"For God hath not given us the Spirit of Fear; but of Power, and of Love, and of a Sound Mind."
Timothy 1:7

Dick Schusler died November 21, 2022, after a short illness at his home in Anacortes, WA with his nieces by his side. Born in Peoria, IL on September 12, 1932, to Ford and Olivia Schusler, Dick had a zest for adventure from the start. Dick was preceded in death by his parents, sister, Sue Whipple, and brother-in-law Bill Whipple. He is survived by his nieces Kris (Whipple) Yokley and her husband Alex and Jan Whipple as well as his great Niece Kaitlin Yokley and great nephew Connor Yokley.

Dick lived a full life.  After earning his diploma from Western Military Academy in Alton, IL, he attended Cornell University. Upon graduation from college as a Mechanical Engineer, Dick entered the US Air Force and was honorably discharged with the Rank of Captain on October 11, 1968.  An article about Seattle in National Geographic piqued Dick's interest so he bravely packed up his gear, loaded his Snipe sailboat on a trailer, and relocated to the PNW.  He then acquired a master's degree and was employed by Boeing as an Engineer in their Aeronautics Department working on various projects including the Lunar Orbiter.  In the 80s Dick and his then wife, Katie, decided to move from Seattle for a quieter life on a quaint farm in Greenbank on Whidbey Island.  While on the island, Dick spent countless hours in his wood working shop creating museum quality heirloom.  A loyal member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Dick rang bells in the bell choir and offered his handcrafted woodworking expertise to several projects.

Throughout his life, Dick was always game for new experiences. Whether sailing around the world, traveling to Nepal, or moving to Scotland as a woodworking apprentice he enjoyed nature and appreciated learning about new cultures.  Active in SARDA (Search and Rescue Dogs of America) in his younger years, Dick and his German Shephard Bruno assisted in myriad search and rescue operations including the search for survivors after the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption. Dick also enjoyed giving back to his community as a volunteer firefighter for Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue. Additionally, Dick and Katie sponsored a student from Nepal at the University of Washington.  More recently, Dick took pride as a member of the Pacific Northwest Tool Collectors Club specializing in Chapin planes.  He and his comrades at Chandler's Square invested hours researching and building a scale model railroad of the area.  A natural storyteller, Dick could easily captivate his friends and family with anecdotes of his life.

Suggested Memorials in Dick's remembrance may be made to:

King County Search Dogs
World Wildlife Federation

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