Skurat, Richard “Rick” on May 10, 2018, slipped the surly bonds of earth and now dances the skies on laughter-silvered wings. Son of the late Eugene and Virginia Skurat; brother of Joan Lessing Skurat; former husband of Susan Reifeiss; cousin of Antoinette Link and Jaci Haskenhoff.
Rick was born on October 1, 1949. He grew up in Affton, MO, attending Seven Holy Founders Catholic grade school and graduated from Affton High School class of ’67.
Rick served in the Air Force from 1969 to 1972 stationed at George AFB, Victorville, CA as an avionics technician on F4 Phantoms. He joined McDonnell Douglas in 1974 and retired from Boeing Aircraft in September of 2016 after 42 years as a Manufacturing Engineer. Most of his career was devoted to the AV8B Harrier Program.
In the late Seventies and into the early Nineties, he enjoyed flying; earning his private, instrument, commercial, multi-engine and glider ratings. He always said he really learned to fly when he was flying sky-divers at a small airport in Illinois. Besides flying, in his younger years he enjoyed scuba diving, snow skiing and sky diving. In his later years, he loved owning and sailing his Catalina sailboat “A Boat With No Name.”
Richard requested cremation. No services will be held.