Obituary of Richard Papiez

Rick passed away, surrounded by his loved ones, on June 29, 2020, at his childhood home in Olympia, Washington. He was born August 28, 1946, to Steve and Cal Ann Papiez. Rick was a graduate of North Thurston High School. He married Janice McBride on October 22, 1966, and they would have celebrated their 54^th anniversary this year.

He was employed for 32 years at Pacific Northwest Bell, which was known as Qwest when he retired. Rick loved the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, and camping.  His sons have fond memories of spending time winter steelhead fishing up on the peninsula.  In retirement, he enjoyed spending his free time restoring cars, as well as woodworking.

Rick had a special place in his heart for his grandsons and his yellow lab, Sophie.  He was always willing to give the boys a ride around the family farm on the lawn tractor, and his dog a ride in “his” truck.

Rick and Jan spent over 30 years vacationing at their condo in Lake Chelan.  They also loved the times they were able to vacation in Palm Springs, California, especially the two winters they spent in their RV at Outdoor Resorts.

Rick was an avid collector of tools, farm equipment, car parts, and fishing gear, which were often misplaced.  Whenever his sons couldn’t find something, he was famous for saying, “It’s either in the shop, the barn or Mom’s garage.”  This became a favorite family quote.

He is survived by his wife, Jan; sons, Jeff (Erin) and Brian (Leslie); four grandsons, Jacob, Joshua, Garrek, and Zackary; sisters, Jan (Ken) Rohr and Nancy (Jack) Lenzi. He was predeceased by his parents, and nephew, Dean Knittle.

A funeral mass will be held July 17, 2020, at 9:00 a.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lacey. 

Memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 15829, Arlington, VA 22215, or Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 823 Yale Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109.

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