RICHARD LEWIS COOVER U.S. AIR FORCE OBITUARY

Major Richard Lewis Coover, U.S. Air Force (Retired) was born on January 31, 1931, in Delaware, Ohio and called to his heavenly home on April 1, 2022, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was 91.
He graduated in 1949 from Willis High School in Delaware, Ohio.
Richard met his wife, Mary Elizabeth, while at Willis High School. They would be joined in marriage shortly after beginning his career in the military.
Richard enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1951 and served as an electronics instructor at Lowry AFB, Denver, Colorado until entering officer candidate school, from which he graduated in 1955.
Richard and Mary Beth’s first child, Kathleen Ann, was born in 1953.
He completed training in photo and radar interpretation at the Air Force Intelligence School and was assigned to the 548th Recon Tech Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, which provided reconnaissance support to the United Nations Command during, and shortly after, the Korean War.
Near the end of his service in Japan, Richard Allen joined the family, born in 1957.
Upon return to the U.S., Richard successfully completed pilot training over the next two years in Texas, learning to fly the T-28 Trojan, the T-34 Mentor, and the B-25 Mitchell Bomber.
In 1958, Richard began flying the KC-97 Refueling Stratofreighter and joined the 307th Refueling Squadron flying missions between 1958 and 1964 from Lincoln AFB in Nebraska and Selfridge AFB in Michigan.
Twins Karen Louise and Diane Elizabeth were born in 1961 while at Selfridge AFB.
After completing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Omaha under the Air Force Bootstrap Program in 1965, he transitioned to fly the KC-135 Air Refueling Stratotanker at Castle AFB in California and joined the 904th Air Refueling Squadron at Mather AFB in California. Between 1965 and 1968, Richard flew missions from air bases in Thailand during the Vietnam War.
After returning home, he continued duty as a flight instructor and evaluation/examiner pilot between 1968 and 1971. During that time, he also completed Air Force training as a computer programmer and subsequently served as Director of Operations for development of intel programs for the Air Force’s first airborne computer system.
Major Coover retired from the Air Force in 1971 after tireless and devoted service to his country and significant time away from his family during many deployments and successful missions. He received numerous commendations and awards for meritorious service.
After retiring from active duty, Richard transitioned to the Civil Service with the Department of Defense working as a systems analyst at Strategic Air Command, Command and Control Division, at Offutt AFB from 1971-1986, and then as a Director at Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, in Colorado.
Richard finally retired in 1995 and remained in Colorado Springs until his passing.
In addition to his military service, Richard will be remembered for his sense of humor, love of science and technology and ‘motor trends’, his commitment to his family, and his Christian faith. But to so many, he will perhaps be remembered most for one of his greatest passions, music. Quite simply, he had the voice of an angel. He taught his grateful children to harmonize and play instruments, each one inspired to follow in his musical footsteps in one fashion or another. He shared this talent in service to his church and his community. As a young trumpeter, he played taps at the funerals of scores of fallen soldiers who became part of his inspiration to becoming a service member himself.
Richard “Dick” Coover was a Barbershop Harmony Society member for 33 years, from 1976 to 2009. He was a member of the Heartland Harmonizers Chorus in Omaha before moving to Colorado and then was associated with the Colorado Springs Highland Harmonizers, now the America the Beautiful Chorus, and was a member of several quartets including the Crosstown Express. He was known for his great lead voice, attended, and graduated from the Barbershop Director’s College in 1990, and received an honorary Degree of Master of Barbershop Harmony in 1996 from the Rocky Mountain District. He served as Vice-President and President of the Pikes Peak chapter and stepped in as assistant director of the chorus at different times. He was honored as Barbershopper of the Year in 1994.
Richard was preceded in death by his father, Lewis Samuel Coover; mother, Helen Elizabeth (McGonigle) Hepner; brother, Samuel Coover; and nephew Rob Killam.
Just shy of celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary, Richard was beloved and survived by his wife, Mary Elizabeth (Killam) Coover whom he married on April 5, 1952 at the historic Eisenhower Chapel at Lowery AFB in Denver, Colorado; son Richard Allen Coover; daughters, Kathleen (Earl) Manchester, Karen (Stephen) Gay, and Diane (John) Thomas; ten grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren; sister, Betty Mick; brother, Charles Hepner; nieces and nephews.
Visitation, 10:00AM, Friday, May 6, 2022, First Baptist Church of Colorado Springs, 317 East Kiowa Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Funeral service to follow, 11:00AM, Friday, May 6, 2022.
The Funeral Service will be streamed live. The link is available upon request from family members.
Major Coover will be committed to rest with full military honors at 1:00PM, Friday, May 6, 2022 at the Pikes Peak National Cemetery, 10545 Drennan Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In lieu of flowers, memorials/tributes will be gratefully accepted in Richard’s honor to any of the following organizations, or to the charity of your choice.