William “Richard” Sloan
November 2, 1948 – April 30, 2021

Richard, as he was known among friends, lived in McKinleyville. He passed away after a short but hard fight with cancer. When he passed he had people who loved him by his side. He was not alone. 

Richard was born in Missouri and moved with his mother and sister and brother from Missouri to Colorado, Nevada and finally arrived in California. It was there the family expanded when his mother remarried and now the family of four grew to a family of seven.  Richard struggled as so many did in the ‘60s. He entered the U.S. Army and was sent to Viet Nam. He returned forever changed and in more turmoil. He tried to reintegrate into mainstream life. He married a lovely woman from Germany and they had a son Eric. For whatever the reasons Richard could not be still and became a drifter.

He found Humboldt County while hitchhiking the coast.  It is then he met his second wife. Through many ups and downs they married — however, it was short-lived. The union gave birth to son Andy in 1977 and they continued to stay close and care for each other deeply.

Richard leaves behind family in other areas of California, Colorado and Texas. His immediate family are here in Humboldt and include: son Andy (Dora); grandsons Dru (Carman), Kristopher, Mason; granddaughters Laly, Aylen and Julie; and great-grandson Bentley and his ex-wife best friend  Paula.

The family would like to thank the team at our local V.A. Medical Program and also San Francisco V.A. He was given kind and personal care which will not be forgotten. We also want to acknowledge Dr. Cobb for his kindness and concern for Richard and also Donna, Richard’s care provider (she helped make things easy not only for him but for the family). Hospice was wonderful when they stepped in to help us to include the team at the Ida Emerson House. Ayres also provided gentle support as the family was trying to let go and make necessary arrangements. We thank all of you so much.

Lastly we want to acknowledge Richard was a friend of “Bill.” His sobriety was a struggle for most of his life, however he left this life with full sobriety and recovery and the pride and dignity that comes with that. 

The family will have a small celebration of life this summer at the beach, where Richard spent many pleasurable hours.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Richard Sloan’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.