Memorials › MAJ Richard Rodney Osterberg
MAJ Richard Rodney Osterberg
12 Apr 1935 – 11 Jun 2005
| Birth | 12 Apr 1935 |
| Death | 11 Jun 2005 |
| Cemetery | Knollwood Memorial Park Cemetery Canton , Wayne County , Michigan , USA |
| Added by | A Wistful Drop on 07 Jul 2020 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/212544452 |
Bio
Richard R. Osterberg was a man who accomplished a great deal in his life. He was a loving husband to his wife Sandra and devoted father to his daughter Claire and stepdaughters Jo Ellen and Renee. With his love for his country, Richard served for 25 years in the U. S. Marine Corps, retiring in 1976 at the rank of Major. Following his retirement from the Marines, he moved to Michigan where he embarked on another 25-year career with Huron Valley Steel Corporation. He was an avid reader and also enjoyed many hobbies and social activities including photography, artistic painting, and dancing, skating and league bowling with his wife. Born between World War I and World War II, Richard came into this world on April 12, 1935. He was reared by his parents in Omaha, Nebraska with his older brother, Douglas and sister, Joyce. After graduating from high school, Richard enlisted in the Marines were he excelled as a leader and advanced from a Private to a Major, an accomplishment rarely seen. During his Marine Corps career, he was stationed at both Camp Pendleton and Twenty-Nine Palms in California, at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and served three combat duty tours - one in Korea and two in Vietnam . He served in the 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton , and was eventually put in position as the head of the School Battalion there. He skillfully taught tactics and combined arms at the Artillery Missile College , Fort Sill, Oklahoma . Lastly, Richard served as Director of the ABC Warfare School at Camp Lejeune, N.C. , until retiring from the Marines in 1976. Richard heroically earned many medals during his time as a Marine including two Gold Stars, a Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Medal of Honor, but one event stood out amongst the rest. A Gold Star was presented to Richard for his achievement while serving friendly foreign forces engaged in armed conflict against the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong communist aggressors in the Republic of Vietnam . The medal citation states that "On November 6, 1969, Captain Osterberg was serving as Artillery Advisor to Battery "C", First Artillery Battalion, Vietnamese Marine Corps, when the first support base and brigade headquarters located at Dong Hung came under an intense enemy mortar and rocket attack. Moving from the fire direction center to the gun positions, he constantly exposed himself to enemy fire to direct counter attacks. With disregard for his own safety, Captain Osterberg braved intense enemy fire to locate and direct counter fire. He utilized second-timed fuses, which had a deadly effect upon the enemy. His courage and professionalism in the midst of grave danger directly contributed to thwarting enemy attack. Captain Osterberg's actions throughout that event were a fine example of the high traditions of the United States Naval Service." During his second career at Huron Valley Steel, Richard pursued his interests in mechanical and chemical engineering and held several patents for innovative processes he developed. During his career he was the Plant Manager of the River Rouge Plant and then Vice President of Operations for over ten years before retiring in 2001. At age 27, while stationed at Camp Pendleton near Oceanside, California , Richard was introduced to his future wife, a beautiful young woman named Helen Sandra Scarborough. Sandra had two wonderful children, Jo Ellen and Renee, from a previous marriage and Richard took to them as if they were his own. On December 12, 1964, Richard and Sandra tied the knot and they were one big, happy family, completed by the birth of Richard and Sandra's little girl, Claire, in 1966. Although Richard remained a service man, he was able to put aside his military role at home and fall naturally into the role of loving husband and father. Richard and Sandra shared many of the same loves and they looked forward to their time out on the town together dancing. They were beautiful dancers, gliding around the dance floor to the swing, rumba, fox trot - "everything but the cha-cha!" The couple were also great skaters and together they dance-skated their way to the National Dance Championships for NARSA in 1980 where they won a gold medal in their division. Besides dancing and skating, Richard enjoyed camping and fishing. He enjoyed being active in various organizations. While living in North Carolina , he was the president of the National Campers and Hikers of N.C. He served several years as Treasurer for the Church of the Holy Cross in Novi as well as having been the president of his homeowner's association for the last nine years. In his spare time, he enjoyed drawing, painting, and taking photographs, and bowling, reading, and watching the history channel. He and Sandra also spent time traveling to visit family and friends, and to their favorite get-away spot, Las Vegas , where they went to celebrate the millennium on New Year's Eve 2000. Richard had a soft spot for animals, especially dogs and he had his dog, Rags, for 14 years before his most recent dog, Fred. He also raised miniature Schnauzers at one time and had a 27 pound cat named Booger. His cat earned that name by being friendly to only Richard and, well, a "booger" to everyone else. Richard loved Christmas and looked forward to the Fourth of July when he could be apart of the fireworks celebration. He made a point to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday each year on November 10th. Richard can best be described as a "stern teddy bear." His willingness to be tough and courageous when necessary and his ability to be sweet and endearing with his loved ones, was a rare and unique combination. Richard's friendly, outgoing nature and infectious spirit will be missed by all who knew and loved him. His family includes his wife Sandra, daughter Claire, stepdaughters Jo Ellen Westmoreland and Renee Patterson, son-in-law Greg Westmoreland, and grandchildren Lauren, Mitchell, Sean and Christopher. To learn more about Richard's life, friends may visit with the family at a memorial gathering on Friday from 10:00am until noon at McCabe Funeral Home - Canton Chapel, 851 Canton Center Road . http://www.lifestorynet.com
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