Richard Ray Cussins (Dick) passed away on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 after a five month battle with brain cancer. Dick was born in Goshen County, WY on November 17, 1934 to Albert Alvin and Rose Sophia (Schmidt) Cussins. The family moved to Vale, OR in 1936 and then onto some land in the Willowcreek, OR area in 1937 where they cleared the sagebrush and farmed for many years.
Dick graduated from Vale High School in 1953 and then entered the National Guard and the Army Reserve where he served until 1958. Dick then returned to Willowcreek where he helped on the family farm until 1962 when he attended Multnomah School of the Bible for one year and then on to work at Camp Sambica in Bellevue, WA in 1963. There he met and married Jo Ann Anderson and they had two children. In 1976 Dick and Jo Ann moved their family from the wet side of the state (he was tired of being a duck) to the dry side of the state to work at the Boyville youth ranch in Mabton, WA. In 1991 they moved to the Nile Valley to work with the Flying H Youth Ranch and then to Yakima in 1993 where he worked for Meyer Plastics until retirement in 2002.
Dick was an active member of the Wiley Union Church and enjoyed helping others on many construction and general maintenance projects. He spent many Wednesday’s helping do maintenance work at the Yakima Union Gospel Mission’s Madison House Youth Center. Dick was known for his hard work ethic and seldom wanted to take a break from whatever it was he was doing.
Dick also enjoyed spending time with his favorite grandson, Noah. He loved sitting down on the floor and playing tractors, games or whatever Noah wanted him to do.
The family of Dick would like to thank the following people who took time out of their busy schedules to care for him while he was in Hospice care. This care allowed the family to be able to take much needed breaks throughout his five month illness. Ginny Jones, Gordon Wilkins, Karen Anders, Dave Wagner, Bob Wetherell, Wes and Norma Mansfield, Ben and Mary Chadwick, Skip Steinmetz, Jack and Sandra Aquino, Joe and Eileen Muoth, Crystal Peterson, Craig and Lani Norwood, and Teresa Smith. The family would also like to thank Pastor Terry Dinsmore for his many visits and words of encouragement. The Yakima Memorial Hospice Employees also deserve some thanks as Dick was stubborn and more than once made their job challenging.
Dick is survived by his daughter Melidee of India, son Luke, his wife Linda, and his favorite grandson Noah of Mabton, WA, two brothers, Robert of Glide, OR and Ronald and his wife Nancy of Crescent, OR, and his sister, Alberta Smith of Meridian, ID. He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Jo Ann, and one brother, Dean of Melba, ID.
Viewing will be at Valley Hills Funeral Home in Yakima from 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 7. A graveside service will be held at Terrace Heights Memorial Park at 9:30 a.m. on July 8 with a memorial service following at the Wiley Union Church at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a donation to either the Yakima Union Gospel Mission’s Madison House Youth Center or Wiley Union Church Missions.
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