Richard Hart

Richard James Hart, 49, lost a short, courageous battle with cancer on October 8, 2014. He passed away peacefully surrounded by family. Rich was born June 10, 1965, in Yakima, WA, to Jim and Karen Hart (Miller). He was the second of three children. He graduated from East Valley High School in 1983 then attended Clover Park Technical School. He began his career working at Masterman Vending in Tacoma. Shortly after he moved back to Yakima to take his place in the family business, Yakima Music Company, where he eventually became manager. In 1988, he married his best friend and the love of his life, Sheri Ann Sheddy, and became a loving father to her daughter Heather. They welcomed their son, James, on June 15, 1992. Rich lived his short life to the fullest. He was a man of many talents and interests. From a young age Rich was drawn to competition and anything that went fast. As a child he and his siblings, Chris & Andrea, raced go karts all over the West Coast, and were avid skateboarders. Rich and Chris raced BMX bikes and began racing stock cars at Yakima Speedway in 1983. After his son James was born, Rich gave up racing but never lost his love of speed. Mountain biking, dirt biking, RC racing, snowmobiling, and boating were just a few of his passions. Rich was never so at home as he was on his boat, Asadachi. “Captain Rich” loved taking friends and family out on the water. The Columbia River, Lake Coeur d’Alene, and Lake Pend Orielle were a few favorite destinations. Rich and Sheri, along with friends and family, spent much of their summers travelling and camping in their motorhome, and boating and docking at various bars and restaurants along the water. Rum Barrels at Cedars were a frequent event. In the last few years, Rich devoted himself to health and fitness, and his competitive spirit continued to drive him. He was an active member of Bootcamp and CrossFit classes at the YMCA. He ran numerous 5K races, but where he really shined was in mud runs. The Pirate Plunder and the Warrior Dash were his two favorite. He was an inspiration to others, getting himself into the best shape of his life, and pushing others to do the same. He even started a “fitness mob” for group workouts around town. Funny, honest, witty, engaging, Rich was always the life of the party. Whether drinking at a brewery, watching the Seahawks, or celebrating the holidays with his family, Rich was the guy everyone wanted to be near. No one could tell a story like Rich, and he had a funny comment for everything. Rich’s personality and sense of humor were unending, even in his final days. He gave us a life time worth of stories to laugh about for years to come. Rich had many hobbies and interests. Racecars, go karts, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, camping, boating, golfing, rc racing, dirtbikes, motorcycles, crossfit, running, beer, breweries, mud run competitions, seahawks family, music,vacations, snapchat, planking, YMCA, concerts, and being generally awesome. Rich is survived by his wife Sheri (Sheddy) Hart, son James Hart, daughter Heather Hart-Campbell, grandson Corbin Campbell, parents Jim and Karen Hart, siblings Andrea Hart-Skinner and Chris Hart, brother in law George Lennartz, nephew Kody Skinner, neice Kelsi Skinner and numerous aunts, uncles and cousisns. He is preceded in death by his grandparents. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff of the ICU and 2 East Wing of Memorial Hospital. A celebration of his life will be held on Tuesday, October 14th, 2 PM, at Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church, (9 S. 8th Ave in Yakima). To share a memory, go to Cancer Sucks!! #TeamHart on Facebook. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Cottage In The Meadow. Valley Hills Funeral Home is caring for the family. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Richard Hart, please visit our flower store.