Richard was born and raised in Oklahoma (a diehard Oklahoma STATE fan), worked in Germany for about five years, and has spent the last 15 or so years in Virginia. Here, he met the love of his life and they began their life odyssey in 2001. Richard and his wife Deb live on a “farmette” called Peace Point Farm where they raise a variety of barnyard pets. They have three grandchildren.

Richard is a member of Bethel United Methodist Church and serves as a certified lay speaker. He has greatly enjoyed serving on teams and in other various ways in the Emmaus and Epiphany programs. Professionally, he is a semi-retired faculty member having taught sociology and psychology in community colleges for more than twenty-five years.