Richard G. Gauker

(Rich)

During the early morning of January 12, 2019, Richard Gene Gauker, 87, of Charlotte, passed gently in his sleep, holding his wife’s hand and surrounded by his family. Rich lived his 87+ years to the fullest with deep love for his family, particularly his devoted wife of 61 years, Joan Kathlene (Brown) Gauker.

Rich was born in Reading, PA, to the late Russell Thomas Gauker and Arlene Mae (Boyer) Gauker, who preceded him in death. Also, preceding him in death was his granddaughter, Jessica Lee Tucker, and grandson, Austin Richard Tucker

He was a 1949 graduate of Reading High School, where he was in the photography club and was a cross-country track star on an undefeated track team.

Rich was a U.S. Navy veteran, serving during the Korean War from May 1951 to May 1955. He trained with Company 83 at the Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, MD, and he was assigned to the Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit in Norfolk, VA. During 1954-55 he was deployed on a seven-month cruise aboard the USS Duxbury Bay AVP38, a small seaplane tender, where he served as a Navy Aviation Electrician First Class (AE1). The “Dux,” took Petty Officer Gauker to the Mediterranean and into the Middle East Command. He visited Bahrain Island, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Italy, and ports along the shores of Africa. On the way back to Norfolk, his ship visited Rio, Brazil, and San Juan, Porto Rico. In addition, the “Dux” crossed the equator and Rich became a “Trusty Shellback.”

After his naval service, Rich graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University, Allentown, PA Campus, and over the years took many extra technical college courses pertaining to his work. He married Joan in their home town of Reading , PA, and they moved to Utica, NY, where he worked as an aerospace engineer for General Electric (GE) in its Defense Electronics Division. This began his 33-year career with GE. Subsequently, he was employed at GE’s facilities at Valley Forge, PA in the Missile and Space Division, and at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. During that time, Rich worked on the Nimbus satellite program in system test, various other NASA satellite programs and several classified space programs. He was sent to Vandenburg AFB for the Nimbus B-2 (he was Lead Analyst) and Nimbus 5 launches and for several other launches of spacecraft he helped build. Clearly, Rich was a respected engineer.

Following moves to Stafford, VA, and Norristown, PA, Rich retired from GE in 1991 while at its Valley Forge facility. He was an avid golfer, playing many years in a GE golf league. He also served as marshal for professional golf tournaments. After retirement, Rich continued playing golf weekly with his GE buddies.

While retired, he transported ALS patients, for whom he cared deeply, making this time a calling for him rather than a job.

In 2008, Rich and Joan moved from Lansdale, PA to Indian Trail, NC, and in 2016 they transitioned to Brightmore of South Charlotte, a senior residential community.

Rich was a devoted, loving father to Jolie Gauker Ferrier, Kelli Gauker Enos (Fredrick), and Kurt Gauker (Elizabeth), of the Charlotte area, and Craig Gauker (Diane), of Camden, NC. In addition, he loved and is survived by seven grandchildren: Sara Enos Ondrako, Catherine Enos, Emilee Enos, Christopher Gauker, Nicholas Gauker, Avery Tucker, and Andrew Gauker; and five great grandchildren: Nevaeh Tucker, Jaxon Hackett, Liam Hackett, Lorelai Hackett and Avianna Ondrako. He was proud of his family members’ achievements, and always encouraged them in their endeavors.

An enthusiastic traveler, and a delightful companion, Rich, with his wife, visited Russia, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Venice, France, Malta, various islands in the Caribbean, as well as many places in the US. Additionally, the couple traveled the US with their children, providing many educational opportunities and lasting memories.

He enjoyed working on his German Genealogy and discovering his ancestors. When visiting the Netherlands, Rich was able to stand on the ground at the port from which his German ancestors departed on their voyage to America in the early 1700s. He delighted in anything German or Pennsylvania Dutch, particularly the food. Rich surely loved to eat.

