Richard Anthony Nase

Richard Anthony Nase, 81, of Concord, CA, died August 17, 2021, from complications of diabetes.

He was born in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to the late Richard and Antoinette (Polito) Nase on October 12, 1939.

Richard attended Cathedral Prep and Saints Cosmas and Damian School where he graduated with the Class of 1957. He then enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was honorably discharged on the west coast where he earned his private pilot's license. In 1966, he flew a solo tour in a small plane from Carson City, Nevada, to Punxsutawney for a visit. He then flew south to visit Florida before turning west to return to Nevada where he was employed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to fight wildfires. He soon began to coordinate fire suppression activities from the cockpit of a plane. He worked many large forest fires across the intermountain west and in Alaska. He went on to earn multiple engine, instrument, and rotor wing flight ratings. In 1983, he was transferred to the Bureau's regional facilities in Boise, Idaho. Three years later he was relocated to its headquarters in Washington D.C.where he was engaged in coordinating its entire fleet of aircraft. While stationed in D.C. he completed his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. In 1994, he returned to field operations in Idaho where he retired in 1995.

He is survived by his daughter Laura, in Illinois, by his son John and daughter-in-law Shilo and his three grandchildren, Devon, Taylur, and Mackenzie, and by his son Robert, all in California. He is also survived by his ex-wife Betty Nase in California and by six siblings; sisters, Mary (Nase) Karasek, in Arizona, Louise Nase in Arizona, and Toni (Nase) Graybill in Pennsylvania, and brothers, Paul Nase in Nevada, Tom Nase in Arizona, and William Nase in Punxsutawney, not to mention an aunt and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

Memorial services were held in October, 2021, at Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

McCabe Funeral Home Inc. of Punxsutawney assisted with local arrangements.

To share a memory, visit www.mccabewaldronfh.com