Obituary

Richard "Dick" Lively

October 20, 1940 - September 10, 2025

On September 10, 2025, Richard “Dick” Lively slipped off to enjoy an afternoon toddy with his sweetheart Norma and son Benton on their back porch on North Border Drive, where the hummingbirds, mockingbirds, cardinals, chickadees, and titmice keep up the music. His parents, Claude and Velma, drop in, along with his brothers and sisters (Leonard, Popsy [Helen], Sammy [Wynell], Billy [Marie], Jane [Bob], Betty [Dan], Pauline, Bissie Mae, Edith, and Elwood), greeting him with an “it’s about time!” His in-laws—Peg, Avis, and Martha—join the party, and the porch fills with stories of a boy from Lee’s Creek who grew up with his dog Petey, shouldered responsibility after losing his father at age ten, and carried that work ethic into the Navy, aboard the USS Intrepid, and later into building a business, raising a family, and serving his community.

They reminisce about the paths he walked—Hoffman Electric, the Chamber and Rotary, the Moose Lodge and American Legion, even his unfulfilled golf ambitions—and they clap him on the back for a life well-lived. And they all laugh when Dick insists he still owns one share of Bogalusa Country Club stock.

From their porch, Dick and Norma watch Belinda and Wade scramble with memorial plans and yard work, while the grandchildren—Emily (Sam), Hannah (Dominic), Logan, and Matt (Addie)—spread their wings. What delights them most are the antics of the great-grandchildren: Callum, Jack, and Jayda. With quiet smiles, they send down prayerful strength to the in-laws still making their way toward the porch: Wayne and Anita, John, and Patsy.

It’s a Lively evening indeed.

A Memorial Service will be held in the Chapel of Poole-Ritchie Funeral Home on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 2:00 P.M. A visitation will be held at the funeral home on Saturday from 12:00 P.M. until service time at 2:00 P.M.