Richard "Dick" Walter Day

June 27, 1940 ~ March 15, 2026

It is with heavy hearts that we share that we've lost our dear father, Richard “Dick” Walter Day. He passed away peacefully in Spokane on Sunday March 15, 2026. He was 85, soon to be 86 on June 27.

He loved Mom, Donita G. Day, who passed in August of 2023. Dad and Mom were married for 56 years. Dad loved our wives: Fiona and Lisa Day. Some of our best years together as a family were in the years after he started taking us to Fourth Memorial Church in Spokane in 1978. Richard is survived by his sons Craig Day (born 1970, Spokane, living in Snohomish, WA with Fiona) and Kerry Day (born 1972, Spokane, living in Spokane with Lisa), his grandkids Sarah and James Day (both born in Seattle, WA 2001 and 2004 respectively), and his cousins Arlene Nelson (née Nauditt) of Mercer Island, WA, and Gloria (80), as well as many second cousins.

Dad/ Richard was born in Seattle, WA in 1940. Richard’s mother Lillian Ruth Day (née Nauditt) was born in Ritzville, Washington in 1902 and passed away in 1999 in Spokane, WA. Grandma’s/ Lillian’s mother’s name was Amalia Nauditt and was born in 1865 in Germany and passed away in Ritzville, WA in 1930. Her father’s name was Ludwig Nauditt and was born in 1860 in Germany and passed away in Ritzville in 1924. They lived on a wheat farm in Ritzville and had twelve children. Richard’s dad (Robert Love Gault “L.G.” Day) was born back east in 1882 and passed away in Spokane, WA in 1959. Richard had two sisters Roberta “Bobby” and Betty and three half brothers and one half sister. Roberta was born in 1933 and Betty in 1936. Richard moved with his family from Seattle to Spokane in 1944. Dad and his sisters attended Whitman Grade School and all graduated from Rogers High School. One of Dad’s favorite stories was about when he got separated from the family as a young child in Seattle and had to wait at one of the Seattle Police Department stations, sitting with his legs dangling from the lobby counter, for his family to come to retrieve him.

Dad entered the US Navy June 19, 1958 as soon as he graduated from Rogers and was honorably discharged after his naval reserve service June 1, 1962 after four years of service. He was awarded with a “Good Conduct Medal” in 1961. He served as a missile technician on the newly commissioned “USS Dahlgren” in 1960 until his discharge in Norfolk, Virginia.

Richard was born when his parents, Robert and Lillian were living in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle at 2015 N. 80th. After graduating from Rogers High School in Spokane in 1958 and his time in the Navy, he returned to Spokane and worked for a short time as a railroad crew caller. In late 1962 he signed on at Pacific Northwest Bell as a lineman and telephone installer.

Richard/ Dad married Mom/ Donita Day (née Swan) on July 15, 1967 in Idaho.

Richard retired from PNB/ US West/ Qwest/ CenturyLink (now Lumen) in 1996 after eventually transitioning to a payphone installer and repairman once in-home telephone installation was deregulated. Dad enjoyed living in Chattaroy, WA with Mom and us kids until not long after the big “Firestorm” in Chattaroy in 1991. Mom and Dad went on to live in Sequim, WA for a time and moved back to Spokane where they lived the rest of their lives. Son Craig went on to graduate from Eastern Washington University (EWU) in 1992 with degrees in biology and chemistry in pre-med/ biotechnology, and Kerry with a forestry degree from EWU in 1994. Craig is now a teacher in Monroe, WA and Kerry currently works for District 81 in Spokane, WA as a Gardener Foreman.

We look forward to celebrating Dad’s life with you if you are able to make it on Saturday, April 18, 12:00 noon at Fairmount Memorial Park in the “Sunset Chapel” in Spokane. When you go through the main gate on Wellesley, drive straight ahead about 150 yards and there is a large white spire there and a large parking lot. His memorial will be inside this building: 5200 W. Wellesley Ave. Spokane, WA 99205. Dad’s remains will be interred next to Mom’s in a private ceremony later that afternoon. The burial site is also close to his beloved mother Lillian Day, his sister Betty (née Beck), brother-in-law Mirl Beck and nephew Mike Beck. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation in Dad’s name to the Dementia Society of America. Mail Correspondence to: Dementia Society of America PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901 USA. Finally, we wish to publicly thank Serghei and Lidiana Jacot of the “Golden Horizon” Adult Family Home in Spokane for their wonderful care of both Dad and Mom during their final seasons with us.