Richard K. "Dick" Watson

Richard K. “Dick” Watson, age 94, of Carlisle, passed away, Monday, November 20, 2017 at his home.
He was born August 31, 1923 in Harrisburg to the late Raymond D. and Clara J. (Koser) Watson and was the widower of Shirley A. (Smith) Watson to whom he had been married for 61 years.
Richard was a 1941 graduate of Carlisle High School and a decorated U.S. Navy veteran of WWII. His ship, USS Isherwood, provided support for the main assault on Okinawa. His ship became involved in heavy air raids, on April 22, 1945, a kamikaze plane made a dusk attack on the ship crashing directly above his location. Suffering severe 3rd degree burns from flaming fuel, he was hastily transferred to the hospital ship, USS Pinkney, at Okinawa. Six days later, a kamikaze plane hit the USS Pinkney killing 7 survivors from the Isherwood. Richard received additional burns and shrapnel. He was further evacuated to the USS Hope for burn treatment, and later to hospitals on Saipan and Pearl Harbor, before undergoing recovery at St. Alban’s Naval Hospital on Long Island. His service medals include the American Area, European Area, Asiatic-Pacific Area, Philippine Liberation, two Purple Hearts, Good Conduct Medal and the WWII victory Medal.
Following his recovery and the war, Richard studied architectural drafting, graduating from the Williamsport Technical Institute in 1949. In 1989, Dick retired as a co-owner of MH Dielectrics, Mt. Holly Springs, which was formerly the Peter J. Sweitzer Paper Co. where he worked as a mechanical engineer.
Richard was a member of First Church of God, Carlisle for more than 60 years. He was a 3rd degree Mason, member of Carlisle Lodge #260; Tall Cedars of Lebanon; and the Harrisburg Consistory Scottish Rite. He was a kindhearted, quiet and generous man who loved his family. He enjoyed woodworking; repairing clocks; duck carving; and painting still life images. In his later years, he mainly enjoyed quiet times, reading, watching tv and spending time with family.
He is survived by: two sons, Randall K. (wife Patricia) Watson of Enola and Deen D. (wife Mary Eichhorn) Watson of Carlisle; three grandsons, Alan M. (wife Suzanne) Watson of Bethel Park, Michael E. (wife Carolyn Holl) Watson of Blue Bell and Speed Watson of Los Angeles, CA; a sister, Barbara Preston of Middlesex; two great-grandchildren, Abigail and Isaac Watson of Bethel Park; a brother-in-law, Lee Marzolf of Middlesex; five nieces; and a nephew. In addition to his parents and wife, Richard was preceded in death by a sister, Marjorie Marzolf and an infant sister Oda.
Services will be private and held at the convenience of the family. Burial with full military honors provided by the Cumberland County Honor Guard will be held at Mt. Zion Cemetery, Boiling Springs.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Suite 1509, New York, NY 10018 or www.pdf.org
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Hoffman Funeral Home & Crematory, 2020 W. Trindle Road, Carlisle, PA.
To sign the guestbook, please visit www.HoffmanFH.com