Richard Donald Mundy

RICHARD D. MUNDY April 24, 1937 – June 4, 2020 Dick was born to Beverly and Robert Mundy in Aberdeen, South Dakota and is the eldest of five children. Dick had fond memories, or perhaps they were stories, of going on Sunday rides with his mom and dad. His mom always had a spoon and bib in the glove compartment for Dick when they stopped for ice cream. He managed to have the full attention of his parents for a few years, until his sister Sharon came along. Dick’s dad, Bob, was an optician, and moved around. From Aberdeen, Mom, Dad, and Dick moved to Duluth, Minnesota, where his sisters Sharon and Kathy were born. Dick’s mom, Beverly, acted as the family general contractor and built several family homes, including their homes in Ironwood, Michigan; Brainerd, Minnesota, where Tom was born; Bloomington, Illinois; Rapid City, South Dakota, where John was born; and in Clearwater, Florida. Dick built his first boat, “Pumpkin Seed”, around 1954. It was a kit boat that had a small motor and he played around on the local lakes. In high school, he always worked on vintage 32 Fords, and cut them down as roadsters. He also liked snow skiing, waterskiing, and being on the water. Dick chose to join the Air Force to serve his military service. He enlisted on October 19, 1955 and was discharged on July 24, 1959. While in the Air Force he attended Aircraft Mechanic School, learning to work on jet engines. He was at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Dick has a picture of an F-94 Fighter on his wall in the garage and on the back has written “F94 Fighter - Delaware. Dick was the Crew Chief and responsible for the maintenance on the aircraft. I flew to Geo. In the back seat for the “Top Gun” meet. 1956.” Upon discharge, Dick attended aircraft mechanic school in California, graduating with his Air Power license. He worked for various airlines, including United and Southern Air. He traveled to various locations in the world, working on planes that were down for mechanical reasons. Dick’s mechanical and supervisory skills were appreciated when he was promoted into management. He truly cared about his men. In the last few years when he was suffering with Alzheimer’s, he was always concerned about his crew, always wanting to be sure they were being fed. He was concerned they were where they were supposed to be, to get the aircraft off the tarmac and in the air as quickly and safely as possible. Dick started flying in 1958 and received his Commercial Pilot license for single engines in 1973, though he never flew commercially. He enjoyed working on small planes and flying them. Dick eventually transitioned his interests to the water, and started sailing. He loved sailing and the challenges that came with this sport. Dick purchased the hull of a Farallon 30 foot sailboat, which he completed and launched in 1977 in Oakland, California. Eventually, he found another boat he really liked which he was supposedly able to sail single-handed. In April 1990 he purchased the 40 foot two-masted sailboat with a draft of five feet. On the day of purchase he went aground in San Francisco Bay while motoring away from the sales dock! The salesmen were watching him, knowing better than Dick the terrain, and went out in a small boat, picked him up and took him to a restaurant for a few hours. That was not the last time he went aground, doing it again in Bodega Bay and several times in Mexico, where he, also, lost an anchor. Dick started his relationship with his 40 footer, getting to know her, putting together plans for changes he’d want to make to her, and thinking about great sailing adventures. He also wanted to meet people with whom he could sail. In August 1990 Dick responded to “want to sail” ads in Latitude 38, a sailing rag in The San Francisco Bay. One of the contacts he made was in response to a lady, named Pat, who wanted to crew on a sailboat. So Pat came on the scene. As it turned out, they both had “fantasies” about sailing out The Gate and heading to warmer waters. Dick and Pat were true soulmates and married on September 14, 1991 in Sunnyvale, California, with their families and friends in attendance. Dick enjoyed working on his sailboat. He and his beautiful bride sailed San Francisco Bay, the Delta and out The Gate, both north and south. Dick and Pat decided the appropriate name for his sailboat would be “Fantasy” and so it was. The new couple took family and friends out for adventures. Most of the folks had never been on San Francisco Bay in a sailboat. The experiences were indeed adventurous for everyone. Weekends