Posted: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 12:00 am
March 10, 1924 - April 23, 2009
Richard C. Corwin joined his wife of 61 years in passing from this life on Thursday, April 23, at the Regent Court in Corvallis. He was 85.
Richard was born on March 10, 1924, in Toledo, Ohio, to Clifford W. and Grace L. Corwin. He and his eventual wife, Sharlot Jane Williams, attended Duke University, where he played baseball. They returned to their home state of Ohio to graduate from the University of Toledo. Richard and Sharlot moved west following their marriage on Feb. 8, 1947, in Toledo, Ohio. They went first to Pasadena, Calif., then to the San Francisco Bay Area with lengthy stays in Santa Rosa and San Jose. During this time, Richard worked as an engineer for U.S. Steel, as a realtor and then as a mortgage broker while they raised their two sons.
In the 1980s, the couple started splitting time between California and Hawaii. He retired in 1984, but continued some home construction and mortgage consulting work during his years in Hawaii. They eventually built their dream home in Pukalani, Maui, Hawaii. In 1998 they moved to a condominium in Kihei, Maui and added a Corvallis residence to be closer to family. Although their health never allowed them to return to the islands after 2006, they always considered Hawaii their home.
Richard's love was for sports, baseball and golf in particular, and he carried that down to his sons, Michael and Kevin. He enjoyed golf, travel, their pet dogs and especially spending time with his family. He is preceded in death by his wife, Sharlot and a grandson, Kevin. He is survived by a son Michael and daughter-in-law Judy of Corvallis; a son Kevin and daughter-in-law Katerina of Tigard; and grandchildren Kiel, Aaron, Kameron and Daniel.
Private family services will be at St. Mary's Church in Corvallis. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to either the Corvallis Clinic Foundation or the Beaver Athletic Scholarship Fund in care of McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St. Corvallis, OR 97330.