Richard Irwin Bibber

Richard Irwin Bibber, "Papa", passed away at his home in Vernal, Utah on March 13, 2022 at the age of 81. Richard was born on June 10, 1940 to Teresa Margaret Hartel and Eugene Coffin Bibber in Portland, Maine, and lived in Maine for seventy-five of his eight-one years.

Richard married Roberta Jean Small on July 13, 1968 in St. Gregory's Church in Gray, Maine. Richard and Jean were sealed in the Washington, D.C. Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on May 5, 1978.

Family was the most important thing to Richard, and he took pride in each member of his family, children and grandchildren. His wife and children will remember the importance that he placed on putting tools back in the spot from where they were borrowed, and as such, did not appreciate his daughter using his socket set to blow bubbles. Richard kept his workshop well ordered and the value he placed on neatness was evident in the way he kept his yard in Maine and Utah, and the beautiful flowerbeds he loved to keep. He taught structure, discipline, and hard work by example. Richard also had a very humorous side, an infectious laugh, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He could make any hard time seem easier by cracking a well-timed and dry joke.

Richard was a lifetime learner, truth seeker, and an avid reader. He gave each of his children a nickname that was used more often than their actual names, and also had one for his wife. Richard always had a Starlight mint or a Fireball candy in his pocket ready to pass off to a friend, and knew how to make anyone smile. He was a skilled cribbage player and was willing to teach anyone who was willing to learn. He could name any species of tree and was at home in the outdoors. He had a soft heart for animals and provided countless pounds of bird seed for the birds and squirrels in Maine when the snow was deep. Moving to Utah, he missed his New England beverage of choice, Moxie. Richard was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many callings in the Church. Richard worked for Dielectric Communications for forty-five years and obtained five patents for the work he did.

He is survived by his wife Jean Bibber, his children, sons and daughter-in-law, and grandchildren, two brothers, a niece and nephews, and his beloved dog Millie. Surviving are; Jennifer, Douglas, and Jonathan Crow of New York; Edward Crow of Texas; Emily, Dallin and Georgia Miller of California; Alyssa, Matt, and Jackson Beard of Colorado; Margaret and Cambrielle Barber of Oregon; Thomas, Felicia, Noah, Georgia, Belle, Bonnie, and Maren Bibber of Wyoming; Eugene and Shirley Bibber of Maine, nephews Billy and Andrew Bibber and niece Marjorie Willey; and Donald Bibber of Maine, and Millie the shelter dog.

He was preceded in death by his father Eugene Coffin Bibber and his mother Teresa Margaret Hartel.

Services will be held at a later date.

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