No saint in God's Church was more encouraging to me and more my father in the faith than Dick Blomquist.  I have not been in the habit of crying at memorial services, but this was not the case on Sunday the 25th.  I probably met Dick in 1989, and spent an hour in God's Word with him each Saturday morning for the next 21 years.  He was a founding member of the Bible study in the early 1960s that I have now led for many years.  He served as as a Presbyterian Elder six times.  Nancy wanted me to visit him when we learned he was in hospice.  And I was relieved to hear that even the venerable Elder and friend Bob Swenson was not allowed to visit.  So I was off the hook.

Dick pointed everyone to Jesus.  On more than one occasion he told me I should be leading the Saturday morning group.  If my father had been a man of faith, and had a sense of humor, he might have been like this Dick.  He was also a career Boeing engineer, and recited The Night Before Christmas (in his Swedish version) each year to his family. 

Richard Martin BLOMQUIST (1926-2011) Richard M. Blomquist (Dick) passed away on August 30, 2011, surrounded by family. Born on January 3, 1926, in Oak Park, Illinois, to Walter and Irma (Nelson) Blomquist, he grew up in a close and loving family. He enlisted in the military just after high school graduation and served in the Army Air Force until World War II ended. From an early age, he wanted to build airplanes. He attended Purdue University on the G.I. Bill and in 1949 received a degree in aeronautical engineering. He came to Seattle and started his career at Boeing, working initially on the B-47 and B-52, and subsequently on most of Boeing's commercial jetliners. He retired in 1990. Throughout his life, he would look skyward whenever he heard a plane and was often able to identify it by engine sound or wing structure. Dick met Phyllis Neuenfeldt at University Presbyterian Church, where they made many life-long friendships. They were married from 1952 until Phyllis's death in 1993. Dick and Phyllis were charter members of the First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue. He served in many leadership roles with the church, including serving on the Session for 16 years, and serving on several Pastor Nominating Committees. He was an early member of the Board of North American Indigenous Ministries, and served for over 40 years. He married Joyce Myers (Phares) in 1994; together they enjoyed a busy life with church activities, travel and gardening. He is survived by his wife Joyce, his children Peter Blomquist of Seattle and Kristen Chesmore of Bellevue and their spouses, and his five grandchildren (to whom he was known as 'Farfar'). As a father, grandfather, husband and friend, Dick was kind, fun-loving and generous. All who met him enjoyed his ready smile and quick-witted humor. He was a leader and role model for many,   in both his extended family and his church community. He enjoyed fishing and golfing, and loved figuring out how better to hang a screen door or to add a graft to the pear tree. He was sustained in his deep and abiding faith. 'Now I see through a glass darkly; one day, face to face.' (First Corinthians 13:12) A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, September 25 at 2:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue (1717 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue WA 98004). Please visit www.sunsethillsfuneralhome.com to offer or read sentiments. In lieu of flowers, please support FPCB Missions at the address above.

Published in The Seattle Times on September 11, 2011