Richard Tunis Omta, a retired Air Force Chief Master Sargent, passed away 31 May 2018 in Grants Pass, Oregon, with his wife, Marjorie by his side  He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, 2 brothers Jim & Gail of Medford, Oregon, Byron Omta, of Washington; granddaughter, Cassie Marie (Omta), & Adrian Young; 2 great grandchildren, Daniel Ray Tobar and Diana Mary Young; sister-in-law, Carolyn and Joe Hironaka; and many nieces and nephews. His 2 sons, Richard Reuben Omta and Randall Benjamin Omta, preceded him in death.

He was born and raised in Sunnyside, Washington and was the fourth of 11 living children born to Dutch parents Derk Tunis Omta and Augusta (Oord) Omta. Rich was always proud of his Dutch heritage. Dutch was often spoken at home by his parents, so Rich had a lot of Dutch language in his vocabulary. His family was very close and well educated.

After graduation from high school, he joined the Army which later became the Air Force. On his first assignment, his nick-name was “Dutch” due to his accent and being blonde and blue eyed. After graduating from Basic Training, he was sent to Alaska and later to McClellan Air Force Base, California. There he met and married Marjorie Ellen Garrison 15 September 1951.

All during his career, he attended local colleges majoring in Business Administration. While at Perrin AFB, Texas, he became interested in Toast Masters International and won the State Speaking Contest in Dallas, Texas. His great interest was trading in the stock market. Upon retirement, he and his family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. There he continued with the stock market and entered the real estate business as well. His interests were bowling, archery, boating, water skiing and square dancing. He and Marjorie joined a square dancing club and Rich become President of the Southern Colorado Square Dancing Council, covering 22 Counties. He and his wife moved to Mesquite, NV in 1995. He was a member of the Mesquite United Methodist Church since 1995.

A memorial service will be held in his honor on 8 June, 4:00 PM at Mesquite United Methodist Church, 420 N. Pioneer Blvd., in Mesquite, NV.