Mr. Richard Earl Athey

ATHEY, Richard Earl "Dick," died peacefully on Friday, February 13, 2015. Dick was born on August 26, 1932 in Washington, D.C. Enlisting the moment he turned 18, he was a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Richmond Professional Institute (Virginia Commonwealth University) and a Master of Psychology from the University of Virginia. He began his career as a designer for the National Geographic Society, but soon found his calling in the field of advertising, in which he excelled for over 40 years. Prior to his retirement in 1990, he was CEO and major shareholder of Athey Martin Webb Advertising, Inc. with offices in Richmond, Va. and Washington, D.C. Dick's creative talents in advertising earned him both national and international recognition, including inclusion in the BOOK OF 100 BEST AMERICAN TRADE MARKS for a corporate symbol he designed, national ADDY awards, both gold and silver awards from the Southern Creativity Show, a Gold Medal at the International Film Festival for a 60-second commercial, which he conceptualized and directed and three CLIO Awards, advertising's equivalent of the Oscar. Dick was also named Virginia Designer of the Year by the Governor's Council of the Arts, at which time his work was exhibited at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Examples of his work may still be seen in such notable publications as the Communications Arts Annual, Print Casebook's Best in Advertising, GRAPHIS Annual, THE NEW YORK ONE SHOW AWARDS and many others. Outside of advertising, Dick was an accomplished artist who received a number of regional awards for his unique and colorful style. Additionally, he was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and hunting, whether at his beloved "Woodberry" in Powhatan County, or as far afield as Montana, Canada and the wilds of Africa. Dick is survived by his beloved wife, Dolores (Deezel) Athey; and their Doberman, Enyala; his daughter, Sean Athey and her husband, Jim Strayer of Richmond; his son, Hunter Dow Athey and wife, Dione Li of Los Angeles, Calif.; his grandson, Shane Athey-Strayer; and granddaughter, Larkin Li Tian Athey. The family wishes to thank the wonderful staff at Westport in Henrico for their exceptional and loving care over many months, as well as Gentiva Hospice for their comfort in the last days. Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 on Monday, February 16, 2015 at the Parham Chapel, Woody Funeral Home, 1771 N. Parham Rd., Richmond, Va., 23229. Private graveside services will be at Westhampton Memorial and Cremation Park. In lieu of flowers, tribute donations may to the Richmond SPCA, 2519 Hermitage Rd., Richmond, Va. 23220 or online at https://www.richmondspca.org.

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