J. Richard (Dick) Mcentee

Obituary J. Richard McEntee, our beloved father, grandfather and friend, died June 20, 2010, after a brief battle with cancer. He was 74. Dick was born Sept. 23, 1935, to Bill & Marie McEntee in Franklin, N.J. He was the seventh of their eight children. He graduated from Franklin High School and earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Villanova University. Dick married the love of his life, Katherine Marie Jones, on Oct. 20, 1962, in New Jersey. He and Kathy had six children, of whom they were extremely proud. Dick and Kathy were a team and true examples of faith, love and charity. His career in research, development and management in the food industry began at General Foods, first in New York and then in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. In 1967, he accepted a job at Nalley's Fine Foods in Tacoma. He retired from Nalley's in 1997 and formed his own consulting company, Hibernian Management Consulting. He was a vice president with CIM Financial Group at the time of his death. Dick's Catholic faith was central to his life and helped guide and define him. St. Charles Borromeo Church in Tacoma was his spiritual home for more than 40 years. He served on the Parish Council, and he gave his time, talent and treasure to church and school activities, including the school auction and the parish food bank. He was instrumental in bringing a Knights of Columbus chapter to the parish, and served as Grand Knight and began an annual auction and dinner to support the Knights' efforts. Dick was a regular at daily Mass and took early morning shifts at perpetual adoration. His strong faith and deep convictions led Dick and Kathy to get involved in the pro-life movement in the early 1970s, first with the Voice of the Unborn and then with Human Life of Washington. In 1978, Kathy began the Washington State March for Life, and she always said she could do it only with Dick's strength and support. His faith and management expertise also called Dick to serve on the board of trustees of St. Joseph Medical Center. He was on the board for 10 years and is a trustee emeritus of the hospital. Dick was active in politics, serving on the Fircrest Town Council from 1969-73, as a precinct committeeman in the 28th District and as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2000. He was also a two-time candidate for state auditor, earning 1,016,396 votes in the 2008 election. Dick's other passions were clear: golf, food, music and family. He was a caddy in his youth to earn playing time on the Franklin-area courses and money for school. He was a longtime member of Tacoma Country & Golf Club and served as president of the Club in 1997. He loved the game of golf and played at courses across the globe. He helped with tournaments at the Country Club and played as often as he could. His grandkids and he spent many days together on the course. No one could make a spaghetti feast like the Irishman (who learned from his Italian godmother). Preparing the feast was an all-day project, but a true labor of love. Dick loved time in the kitchen, trying new things. He read his Saveur magazine each month and would poke around the grocery store for new things to try (and for a good bargain). And music. There was never a lack of music in the McEntee house. If Dick wasn't at the piano, the turntable (and later CD player) was on. He loved ragtime, Broadway, old standards, Irish favorites and opera. In the 1960s-70s, Dick and Kathy were part of Tacoma Opera Society and Tacoma Opera Guild, helping stage productions and bring opera to Pierce County. No St. Patrick's Day party was complete without Dick's singing and piano-playing. No son- or daughter-in-law was fully initiated until watching "Singin' in the Rain." Dick's greatest passion, though, was his family. He sacrificed to provide his children with top-notch educations. He treated us to memorable family vacations; highlights included a road trip across the country and three weeks in Ireland. He took his kids to the Puyallup Fair and to Mariners games. He said prayers with the kids each night and read stories before bedtime. He embraced being a grandfather and will forever be remembered as Snappy. He was funny and patient and brilliant and devoted. Dick is survived by his six children and their spouses, Rich (Jill) McEntee, Ann (Mark) Wiegman, Paul (Kari) McEntee, Aileen (Rob) Carrell, Kate (John) DeWeese and Noreen (Louis) Hobson; 13 grandchildren: Jack, Maggie, Peter, Emily, Sally, Sarah, Ryan, William, Clare, Gwen, Marie, Daniel and Thomas. He is also survived by his seven siblings, Catherine McEntee, Mary Lester, Dolores Morrow, Bill McEntee, Bob McEntee, Peggy Ann Lakin and Patricia Gordon and their families. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife and best friend, Kathy; a granddaughter, Lucy Marie Carrell; and brothers-in-law Faye Lester and Bill Gordon. Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. Friday, June 25, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7112 S. 12th St., Tacoma. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 26, at St. Charles. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery. The family wishes to thank Franciscan Hospice House and Dr. Frank Senecal and his staff for their care of Dad. Memorial donations can be made to the Kathy McEntee Pro-Life Education Fund, PO Box 64275, Tacoma, WA 98464. Online condolences can be left at GaffneyCares.com. Arrangements by Gaffney Funeral Home, Tacoma. Dad, 'twas Heaven here with you. Give Mom a kiss from all of us.