Clifford Richey

Clifford Raymond Richey was born on November 10th, 1929, the 2nd son of Chester and Eva Richey. The small town of Pawhuska, Oklahoma provided the adventurous Cliff, his three brothers and baby sister the opportunity to fish, hunt, and get into general mischief. After graduating from Pawhuska High School, Cliff attended Oklahoma State University where he studied physics, earning his Bachelor of Science and Masters degree. After a short courtship, he married Janet Jean Armstrong on May 24, 1952. The newlyweds traveled by train from Oklahoma to Richland, WA where Cliff started his 30+ year career as a nuclear physicist at Hanford. Cliff and Jan quickly found friendship and Christian fellowship at the Richland Baptist Church. They welcomed their first son, Mark Alan in January 1954 and the family grew to four with the birth of Brian Andrew (affectionately called Andy) in September 1956. Seeking a small town experience, they moved to Grandview, WA in 1959 and quickly became active in the Grandview Baptist Church where Cliff served the church for many years. Their third child, Rebecca Suzanne, joined the family in November 1962. Always one for bold steps, Cliff moved his family outside of Grandview to a 30 acre orchard where he enjoyed many years of being a gentleman farmer in addition to his work at Hanford. In 1988 Cliff retired from Battelle Northwest Laboratories and he and Jan began enjoying retirement. During this time, they also became active in the Grace Brethren Church in Sunnyside and enjoyed fellowship and service to others for many years. One of his service endeavors was to provide church services for Sun Terrace Adult Care Center. Cliff and Jan moved to Zillah in 2000 to lead a simpler life while he continued to enjoy activities such as golf, fishing, camping, and travel. The onset of Parkinson’s Disease slowed these activities, but Cliff still enjoyed watching his favorite sports teams, including the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He also was a huge history buff and a fan of great Westerns. Cliff loved his family, friends, and most of all, served his Lord and Savior faithfully throughout his life. He passed away peacefully on October 9th, 2013. He is survived by his wife Janet of 61 years, son Mark (grandson Kyle and daughter-in-law Brittany), son Andy (wife Becky Holt Richey and granddaughters Katie and Andrea), and daughter Becky Richey Mulligan (son-in-law Mike Mulligan and grandson Patrick). He is also survived by his two brothers, Ed Richey of Florida and Jack Richey of Kansas. The memorial service will be held Thursday October 17th at 11:00 AM at the Grace Brethren Church in Sunnyside, WA. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in memory of Cliff be made to Sunnyside Christian School’s Athletic Department, a worthy organization that Cliff enjoyed supporting. Valley Hills Funeral Home in Sunnyside is in care of the arrangements. Online tributes can be left at www.valleyhillsfh.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Clifford Richey, please visit our flower store.