Richard John D'Agostino

Richard John D’Agostino, 53, passed away on Sunday March 5 , 2023 in Webster, TX. He is survived by me (his wife of 26 years Tania), his 2 beautiful children, Amaya Lucille and Summer Jean, his sister Diana, his mother Betty and his father Richard Sr. He is also survived by his 3 half-brothers Raphael (who’s here today), Roman and Benji (who live in Switzerland).

Richie was born in Upland, California on April 26, 1969. He spent his childhood in California, Florida, Missouri and then lived some time in Switzerland. He learnt the French language easily and even some German while he lived and went to school in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland. As an adult, his French stuck but his German did not.

His parents divorced in1980 when Rich was 11. He returned to Northridge CA and lived with his mom and his Aunt Katy. He had a special relationship with his maternal grandparents Lucille and John Bennett who lived 7 hours away in Shingle Springs, CA. Grandpa John spent a lot of quality time with Rich and became a father figure for him.

Rich went to Los Angeles Pierce College and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts in 1991. Shortly after that, he was given the opportunity to return to Switzerland to attend Ecole Hotelier Les Roches to study Hotel & Restaurant Management. That is where we met, as friends and drinking buddies at first. In our final year of school we began dating. And I guess you can say the rest is history. I think we were made for each other because we were voted the “cutest couple” when we graduated in December 1994. Rich wasn’t just funny, he was witty, smart, goofy and made everybody laugh. Even in tough situations, Rich could find the humor and lift your spirits.

During his first year in Switzerland, sadly, his Grandfather John passed away from pancreatic cancer which was a huge blow to Richie. To add to the tragedy, 3 weeks later his beloved Grandmother Lucille died in a freak highway accident affecting 117 vehicles. Back in Switzerland at school, Rich was grieving but determined to stay and finish because he said that’s what his Grandpa John would want him to do.

Our life after school began in Lake Tahoe Nevada working for the Hyatt Regency in various positions. Rich moved from Management positions in Stewarding, Restaurant then to Audio/Video Services. In 1997 we married in Incline Village, Nevada. Shortly after that we moved to Canada to be closer to my family, where Rich began working for Fedex as a commercial truck driver, a job he really enjoyed. In Canada Rich became a dual citizen and he also

began his religious journey – he studied the Bible, the Torah and biblical history intensely and passionately. This passion for religious truth would stay with him for the rest of his life and would frame the beliefs and faith of our little family.

After 3 years in Canada we moved just across the border to Point Roberts, WA. where we purchased our first home. In 2003 our #1: Amaya Lucille, was born. Rich was a hands-on Daddy, changing diapers, helping with feedings and working his Fedex schedule.

In 2006 we moved the family to Houston Texas for economic reasons. In Houston Rich began driving tankers and continued to do so for almost 11 years. In 2008 we were blessed with our #2: Summer Jean. Again, Richie was as hands-on as he could be, given the long trucking hours and odd schedules. We were a good partnership which resulted in a close family bond with our focus always being: our two girls, Amaya and Summer.

Rich became a bus driver for CCISD (A.K.A Mr. Rich) in 2019 and he did so for 3 years. He loved being a bus driver and was beloved by the students that he interacted with every single day. Fridays were “What’s in Mr. Rich’s CD Collection”day, which they looked forward to. The kids loved him and they had a lot of fun when Mr. Rich was their driver. In 2022 Rich regrettably had to return to tanker hauling simply because of economics: he had two girls soon going to college and they were paying truckers so much better after covid.

In September of 2022 Rich had his yearly check up with blood work. That day changed our lives: he was diagnosed with end stage renal failure caused by multiple myeloma. He began an aggressive course of chemotherapy and then dialysis 3 days a week. Last Saturday Feb 25 his lab results looked good, his numbers were moving in the right direction. We were feeling hope for the first time since September. On Monday Feb 27 he had a stroke and was taken by ambulance to HCA Clearlake. The next day he had a 2nd stroke which they also managed to remove. The next few days were slow-but-steady recovery.

On Saturday March 4, he caught sepsis and went into septic shock. He was on life support and thankfully was not feeling any pain by this time. They did what they could to help Rich battle the infection. At 5:59, amidst a beautiful Texas sunset, Rich lost the battle and his life - his body was just so battered and his heart and kidneys so weak. At last he was finally able to go home to be with his Grandpa John and Grandma Lucille.

Poem for the back of the Program:

Eternal lights flicker in a distant sky.

Where have you gone? Why did you die?

When I first saw you, you stole my heart,

And until this awful day we have never been apart.

I look to the heavens, hoping to see you.

Where have you gone? I’m searching for you.

Our painful cries fill the dark night.

We need your arms to hold us tight.

Where have you gone? Show us the place?

So we can again see that smile on your face.

We met life’s challenges and we made it through.

But how do we do it now Rich, without you?

By: Audrey Klatkiewicz

(with some adaption)