Richard Stanton Webb

Richard Stanton Webb, 93, died peacefully on July 14, 2017, in his home in The Villages, Florida, of lung cancer. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 28, 1924, his greatest adventure in life, he often said, began in July of 1941 when he joined the Navy at the age of 17. He first saw action in WWII at the Battle of Midway in June of 1942. He was a radio operator/gunner in a torpedo bomber, a TBD Devastator. His plane was shot down along with most of the other 16 TBDs in Torpedo Squadron 6 from the USS Enterprise. After recovering from his injuries, he retrained to fly in a safer plane (his words) a PB4Y-1, the Navy’s version of a B24. He joined VPB-111 in March of 1945 and flew patrol missions throughout the South Pacific out of a base in the Philippines. When the war ended, his squadron continued to fly missions, not for enemy sightings but to gather data for weather forecasting. While on one of these weather flights, his PB4Y-2 was the first recorded aircraft to successfully fly through the eye of a tropical cyclone with winds over 74 mph (hurricane strength) and live to tell about it. He returned with VPB-111 to the States and served until his honorable discharge in 1948 as a Chief Aviation Radioman. He returned home and, on the GI Bill, attended Indiana University at the IU/PU Indianapolis campus. He went on to become an industrial engineer. He moved to Los Angeles, California in 1957 to take a job in a company that made luminous gauges for commercial and military aircraft. Two years later, he was lured back to Indianapolis by the Radio Corporation of America (he always said that it was ironic, a better job back home, and RCA didn’t know it was a homecoming for him). The day after he turned 60 and after 25 years of service, he retired in 1984 from RCA. Outside of work and family he enjoyed automobile racing. For over 40 years, he was an auditor for the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He often said, “the race wasn’t official until he said so.” He officiated his last race in 1997 as the Chief Auditor of Timing and Scoring. His other pursuits included bowling, golf, and a long association with the Shriners and the American Legion where he served as the Commander of Post 465 in Indianapolis several times but for most year’s he was the Treasurer. Richard moved to the Villages in 1997 following the death of his fifth wife, Joann. Richard was married and divorced four times to: Frances (with whom he had a son), Patricia (twice), and Marilyn. Richard enjoyed his 20+ years in the Villages for several reasons: the year-round golfing weather, plenty of new friends, and finally finding a loving significant other, Mary Quartararo. Mary’s extensive family, four daughters and a son, their children, grandchildren, and spouses provided Richard with a rich and full life. We should all be so blessed. He is survived by his son, Rick, of Sacramento, California, his sister Mary Ellen Bryant of Indianapolis, Indiana, and his significant other, Mary Quartararo of Ocala, Florida. His son, Rick, invites family and friends to attend a reception to celebrate Richard’s life on Thursday, July 20, 2017, from 10 a.m. to Noon at the Lakeside Lounge at The Waterfront Inn located in The Villages, Lake Sumter Landing (just west of the square). The address is 1105 Lakeshore Drive, The Villages, FL 32162. In lieu of flowers you may make a gift of gratitude to the Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care Foundation at 601 Casa Bella, The Villages, FL 32162-3640.