Richard 'Dick' Durbin

Dick graduated high school from St. Patrick’s Academy, Sidney, Nebraska and went on to graduate from Chadron State College, Chadron, Nebraska with a degree in biology and an emphasis on fisheries. He was the oldest of 4 children born to Barbra Brewer and Lloyd Durbin: Michael, Stephen, and Theresa. Lloyd drowned attempting to save two teenagers from the icy waters of Alcova Lake, Casper, Wyoming.  Dick, at the age of eight, became a ‘surrogate’ father to his siblings until their mother, Bobbie, married Edward Foy. Soon, another brother, Hugh, was added to the family.

Dick married Rosella Deines on 26 August, 1961, and to this union 3 children were born: Diann, Stephen and Brian. An avid outdoorsmen throughout his life, Dick loved any kind of fishing, and especially, pheasant and duck hunting. He worked as a public health inspector, store manager for K Mart, a realtor, and as a salesman for Masek’s in Gering mid-career. But his degree kept calling him…first to the Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska as a North Pacific Observer/Monitor on fishing boats. Upon running aground in heavy seas off the Aleutians which forced them to don immersion survival suits, Dick decided another career was in order.

Dick returned to the lower 48 and solid ground and went to work for the Oregon State Fisheries under the employ of the Oregon State Hatchery Division where he worked as manager in various fish hatcheries, but his crowning achievement was managing a salmon rearing facility situated in the Coast Range near Tillamook, Oregon.

He retired to Camano Island, Washington, and lived the rest of his life in the Puget Sound/Seattle area where he pursued  his passion for reading and movies, especially science fiction genre. As his health began to wane, Dick battled COPD and as a Covid ‘long hauler,’ stressed cessation of smoking and the importance of accepting the science of the pandemic.

Dick is survived by his children, Diann (Cathy), Brian (Nicole), both of Seattle, and Stephen (Robin), of Baker City, Oregon; grandchildren: Remy, Simon and Nickolas Durbin; his brothers: Mike, (Karen) of Sunriver, Oregon, Steve (Kathy) of Whidbey Island, WA, Hugh (Jayn) of Seattle, WA, sister, Terri Kirkman of Camano Island, WA.

A note of thanks to the staff of Harborview Medical Center and Cannon House in Seattle for their dedication and wonderful care, Donations in memory of Dick can be made to Seattle Medic One Foundation or Harborview Medical Center as Dick had chocked up frequent flier miles with them during his extended illness.

Because of Covid, a small celebration of Dick’s life will be held later this summer.