Richard (Dick) Willard Stroup, the son of Park and Margaret Stroup, passed away peacefully on May 20, 2024. Dick was born on March 26, 1934 in Houston, Texas. He attended the Immaculate Conception School through the 8th Grade and graduated from Stephen F. Austin Senior High School in 1952.

Dick's father was a weekend rancher and leased land south of Texas City where they raised cattle, which did not leave Dick with much idle time. Throughout his school years, Dick spent his weekends working at the ranch and his weekdays running a paper route.

In 1953, after one year of college at Rice University, Dick joined the Marine Corp where he served 18 months in Okinawa. Dick transitioned from active duty to the reserves in 1959 and retired from the Corp in 1973. During his time as a reservist, he pursued his Electrical Engineering degree from Florida Technical University (now University of Central Florida). Dick practiced electrical engineering at Florida Gas Transmission Company, Williams Brothers Engineering, and Northwest Pipeline. In 1992, Dick founded PacNet, a small telecommunications company, which he owned and operated for a number of years.

Dick married twice. In 1955 he married Manon Shofner with whom he had three children. In 1973 he married Patricia Walters, a widow with a young son who Dick adopted. Dick and Pat then had a daughter together. He was a father who blended two families better than most, was generous with his patience, and lived life with a youthful exuberance that inspired all five of his children to chase their dreams.

Dick loved boats and owned four sailboats over 20 years, which he enjoyed racing on the weekend with his family. While living in Salt Lake City during the 1980s, he happily raced many summers away on the Great Salt Lake, including embarking on weekend-long 80 mile races with a crew of six. When Dick and his family moved to Seattle in 1988, he brought his most recent sailboat, the Hubba Hubba, and he continued to race on Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. In 1995, at the insistence of his patient wife who was ready for more leisurely boating, Dick traded in his beloved Hubba Hubba for his first motor yacht, aptly named Copacetic, and the whole family enjoyed years of exploring all the wonderful outstations the Seattle Yacht Club had to offer.

In 1999, Dick and Pat retired to Sun City, in Georgetown, Texas, where Dick's attention switched from boats to golf. He loved golf and played avidly. For the first 18 years of retirement, Dick and Pat traveled often. They went to China, the Kingdom of Tonga, New Zealand, Russia and every European city that had an airport. They also cruised in South America and on the Mediterranean Sea.

Dick was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2012. It was a very slow descent into memory loss. He was a happy Alzheimer's patient and was able to stay at home until shortly before his death. Dick will be buried in Liberty Cemetery, Louann, Arkansas on June 8, 2024. He will be fondly remembered for his sense of humor, his kindness, his adventurous spirit, and his devotion to both his family and his country.

Dick is survived by his wife of 51 years, Patricia W. Stroup, and five children, Mark Richard Stroup (Janet) of Longwood, Florida, Stacey Amelia Waddell (Jeffrey) of Battle Ground, Washington, Carrie Marlene Stroup of Washington, Jack Stanley Stroup (Cynthia) of Clearwater, Florida, and Alicia Marie Wood (Joshua) of San Antonio, Texas. He has five grandchildren, Nelson Walker, Gabriela Stroup, Elijah Stroup, Zachary Stroup and Claire Walker. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Roberta Walker, Gulfport, MS. He was preceded in death by his parents, Park and Margaret Stroup, his sister Betty Elmore, and his grandson, Matthew Richard Stroup.