Richard W. Friend

Richard W. Friend, age 63, of Columbia City, IN passed away at 4:10 am on Sunday February 11, 2018 at Parkview Whitley Hospital. Born on October 31, 1954 in Fort Wayne, IN, he was the son of Robert Dwight and Mary Louise (Beckman) Friend.

Richard was a Whitley County resident for most of his life. He attended Columbia City Joint High School before joining the U.S. Navy, where he proudly served his country. Richard worked as a maintenance supervisor at Omnisource for 33 years. He was a member of the American Legion Post #98 and Fraternal Order of Eagles #1906. Richard enjoyed working on cars, gardening his green beans and tomatoes, grilling out, and camping at Jellystone Park.

Survivors include his daughter Laura (Ned) Rumschlag and son Shawn (Tiffany) Friend, both of Columbia City; grandchildren Ganon, Breana, Lucas, Tanner, and Lanston; siblings Larry (Shirley) Friend, Tom (Sonya) Friend, Terry Friend, and Kathy (Rodney Geisleman) Streby; companion Tina Nickolson Royal, all of Columbia City. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Mark Friend and sister Laura Lehman.

Friends may call from 2:00-6:00 pm on Thursday, February 15, 2018 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. A memorial service for Richard will follow at 6:00 pm at the funeral home. Memorial contributions in memory of Richard may be made to American Legion Post #98. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send the family a condolence.