Richard W. Friend
Richard W. Friend, 63, Columbia City, passed away at 4:10 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 11, 2018, at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born Oct. 31, 1954, in Fort Wayne, he was the son of Robert Dwight and Mary Louise (Beckman) Friend.
He was a Whitley County resident for most of his life. He attended Columbia City Joint High School before joining the U.S. Navy, where he proudly served his country. He worked as a maintenance supervisor at Omnisource for 33 years. He was a member of the American Legion Post #98 and Fraternal Order of Eagles #1906. Friend enjoyed working on cars, gardening his green beans and tomatoes, grilling out, and camping at Jellystone Park.
Survivors include his daughter, Laura (Ned) Rumschlag and son, Shawn (Tiffany) Friend, both of Columbia City; grandchildren: Ganon, Breana, Lucas, Tanner, and Lanston; siblings: Larry (Shirley) Friend, Tom (Sonya) Friend, Terry Friend, and Kathy (Rodney Geisleman) Streby; companion, Tina Nickolson Royal. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Mark Friend and sister Laura Lehman.
Friends may call from 2-6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. A memorial service for Richard will follow at 6 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions in memory of Richard may be made to American Legion Post #98.