Richard was born on August 6, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan, to Richard and Betty Chwalek.
Richard and Deborah were married on May 21, 1980. They met through her parents, and Deborah often said she knew right away that she wanted to marry him. Richard retired after nearly 50 years of work as a Facility Manager in the automotive and aerospace industries.
Richard loved spending time at his property in Atlanta Michigan where he lived for 10 years after retirement. He was also a car enthusiast, especially proud of his emerald, green 1977 Lincoln Continental and 1966 Thunderbird. He was loving, kind, respectful, and exceptionally intelligent.
Richard is survived by his wife, Deborah; his children, Jeff (Maura) Chwalek, Cary (Jennifer) Chwalek, Joell Bodnar, Jeanette (Craig) Pardo, and Jay (Kim) Chwalek; and his ten grandchildren.
A private family memorial will be held at a later date.