March 8, 1929 – February 12, 2012
March 8, 1929 – February 12, 2012
Richard Clark Hulet was born March 8, 1929, to Ester and Clark Hulet. He passed away February 12, 2012, at Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen with his family by his side.
He was raised in Copalis Beach and attended Moclips High School where he met his high school sweetheart and lifelong love Cherie May Wells. They married July 30, 1949, and started their life together in the cottage at the Copalis Beach Church. The purchase of a two room cabin on the hill was a stepping stone to the home they would raise their three children. Dick was a true Copalis Beach native. He lived in five houses in his life time, all within a quarter mile of each other, the home he built after retirement is directly across the street from his childhood home.
Though his home was always Copalis Beach, his work took him in many different directions. From the pipeline in Alaska to the Hanford nuke site and many highways from here to there. Real estate and life insurance sales came somewhere in between when his children (mostly his sons) were young and he needed to stay close at hand. In his spare time he was active in his local fire department, a member of the Lions Club and the school board at the time it changed to North Beach. He was show chairman for the Grays Harbor Gem and Geology Society.
Dick loved to DRIVE. He’d just hook up the trailer, ‘Load ‘em up and move out’. He traveled anywhere the road would take him and his family. They traveled as far North as the Arctic Circle, Alaska and as far South as Mexico City, east to New York City and Florida, throughout Canada and saw everything there was to see in between. His love of travel and desire to share that love spread to his children’s friends and even his grandchildren’s friends, hauling them to Disneyland or tournaments around the state. Everyone was always welcome. He and Cherie spent many enjoyable winters with their rock hound friends in Arizona.
His hobbies were many. He enjoyed gardening and feeding the backyard birds, beach combing, fishing, clam digging and hunting, telling bad jokes and just being with the kids. If there was food to be served you could be sure he had the barbeque and smoker going. He was sure to extend an invitation to anyone and everyone for all events. He took a large part in building homes for each of his children.
Dick is survived by his wife of 62 years, Cherie, at the family home; sons, Chuck of Montesano and Gary of Humptulips; a daughter, Brenda McCoy of Humptulips; 13 grandchildren. Roxi, Charlie, Clark, Trisha, Jamie and Jessica Hulet; Skip, Scott, Karisa and Casey McCoy; Shawn and Ryan Richard, and Heather Johnson. Nine great-grandchildren, Jade, Maxx, Matthew, Nathaniel, Parker, Aiden, Owen, Grace and Aubrey, numerous nieces, nephews; many friends, and his ‘perfect puppy’ DeeDee.
A potluck celebration of Dick’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Lion’s Club in Ocean Shores.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made in his memory to the North Beach Kids Free Lunch Program, In Care Of: Copalis Beach Food Bank, P.O. Box 304, Copalis Beach, WA 98535.
Please share your stories, memories and photos on Facebook at “In Memory Grampa Dick Hulet” or send an email to roxihulet@hotmail.com.
Arrangements are by the Coleman Mortuary in Hoquiam.
Friends and family are also invited to sign the online guest book at the Coleman Mortuary website at www.colemanmortuary.net.
