OBITUARY

James Richard (Dick) Embry, born April 6th, 1942, to the late James Clark Embry and Lutie Ethel Craddock, passed away Tuesday evening, December 10, 2024, at age 82, in his son’s home in Monroe, GA, just eight months after his beloved wife, Dianna Lee Embry, passed away.  He was diagnosed shortly after her death with broken heart syndrome and quickly declined.

Dick was born in Denton, TX.  His mother’s doctor suggested that she would have twins or a baby elephant due to her size.  Later in life, Dick would say that she had to settle for the baby elephant.

At six months, he moved to Fort Worth, TX, for a few months, then the family moved to Saint Jo, TX, where his father was raised and his grandparents still lived.  It was during this first year of life that it was reported that he managed to squirm out of his father’s grip and fell head-first on the sidewalk in front of their house.  Some say the crack is still there, and he would use this as evidence of his hard head.

Dick grew up on a piece of land in Texas, where his father managed oil rigs.  He also spent a good deal of time on his grandfather’s farm.  Here, he developed his love for the outdoors, solitude, and the animals and plant life in the area.  He would relate many stories about cattle, rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and prickly pear cactus.  Later in life, he was especially proud of the century plant he had nurtured at his home in Harlem, GA.  This cactus-like plant flowers only once in its lifetime, and the flower stalk can reach up to 25 feet.  When the plant did flower, people came from all over the area to see it.

In 1963 while attending college at Texas Tech University, Dick met Dianna Lee Stark as they both attended St. John’s Methodist Church.  They were both part of the service fraternity and sorority on campus and found themselves working together.  Dick volunteered for the army and was stationed first in Louisiana, then Georgia, before returning to Texas for leave in September of 1964, when he asked Dianna to marry him.  They were married on June 19, 1965, in Lubbock, TX.

The couple moved to Fayetteville, NC, where Dick was stationed (Fort Bragg).  In 1966, they returned to Lubbock, TX, where they both returned to school.  In 1970 the couple, with their two children (Duane and Deeann), moved to Athens, GA, where Dick attended the University of Georgia (he had graduated from Texas Tech).  He was unable to complete his Master's Degree due to an unfortunate situation where his master’s dissertation was stolen.  After that, he worked many jobs but eventually became a facilities manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which he loved.  The couple moved to Harlem, GA, in 1992 and developed a network of close friends in the area for the remainder of their lives.

Dick leaves a legacy of a large and close family.  Together, they had five children: Duane (Kimberly), Deeann (Steve), Darren (Brenda), Denise (Richard), and Doyle (Jean). Their 20 grandchildren are (Duane) Stephen, Sarah, Nathan, Rebekah, Daniel, (Deeann) Brittni, Cameron, Miranda, Donavan, (Darren) Zachary, Logan, Abigail, Stanlee, (Denise) Stephanie, Courtney, Joshua, (Doyle) Mitchell, Elizabeth, Jackson, and Evelyn.  Dick has ten great-grandchildren, with more to come.  Dick is survived by his one brother, Robert (Bob) Clark Embry.

Dick enjoyed spending time with his family, camping, ham radios, and fixing anything that was broken.  His greatest joy was having grandkids spend the night, cooking them breakfast, and then showing them all his tricks that would make them laugh.  He had a subtle sense of humor and loved making people laugh.  He was a prankster at heart and had an endless supply of dad jokes.

You could not know Dick Embry without knowing of his strength, faith, and concern for others.  Dick’s incredible character instilled in his children a resilient love for and faith in God.  Dick served in numerous assignments in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including teacher, scoutmaster, stake young men’s president, and bishop, just to name a few.  Later in life, Dianna needed more and more attention due to health issues, and Dick became her primary caregiver for several years before she passed in March of this year - he would have considered this his most significant opportunity to serve.

The family will receive friends at the Monroe Ward building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 2387 Youth Monroe Road in Monroe, GA, on Saturday, December 28th, from 12:00 noon until 1:30 pm.  Funeral services for Dick Embry will follow at the same location at 2:00 pm.  The interment will be at the Mountain Park Cemetery in St. Jo, TX, on Saturday, January 11th.