Richard Case
Richard Kenneth Case went to live with his Creator and Savior on the 4th of July, 2025.
Richard was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1936, to Pauline and Vern Case. He is survived by his sister Bette Lou McAmbley and brother David.
After graduating from Bradford High School, Richard joined the United States Air Force. He was assigned to the 778th Ground-Control Intercept Radar Station near Havre, Montana, during the height of the Cold War. It was during this time that he met his forever wife, Constance (Connie) Lentz. Together, they built a beautiful life and raised three children — Kenneth (Charissa), Steve (Heidi), and Molly (Eric) Rowland — along with seven grandchildren (David, Courtney (Kevin), Katri, Kai (Haley), Jorgen, Leif, Kyra).
After his military service, Richard earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University. After graduation, he began his career with North American Aviation, designing internal navigation systems for nuclear submarines and ballistic missiles.
Soon, Richard was drawn to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), where he worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. As a systems engineer, he contributed to several historic interplanetary missions, including Mariner 4 (first successful flyby of Mars) and Mariner 5 (mission around Venus). Most notably, Richard served as NASA’s lead systems engineer for the Viking Program. After an eleven-month journey, Viking 1 and Viking 2 became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars on July 20 and September 3, 1976. For his groundbreaking work, Richard was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal.
The true highlight of Richard’s life was the energy and enthusiasm he put into raising his family and integrating into the great outdoors. He was a passionate leader in the Boy Scouts, YMCA Indian Princesses, and a dedicated coach of youth football and baseball. His love for nature took the family on countless multi-day hikes and river canoe trips throughout California’s Sierra Nevada range, rim-to-rim hikes across the Grand Canyon, a summit of Mt. Whitney (highest peak in the lower 48), skiing adventures at Mammoth Mountain, and rappelling expeditions at Vasquez Rocks — just to name a few.
During the Viking mission, the Case family relocated to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to be closer to NASA’s Eastern Launch Range. They traded the mountains of CA for living on the shores of Coco Beach FL – enjoying newfound adventures of surfing the Atlantic and water skiing the Banana River.
Still drawn to the mountains, Richard eventually called a family meeting and proposed a move from Southern California to Boulder, Colorado. The vote was unanimous. From 1980 onward, the Rockies became the family’s backyard playground.
In Colorado, Richard joined Ball Aerospace, where he supported advanced defense satellite programs and space-based science missions for the University of Colorado.
As his family grew, Richard found endless joy in sharing horseback rides, fly-fishing, camping trips, and hikes with his grandchildren — passing along his passion for the wilderness.
Richard had a heart for service that reached around the globe. He brought his children to Tecate, Mexico, to help build a local clinic; supported family friends working to install water wells at an orphanage in Nepal; and traveled with Connie to China as part of a team providing cataract surgeries to those in need. For over 20 years, Richard and Connie have faithfully led local efforts for Samaritan’s Purse, helping bring relief and hope to communities around the world.
On July 3rd, 2025, Richard spent the evening at a backyard BBQ surrounded by his beloved family. The next morning, on Independence Day, he raised the American flag one last time, returned inside, and — alongside his wife of 67 years — peacefully departed for his eternal home.
Just like the spacecraft he helped send beyond the solar system, Richard’s influence continues to travel farther than we can see. His legacy is woven into the lives he touched — through his boundless curiosity, love of family, courage to explore, and belief in the power of time well spent with those you love.
Richard Case — a boy from Bradford, Pennsylvania — showed us how to live fully, love deeply, and leave this world better than he found it.