Richard W. Basinger

WWII UNITED STATES MILITARY VETERAN, RICHARD W. BASINGER

Richard was born in Pandora, Ohio, July 15, 1927.  He worked in his mother, Jeannette Sutter, and father, Ralph Basinger’s greenhouse and florist before he graduating from Pandora High School in 1946.  He enjoyed hunting, fishing and trapping with his friends in Ohio.

He proudly joined the US Army Air Force, which then became the US Air Force, and served for over 30 years as a flight engineer in the US Navy Air Reserve. 

Richard married Doris Whitehead in 1949.  She proceeded him in death in 2001.  He is also preceded in death by his sister, Ruth; and brother, Gene.  Richard then married Janet Ferrell Light Hilty in 2005.  She also preceded him in death in January of 2020.

He is survived by his daughter, Deborah (Jack) Jennings; grandsons, Caleb and Quintin; sisters, Grace (Don) Modglin and Colletta Austin; stepchildren, Bruce (Marilyn) Light, Brian (Kellin) Light, Amy Light Wagner; 11 step-grandchildren, 2 step-great grandchildren, and 4 step-great great grandchildren.

Richard worked for the Civilian Aircraft in Tucson, AZ; Convair Aircraft Co. in San Diego, CA; and Lockheed Aircraft Co. in Ontario, CA, as an aircraft inspector and flight test technician.  He received his Aircraft and Power Plants License for Chaffee College.  While working at TransWorld Airlines (TWA) at Los Angeles International Airport, he was assigned to Howard Hughes airplanes.

In 1963 he moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico where he attended the University of New Mexico studying engineering and worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratories.  He did Laser Research and Nuclear Fuel Applications for Civilian use, laser technology and laser optics research and development handling and storage systems for Tritium Gas.  He retired form LANL in 1990 and returned later as a laboratory consultant.

After his final retirement from the Los Alamos National Laboratory he had his own tech business as Basinger Consulting, doing nuclear gases leak-detection and fabrication.

Richard’s family would like to thank the kind people from Home Instead, Nurses with Heart and Ambercare Hospice for their loving and tender care they gave for the last two years.

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