Richard Stanley Gaines

Richard Gaines died peacefully at ninety, with his son William by his side. He was predeceased by his devoted wife of 61 years, May Belle, and beloved siblings Mort Gaines and Grace Jacobs. He will be lovingly remembered by his son William and daughters Kathie (m. Raymond Welch), and Susan (m. Stephen Leibfried), grandsons Brendan and Patrick Welch, and sister-in-law Edith Gaines.

Born in Minneapolis, Richard moved to Los Angeles with his family as a child. He served in the Pacific with the Navy Seabees during WWII. He obtained a BA and an MA in education from UCLA, where he met May Belle.

Richard and May Belle raised their three children in L.A., moving to Los Gatos when the two youngest were teenagers. Richard worked as a health educator and director for the American Lung Association, raising public awareness about respiratory disease, and advocating for air pollution regulation in Los Angeles and the Santa Clara Valley. One of his proudest achievements was the creation of the first “Breathmobile,” which tested residents for respiratory disease and helped prove that air pollution and smoking cause emphysema.

In the late 1970s, Richard served under Governor Jerry Brown as the first Solar Project Manager for the California Energy Commission. His retirement years were spent in Sonoma County, where he and May Belle were regular patrons of the Windsor library, Santa Rosa Symphony, and The Sixth Street Playhouse.

Richard loved the Sierras and Pacific beaches. His happiest times were camping with his children, hiking, skiing, and fishing with his brother Mort, and walking on the beach with May Belle. A life-long Democrat active in local politics, he served on the Los Gatos Planning Commission and contributed frequent opinion pieces to his local newspapers. As an early environmentalist, he worked tirelessly to reduce air pollution and establish transit systems, and for the preservation of Yosemite Valley, the California coast, and the coastal redwoods.

Richard was an avid reader of American history and literary fiction. He and May Belle loved the theater, especially the Oregon Shakespeare Festival which they attended yearly.

Family and friends will remember Richard for his devotion to his family, tireless energy and sharp mind, strong sense of ethics, and commitment to environmental preservation.

The family is grateful to Cheryl Fox & Associates, and to the staffs of Atria Tamalpais Creek and Hospice by the Bay for their compassionate care during Richard’s long illness. Friends and family are invited to a small private memorial and to share memories online; details at www.keatonfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association, Hospice by the Bay, or the Mono Lake Committee.