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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Richard T.

Richard T. Ackley Profile Photo

Ackley

September 2, 1928 – February 2, 2017

Obituary

Richard Ackley passed away on the 2 February 2017 at the age of 88 in his longtime home in St. George Utah, where he and his wife spent many happy years in retirement.
Dick's father, Tom, was a first generation Italian with a third grade education, who had spent his first years in America in a Catholic orphanage in New York City. The orphanage burned down, Tom's identity papers were destroyed, and he was released to find his way in the new world. Tom eventually moved to Los Angeles, opened a bakery, and met and married his wife and partner in the bakery, Lorraine. Richard, an only child, was born in 1928 and spent much of his non-school hours in the family bakery located adjacent to the University of Southern California. Tom and Lorraine came to know the faculty and students at USC and wanted nothing more than for Richard to grow up and graduate from this private university. And so he did, entering through the US Navy's ROTC program. In 1950, he received his commission and became the first in his family to earn a college degree. Dick dedicated his life to making the most of his life in a fitting tribute to his father's legacy.
Dick married Joan in a naval wedding service and shortly after deployed on his first assignment aboard the destroyer Brinkley Bass, to support the Korean War. After graduation from Submarine School, he served in GREENFISH and CARP from 1952-1956. His son Steven was born in 1953, and his daughter Karen in 1956.
Commander Ackley completed postgraduate training in Naval Intelligence and in the Russian language. He served as Officer-in-Charge, US Naval Field Intelligence Office, Miami, Florida, Executive Officer of REMORA and Commanding Officer of BREAM. Commander Ackley was assigned two tours of duty on the staff of the Commander Submarine Force, US Pacific Fleet, and as Assistant Naval /attache US Embassy Moscow, USSR. He was awarded the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science at the University of Hawaii in 1969. Commander Ackley assumed command of Submarine Division Thirty One in August 1969. Commander Ackley retired in 1970 and moved to Redlands, California.
Dick received his PhD in International Relations from his alma mater, the University of Southern California. He and Joan then built a home in the mountains of Wrightwood, California where he launched his second career, this time in academia. He taught strategy and defense policy at USC, the University of Redlands, and for 15 years at the California State University San Bernardino. He was a consultant to Science Applications International of Washington, DC. Dr. Ackley authored many articles and contributed to books in the field of strategic studies and defense policy. He was the founder of the National Security Studies graduate program at the California State University, San Bernardino. In September 1990 he became Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Director Emeritus of National Security Studies.
In 1989, Dick and Joan both fully retired and moved to St. George, Utah where they built their dream house on the 3rd green of the Bloomington Country Club. He served on the Board of Directors for several years, and thoroughly enjoyed the friendships and camaraderie built from hours of play on the links, and country club dining events.
In May 2013 his wife and partner unexpectedly passed away after 63 years together. He used to playfully claim that "she broke the rules and died first!" Her loss was devastating and he worried about how to navigate alone. It did not take long for his St. George neighbors and friends to step forward and show their generous spirit.   He frequently commented on how surprised and grateful he was for their warm embrace, and their kindness gave him a new reason to stay engaged, and to reimagine his new life as a single man. He wanted to stay in his house as long as possible, and the goodness of his friends and neighbors made that a reality. All thanks!
Services will be held Tuesday 7 February 2017 at 11am at the Metcalf Mortuary Chapel, 288 West St George Boulevard, St. George, Utah.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorprojet.org .
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Richard T. Ackley, please visit our flower store.

Funeral Services

Memorial Services

February
7

Metcalf Mortuary Chapel

288 West Saint George Boulevard, St. George, UT 84770

Starts at 11:00 am

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