Richard Edward Auten, 75, of Coldwater, passed away on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at Community Health Center of Branch County.
A memorial service honoring Richard’s life will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, April 29, 2017 at Branch County Fairgrounds Boy Scout Troop #469 Booth. A gathering of family and friends will be held from 11:30 – 1:00 PM prior to the memorial service at the Boy Scout Troop #469 Booth. The family is being served by Dutcher Funeral Home in Coldwater.
Richard was born November 29, 1941 to Francis and Wava (Burch) Auten in Coldwater. After graduating from Bronson High School in 1960, he entered the United States Air Force on November 2, 1960 and was honorably discharged on October 30, 1964 having attained the rank of A2C. He married Margaret Fisher on January 25, 1969 in Quincy.
Richard worked as a machine operator for Eaton Manufacturing Corp. in Marshall for 34.5 years retiring in 2003.
He joined the Boy Scouts with his son as an Assistant Scout Master with Troop 469 in Coldwater. He was then selected to be an Order of the Arrow Member and was trained in WoodBadge in 1992. Richard received the Order of the Arrow Vigil Honor in 1999, the highest award in the Order. He was selected to receive the District Award of Merit in 1995, the highest award in the district. In 1998 he was selected and received the Silver Beaver Award which is the highest award in the Council. Richard was still active with Troop 469 as Troop Committee Chairman and going on trips with the Boy Scouts. Richard enjoyed going to Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio to watch dirt late model and sprint car racing, listening to Willie Nelson and country music, working in the garage and around the house fixing things. He had a large collection of beavers and Jeff Gordon model cars. Richard loved his dog Freemont and his sense of humor will be missed by all.
Richard is survived by his loving wife 48 years Margaret; his children, DeeAnn (Jonathan) Redding of Angola, Indiana, Rick (Beth) Auten of Pleasant Lake, Indiana and Jennifer (Jeff) Ziems of Coldwater; his 7 grandsons , 2 granddaughters and 13 great grandchildren; his sisters, Lois (Ron) Baker of Portage and Sarah (Neil) Parks of Quincy. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Boy Scout Troop 469 in Coldwater.