Richard Arlen Chiavario

Richard Arlen Chiavario came into this world on September 2, 1929, and peacefully met his maker on April 1, 2015. Richard was the son of Dominic and Mary Anne Chiavario of Centralia, Illinois. He married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Herbert, and was happily married for 61 years. Together they raised three children, Jeron Kerwin (Mike), Lisa Henry (Matt), and Tony Chiavario. He was the proud grandfather of four grandsons, his “boys”, Chris Kerwin (Tammy), Kenny Henry (Mandy), Kurt Richard Henry, and Kyle Henry (Nanette). He was also blessed with five great-grandchildren, Kelly Henry, Lacey Henry, Lily Kerwin, Sean Henry, and Zoey Kerwin. He is also survived by his sister, Shirlee Chiavario; his brother and sister-in-law, Donald and Sue Reese; good family friend, Barbara Butler; and many nieces and nephews. Richard was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; beloved son, Tony; and his parents, Dominic and Mary Anne Chiavario. Richard moved to New Mexico in 1953, where he worked at Los Alamos National Labs. He began working for the FAA in 1956, when he was assigned to work in Albuquerque as an Air-Traffic Controller. Richard enjoyed 32 years of service and was a strong advocate for his career. During that time, he made many life-long friends who referred to him as “Chevy”. His interests were broad and included: fishing, boating, gardening, hunting, camping, real estate, working in his vineyard, wine making, grilling, cooking, traveling, and above all, Richard loved spending time with his family. He attended every activity his children and grandchildren participated in. He always had that beaming smile and a story to brag about. He was always ready to go somewhere. His big passion was working in the vineyard. He spent countless hours tending to his grape plants. Whenever he could work it in, he would go fishing. He always came back with a great fishing story and wanted to have a fish fry. Richard was a kind, generous, and understanding man. He was willing to help anyone who needed him. Richard tirelessly took care of Barbara during her battle with Parkinson’s disease. Recently, he looked forward to his weekly breakfasts or fishing trips with Sam, working in the vineyard and making plans for the next harvest. Richard suffered a heart attack at age 54 and endured congestive heart failure for nearly 30 years. We thank Dr. Neal Shadoff for his medical care and friendship over the years. Richard was something special to a lot of people, he will be greatly missed. Services will be Saturday, April 11, 2015, 10:00 a.m. at FRENCH – University. In lieu of flowers memorial donations are suggested to the American Heart Association, 2201 San Pedro Dr NE, Building 2, Ste 102, Albuquerque, NM 87110. Always be kind to one another and practice giving random acts of kindness.