard married the love of his life, Karen Johnson, on December 19, 1959. They shared 60 wonderful years together until her passing in January 2020.

He raised his family in Woodridge, Illinois, where he lived for 30 years, then moved to Aurora, IL where he and Karen lived for 20 years. They moved into Cedar Lake in Plainfield, IL where Richard enjoyed his poker buddies. Richard spent his last four years at Brookdale Senior Living in Brighton, Michigan where he was a staple in the game room, bingo and at Friday happy hours.

Richard was an avid athlete and competed on the football and basketball teams at Morton High School.

Richard earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and also studied at the University of Michigan. Richard was also a proud veteran, serving in the Army from 1954-1956.

He worked as a Chemical Engineer for Amoco Chemicals from 1960 until his retirement in 1993. He took great pride in his long career and the friendships he formed there.

Richard was a man who enjoyed a good time and loved playing cards, board games and having a cocktail or glass of red wine. He was a big sports fan and had Chicago Bears season tickets for over 30 years with a highlight being able to attend the Bears Super Bowl victory in 1986. He also loved cheering for the Michigan Wolverines, Go Blue! He participated in a Friday night bowling league in Lisle, IL for many years and in multiple golf leagues.

He regaled many with his songs on the banjo or ukulele around a campfire or in bible study. He took over the management of the family tree started by his father and has passed the ancestry interest down to his granddaughter Amanda.

For the past 65 years he spent his summers at Clear Lake, Michigan, enjoying many boat rides, playing games and many rounds of golf with his buddies and family.

He also cherished his dogs Rufus, then Murphy, and finally Wolfie.

Richard is survived by his three children: William Needham (wife Shannon), Stacey Ramsey, and Polly Ptacek (husband William). He was a proud grandfather to seven grandchildren—Matthew Needham (wife Kelly), Melissa Ehrman (husband Joshua), Thomas Needham, Amanda Ramsey, Sarah Ramsey, Daniel Ptacek, and Emily Ptacek—and a loving great-grandfather to five great-grandchildren: Henry, Riley, and Abby Needham, and Ethan and Charlotte Ehrman.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Robert, and his sister Marjorie.

A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.