PILCHER, Richard L- Of Chelsea, Apriol 8th. Devoted husband of the late Ann T. (Dobbins). Beloved father of Tracy Pilcher and her partner Steve Olsyzna of Detroit, MI, Alison Pilcher and her husband Arthur Tsicoulias of Chelsea, Paul Pilcher of Phoenix, AZ, Nancy Midura and late husband Robert of Natick and Richard E. "Eric" Pilcher of Lynn. Cherished grandfather of Franklin Pilcher of Chillmark and Robert E. Midura of Natick. Family and friends are kindly invited to attend a Funeral Service in the Smith Funeral Home, 125 Washington Avenue, CHELSEA on Tuesday, April 16th at 12 Noon. Visitiation with the family prior to the service beginning at 10:30 AM. Services will conclude with interment at Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett. Expressions of sympathy in Richard's name may be made to the Robert Midura Scholarship Fund, Chelsea Employees Federal Credit Union, Chelsea City Hall, 500 Broadway, Chelsea, MA 02150.
Richard L. Pilcher, aged 76 years old, passed away suddenly at home.
Mr. Pilcher was born in Eufaula, Alabama, to W.E. and Jerusha (Nobles) Pilcher. He joined the Air Force in 1955, and served for four years. During that time he was in the Air Force Intelligence Service, stationed in Incrilic, Turkey. He intercepted secret transmissions which were bounced off of clouds, in order to escape detection from the Soviets. He had a personal friendship with Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 pilot who was shot down over Soviet air space, as well as being involved in that mission there as a communications specialist.
After leaving the service, Mr. Pilcher married Ann T. Dobbins, who predeceases him, and moved to Chelsea, MA. where they raised a family of five children. He worked in the post office as a mechanic on the letter sorting machines for over 20 years. He was also an avid ham radio operator. He loved wind surfing, built his own computers from components, and recently visited the Fermilab Tevretron collider. He loved to fly, and enjoyed a dawn ballon flight over Dayton Ohio, in 2008.
He is survived by his five children, Tracy Pilcher, and her partner Steve Olsyzna,of Detroit MI, Alison Pilcher, and her spouse, Arthur Tsicoulias, Paul Pilcher of Phoenix, AZ., Nancy Midura, and the late Bobby Midura, of Natick, MA,and Richard "Eric" Pilcher, of Lynn MA. He has two grandchildren, Franklin Pilcher, of Chillmark, and Robert E. Midura of Natick, MA. He also has many cousins in Alabama, Bea Miller of Andalusia Alabama.
Visitation will be held at the Smith Funeral Home, 125 Washington Avenue, CHELSEA on Tuesday April 16th, from 10:30 am until noon, at which time a Funeral Service will be held followed by interment at Woodlawn Cemetery. Donations may be made to the Robert Midura Scholarship Fund, Chelsea Employees Federal Creid Union, Chelsea City Hall, 500 Broadway, Chelsea, MA 02150