Lt. Col. Richard "Dick" Newton Cherry

Lt. Col Richard “Dick” Newton Cherry, 90, of Schertz, TX passed peacefully from complications of Agent Orange exposure on Sunday, October 15, 2023 surrounded by his wife and family. Dick was born June 7, 1933 in Teaneck, New Jersey to Eleanor Larson Cherry and Howard Newton Cherry. They resided in Hillsdale, New Jersey and he graduated from Westwood High School with friends that lasted his entire life. After a short stint in college, he realized that flying was his calling, and he joined the United States Air Force. He began his career as a navigator at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX where he met his wife Marcenia “Marcy” Cherry. They married in 1955 and began their travels being stationed from the Canadian border to the Mexican border and coast to coast. He completed jet pilot training in Laredo, TX and helicopter training in Reno, NV. Through all these duty stations they had four children: Lisa, Christina, Jennifer and Richard, Jr. Dick served his country in Korea and Vietnam. He fearlessly defended his country through 168 hot-fire missions as he flew with the Vietnam Air Force. As a pilot, Dick loved flying as much as he did travel. He loved the speed and acrobatics of the fixed wing aircraft, but his true love was the helicopter, especially the Bell UH-1 Iroquois “Huey” and AH-1 Cobra “Cobra Gunship.” Whenever he told his “war stories” about flying, special emphasis was always placed on the nicknames of his aircraft. Lt. Col. Richard N. Cherry retired at Randolph Air Force Base after 20 years in 1973 with multiple honorable and distinguished medals with several clusters. Dick and Marcy were active members of the Alamo A’s Model A Club and enjoyed travel and friends joined together by the love of antique cars. They toured the countryside of Texas participating in parades and swap meets. He then indulged his hobby for all things automotive to have a second career working for Sun Service Equipment selling automotive diagnostic equipment. But the desire to see the full United States led him to travel with his wife for 10 years as the Marketing Manager for the King Royal Circus. They worked together as the advance representatives for this independent fund-raising circus and saw most of the United States including Alaska, one tiny town at a time. Finally, they retired from the long road travels as they had been blessed with 15 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren to get to know and visit. Dick loved tinkering with automobiles and anything mechanical. He became a Corvette, Vespa, and Cadillac enthusiast, owning several models over the next twenty years. They travelled for Helicopter Reunions, Westwood High School Reunions and cruises all with lifelong friends. Dick was a pilot in every sense of the word, whether he flew a plane in the sky or drove a vehicle over the open road. He would listen to Frank Sinatra and the entire Rat Pack wherever he was and he did it his way. He would dance feeling like he owned all the blessings one man could hold. To quote “High Flight” by John Gillespie Magee, “Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings….” The eagle has landed.

Lt. Col Richard N. Cherry will receive full military honors at Ft. Sam Houston on Monday, November 13, 2023 at 1:30pm in Shelter 4. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to the America Legion Post 667, Disability Benefit Program, 504 Bowie St., Universal City, TX 78148.