were spent sailing and working on Fantasy; also meeting and getting involved in the sailing community, the Santa Clara Power Squadron. SCPS provided education and sailing adventures, not to mention the friendships that were made. In the mid-90s plans were evolving to outfit Fantasy for cruising. Dick began his modification plans so that Fantasy would be a better live-aboard and cruising boat. In 1998, Dick and Pat both took an early retirement (actually, just quit working, not really retired) and proceeded to finish up outfitting their new floating home. Now the real adventures were to begin. On October 11, 1998 at 0430, the weekend the Blue Angels were flying over San Francisco Bay, they departed under the able hands of the Captain, Richard Mundy, and his First Mate and Chief Food Officer (CFO), Pat Mundy; while cruising Pat also became the Chief Communications Officer when she obtained her General Radio License, allowing them to communicate with other vessels on certain radio waves. They sailed, and motored, Fantasy to San Diego to meet up with the famous Some Like it Hot! California to Mexico Cruisers’ Rally, Class of ’98 – ’99, better known as the “Baja Ha Ha”. The adventures had are too many to elaborate. Fantasy took Dick and Pat to Cabo San Lucas, north to Bahia Concepcion; Santa Rosalia and north in the Sea of Cortez; south to Porta Vallarta in Bahia de Banderas; and Barra de Navidad to the southernmost port of Zihuatanejo. In between these various ports of call, Dick suffered from a brain aneurism at an anchorage in Tenacatita in 2000 while on their way to the Panama Canal. The doctors in nearby Colima saved Dick’s life. Within a short time he was released to fly to California, and the doctors at the UC Med Center in San Franciso inserted eight platinum coils in an artery in his brain. Sailing friends, Joe from sv/Maverick and Bill Berg sailed Fantasy from Barra de Navidad (state of Colima in the south of Mexico) to Oxnard, California. As Dick continued to improve, he insisted on continuing the journey, and again set sail for Mexico with friends Sandy and Jerry, of sv/Yo Mamma of Alameda, who crewed to Mazatlan. The initial plan was again to go through the Canal and end in Florida. While in this part of the adventure, it was decided that, for health reasons, Dick and Pat should not head to the Canal, but cruise around Mexico and return to California in 2002. On the cruise back to San Francisco Bay, Fantasy’s main mast went overboard, just NW of Cabo San Lucas, causing damage to the vessel. Fortunately, for this sailing adventure they had very capable sailors, May Jane and Bob, of sv/Jasmine with them. They were “Fantasy savers”. Once they finally got back to The San Francisco Bay Area, Dick had to make repairs, and contract to have repairs he couldn’t make done. He got the repairs made, which included a new carbon fiber main mast, and sail. The great adventures had been had, and Fantasy sold in November 2004. The next adventure was on land, as Dick and Pat prepared to move to where most of Dick’s family lived. In September 2005, the move was made to Spring Hill, Florida. So totally different than California. It was quite an adjustment for the sailors, especially Dick. His desire to go back to California increased as his Alzheimer’s progressed. Dick enjoyed working on projects in the house that would make it easier for us; like building drawers in the kitchen cabinets. For some time he enjoyed working in the yard. He was very supportive of Pat, he joined her when she participated in local craft shows, and helped out with activities she worked on in the parish. He drove around with her, picking up and delivering banners to sponsors of the festival, also helping out in the flea market. Alzheimer’s disease made the last years of Dick’s life very difficult for him. He tried to understand what was happening to his brain. But that didn’t make the disease go away or make him better. In the end it took his life, along with heart problems. As you can see, Dick had a good life until afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Please pray for Dick, those with Alzheimer’s, and their families. Try to be understanding, love, and remember them as they were before they were struck with the disease. In Lieu of Flowers, please donate to one of the charities below or your own personal favorite Charity: Alzheimer's Association at: alzheimersfamily.org or 352-616-0170 461 Mariner Boulevard Spring Hill, FL 34609 info@alzheimersfamily.org HPH Hospice at chaptershealth.org or 12260 Cortez Blvd Brooksville, FL 34613 352-544-1181