Richard Willis Oakes

Richard Willis Oakes of Colorado, age 82, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sat April 23rd, 2024. Richard loved western movies, especially any in which John Wayne was the star. One of his favorite pictures is with him dressed as a cowboy standing next to his full-size cardboard cutout of “The Duke”. Richard loved horses, bowling, and collecting pull tabs from soda cans. Friends and family often brought him the aluminum tabs when they visited, and Richard would light up at the sight of a bag full of “pop-tops”! Though he was a sweet and gentle soul, Richard was not a fan of messes or foul language. He would let you know if something needed to be tidied up or shake a finger at you if you let a cuss word slip. Richard spent most of his time patiently putting together any one of his hundreds of puzzles. His happiest days were spent fitting pieces into the current puzzle on his worktable, with John Wayne on the TV, and a cup of coffee within reach.

Richard was much loved by his family, including great nieces and nephews who were close to him. He had a wonderful team of professionals that took care of him over the years, both at day program and managing the details of his life. His family is very grateful for his host home providers who took him into their homes and treated him like he was one of their own. We love you for loving him so well!

He is survived by his siblings; Georgie Homer, Roy Oakes, David Oakes, and Christenia Ostlee.

Richard was preceded in death by his parents George and Esther Oakes, and siblings; Vincil Oakes, Barbara Krantz, Esther Barnes, Ronald Oakes, and Rosalee Giles.

While we grieve his loss from our lives, we know in our hearts they are joyful at his return to them.