DES MOINES, Wash. - Richard “Dick” Ortiz, 86, formerly of Paw Paw and Ottawa, passed away peacefully in Des Moines, Wash. on Dec. 26, 2017 with his wife and children at his side during his final days. 

A celebration of life will be held this summer in Ketchikan, Alaska.

Dick was born April 7, 1931 in Ottawa to Benito and Juana Ortiz. He married Margaret Day in 1952.

Survivors include his wife; four children, Charlene (Garnet) Dima, Steve (Konni) Ortiz, Dan (Lori) Ortiz and Sue (Scott) Elwin; five brothers, Phil, Tony, Dan (Judy), David and self-adopted brother, Tom Bernardini; seven grandchildren, Cory, Brett, Amanda (Lucas), Carli, Molly, Lucy and Sam; and two great-grandchildren, Christian and Ryker. 

He was preceded in death by one sister, Mary Ortiz Perez in 2013. 

Dick enjoyed a very full, vibrant, adventurous life. He spent his early years attending grade school and high school in Illinois where he enjoyed his love for sports, particularly basketball and football. As captain of the Ottawa High School basketball team, he helped lead the OHS Pirates to their first ever Illinois state basketball tournament in 1949. As a sophomore in high school, he asked his future bride, Margaret, for their first dance, which was followed by thousands more throughout their life together. After marrying Margaret in 1952, he entered the U.S. Army and served for two years as a crewman on the atomic cannon in Fort Sill, Okla. The couple then moved to Macomb, where Dick earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Western Illinois University and began his teaching/coaching career.

He loved meeting new people and the outdoors, interests that were shared by his wife. In 1959, the couple embarked on a new adventure which took them to Hydaburg, Alaska. They both taught school in Hydaburg and completely embraced their life in Alaska. The people of Hydaburg were kind to the young family and taught them how to fish and hunt and cook in the ways of Southeast Alaska. Some of Dick’s favorite stories were recollections of these years. In 1960, the Ortiz family moved to Wasilla, Alaska where Dick taught school for one year at a school for troubled teenage boys. The next year, the family returned to Illinois and Dick continued his passion for basketball by coaching high school boys’ basketball at Paw Paw High School for seven years. During this time, the family became completely immersed in good old-fashioned Midwest "Hoosier" type of basketball as it was their entire community’s favorite form of entertainment.

In 1969, the call of Southeast Alaska became so strong that the family simply packed up and moved caravan style to Ketchikan, Alaska where they remained throughout their remaining active years. Dick and Margaret loved Ketchikan, its people, and the outdoor life which enabled him to fish (MV Mijada and MV Anne Marie) in the summers. During the next 45 years, Dick coached both boys’ and girls’ basketball, retired from teaching, traveled the world with Margaret, and thoroughly cherished his life in Alaska. 

There are many things Dick will be remembered for. He was one of the first coaches of the Kayhi Kings women's basketball program and worked hard for equality, especially for inclusion of the girls’ teams in the Southeast Alaska tournaments. He loved entertaining his friends, particularly at Christmas and was well-known for his outdoor Christmas decorations (primarily in RED!). He modeled an ethic of hard work and expected people to step up and pull their own weight. He made his sons pull nails from scrap wood which he said would “only take five minutes” - however they would still be at it five hours later. He was a friend to nearly everyone he met and loved to tell stories of his adventures. He was well-known in his family for telling anyone with a cut, bruise or scrape, “Don’t worry, it’s a long way from your heart!” Well, dear husband, dad, father-in-law, grandpa, brother, uncle, teacher, coach, friend - you will always be close to our hearts.