He was a spiritual man of deep faith, and throughout his life served his church in many ways: church council member, usher, communion assistant, lay reader, lead offering counter, chair of various committees, and Sunday school teacher. Of his spirituality he wrote, “What I do, I don’t do to strengthen my spirituality. By myself, I can’t do that. I do it because of my spirituality.” Rich participated in Via de Cristo for many years. Also, he confronted racism through church-related encounter programs. And through his church, he volunteered at a male maximum-security prison for more than 20 years, teaching literacy, visiting and befriending prisoners while sharing Jesus’ teachings.

He loved animals, evidenced by saving baby rabbits, letting his family adopt two dogs, Louie and Mitzi, even though he was allergic to their dander, and allowing his children to take in snakes, gerbils, mice, hamsters, and the like. Rich helped with various programs benefitting his children, including Cub Scouts and the Hancock School PTA.

Finally, he adopted Bootch, his little Yorkie, who faithfully followed Rich everywhere for 12 years. Often, Rich went into the garage without knowing Bootch followed him and left without Bootch. Shortly, he would hear barking at the garage door, and rescue his little Bootch. Rich wrote many Haikus – this one when his Yorkie died, “March winds brought sadness. My canine friend left his pack. Never to come back.”

As a teenager, he enjoyed playing the accordion. But his dad jokingly said of Rich’s playing, “he wasn’t good, but he was loud.” Rich loved to sing, especially the “old” songs, and those by Johnny Cash. Recently, he joined and enjoyed the Brightmore chorus. Music was in his soul. He loved to slow-dance, polka and jitterbug. Rich loved a party, with all the joyful interaction of his friends. He loved life!

For many years, at election time, he worked as a voting machine operator at the local polling place.

Rich delighted in visiting the seashore, where he would run along the beach, ride the waves, teach his children to body surf, and eat lots of seafood. For many summers he took his family to the seashore for a week. Eventually, he built a vacation beach house at Duck, NC, which became a gathering place for family and friends for 12 years.

Also, Rich was a hunter and enjoyed many winter weeks of comradery at deer camp. He took his family on summer trips to the deer camp cabin and often took everyone on hikes through the mountains. Returning from one memorable hike, for his family to enter the cabin Rich had to shoot a rattle snake that commandeered the cabin porch. Through his love of these places in nature, his children came to love them, too.

Mostly unknown about Rich outside his family, is that he had a mild case of Tourette Syndrome. As a child, Rich was told to stop doing tics. He knew he couldn’t but wasn’t believed. Little or nothing was known about Tourette’s until the late 1970s, when the medical community began to accept the syndrome as real. It was then Rich was accepted into an N.I.H. research program in Washington, DC. Although the program never helped Rich, he developed a new awareness of his struggle, and that he was not alone. In fact, Rich often said he wanted “He struggled” on his tombstone, even though he struggled silently. He didn’t complain, he lived a full, happy, active life with his Tourette’s mostly unknown to others. He would have agreed with this quote from Adrienne C. Moore: “The truth is, we all face hardships of some kind, and you never know the struggles a person is going through. Behind every smile there is a story of a personal struggle.”

Rich had a great sense of humor – loved jokes. He was very intelligent, had a deep love of family, served his church and community, was generous, welcomed others (often strangers) into his home and at his table, was charitable, friendly, sociable, fun loving, peaceable, neighborly, kind, non-judgmental, and so much more. Truly, Rich was a fine all-around man, a good and loving son, a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. The world is a better place because Rich was here.

A memorial service, including presentation of US Navy military honors, will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday February 2, 2019, at Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 300 Pineville Matthews Road, Matthews, NC 28105,

Ph #704-847-5967. The Rev. Jennifer Ginn will preside. A light lunch and fellowship will follow the service.

Donations in memory of Rich would be appreciated by Cross and Crown Lutheran Church or the Tourette’s Association of America, 42-40 Bell Boulevard, Suite 205, Bayside, NY 11361. #888-4-TOURET [email protected].

“God saw Rich getting tired,

a cure was not to be.

He wrapped Rich in his loving arms

And whispered, ‘Come with me.’

Rich suffered much in silence,

His spirit did not bend.

He faced his pain with courage,

Until the very end.

He tried so hard to stay with us,

But his fight was not in vain.

God took Rich to His loving home

And freed him from his pain,”