Richard Eugene Gause

Richard Eugene Gause also known as “Uncle Richard” was born Tuesday, July 14 1959, in Marianna, Jackson County, FL to Barkley Eugene Gause and Iris “Pat” Shuler Gause. He is survived by his sister Genine, brothers Bill, Jim, Barkley, Wade and David with their spouses and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. Richard lived in Marianna and Bristol FL. He also resided in Santaquin and Provo UT. He had a mental disability which limited his understanding to that of an 8 years-old. However, his disability did not inhibit his ability to play the drums. After Mom and Dad got where they could no longer care for Richard, he moved to Medallion Manor in Provo. Through his Medallion Manor group home residency, he worked for Central Utah Enterprises which allowed him to provide janitorial services and lunchroom cleaning assistance to several schools in the Provo UT school district. This allowed him to earn a few bucks which could be used in the snack machine at Medallion Manor for 3 Musketeer bars and coca colas. When outside of Medallion on his weekend family home visits, Richard understood that spending your money always came before the spending of his. He loved to mow lawns all his life. His favorite method was on a John Deere riding lawnmower. He would cut our lawns with a John Deere tractor not the push mower which added to his spending money. Richard loved people. He wanted to meet everyone and he tried to. “Hi, I’m Richard!” with an outstretched hand and a hug if allowed. “What’s your name?” he would ask. He was also a great storyteller. He could tell stories of past adventures, and most of these stories included where he ate lunch that day. Like Uncle Paul Gentry, one of his favorite meals was a Whopper sandwich from Burger King. On one trip home, Richard and I got a Whopper from the Dothan Burger King. The order got mixed up, his Whopper had Jalapenos, “Woohoo, Wade, this thing is way too hot!” “What’s too hot?” After further inspection, I scrapped them off and swapped him sandwiches. He literally met thousands of people in his lifetime. It was not uncommon to travel almost anywhere and hear, “Hey Richard!” “I know you!”, he would reply. Although he couldn’t always remember everyone’s name, he remembered faces and would go give the person a big hug if possible. He loved Scooby Doo, The Dukes of Hazzard, Three Stooges, any Jerry Clower/Marcel Ledbetter story and any train show. Only thing better than a train show was seeing the trains in person. Mama and Daddy, and later all of us, took turns taking Richard to see trains or airplanes. Richard befriended the train personnel at the switching yards in Provo UT and Chattahoochee, FL. He may or may not have gotten a train ride during the train switching processes and maybe to an adjoining town. Our grandfather Barkley Gause was sheriff of Jackson County for 20 years so Richard grew to love all police officers. He may or may not have had his own deputy sheriff’s badge from Sheriff Harold Wood Revell from Liberty County FL. He kept it in his wallet and promised he would only show it to his family. Richard was a man of his word. Richard loved to say prayers. As Pot Shuler noted on day while giving a Sunday School lesson on prayer, “Some of us pray and I wonder if it makes it beyond the ceiling, when that one prays pointing at Richard it goes all the way to the top of heaven.” One day Mom told Richard to take something and put in the car. Richard returned with the item, “Mama, the car isn’t in the front yard.” “Well, check the side yard and back yard.” “Mama, the car is gone.” Sure enough it was gone. Sheriff Revell was called and he came. “Pat, where were your car keys?” “I always pull them out of the ignition and drop them on the floorboard and I don’t lock the doors.” “Are you kidding me?” he replied. Aunt Loree Faircloth who lived across the street from Mom came over to see why the sheriff’s car was at her house. “What’s going on?” Aunt Loree asked. “Looks like Pat got her car stolen. Loree, do you know Pat puts her keys in the floorboard of her car?” “In the floorboard,” as Aunt Loree points to her car sitting in front of her house on the highway, “see my car over there, the keys are in the ignition ready to go.” “Loree, you can’t tell the Sheriff something like that.” “I don’t want them in my house, no sir, take my car and get as far away from me and mine as possible.” So Richard wanted to pray over the missing car and they did. “Heavenly Father we need some help down here. Our car, a green Ford Torino, is missing and we need it back by tomorrow.” The car was located later that day as it had run out of gas near Panama City and was returned “by tomorrow”. He loved visiting family and friends. As Mom and Dad slowed down in life, every year Richard and Wade would make a trip to FL to visit Bill and all of the family, relatives and friends there. A stop at the Chattahoochee railroad switching yard and the Panama City yard was always on the agenda. On the April 2024 visit he wanted to stay primarily with his brother Bill and go see trains. Richard was a Boy Scout and spent many fall Saturdays with Uncle Paul Gentry and others from their troop ushering the FSU football games. He had FSU hoodies and wore them faithfully rain or shine, 20 degrees or 100 degrees every day. Another Saturday activity was watching in person or on TV local professional wrestling from Dothan, Alabama. Dad’s brother, John Gause, was the master of ceremony for the program and the TV play by play announcer. Archie Wells, a family friend from Bristol often took Richard to see wrestling in Dothan. Hulk Hogan began his career in Dothan and saw the potential to take professional wrestling national wide and he did. Richard is a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He is an ordained Elder in the priesthood and attended the temple regularly with Dad. Mom got Alzheimer’s disease around 2005 which limited her participation in most things so Richard and Dad became big buddies. Mom would tag along when possible. Eventually Mom and Dad’s health required us to move Richard to Medallion Manor, a group home in Provo. He didn’t care for it at first, but came to love and be loved by the staff and the clients who lived there. We lost Dad and Richard’s best buddy in 2013. Mom would join Dad in 2017. Richard would join Mom and Dad Tuesday, May 21 2024. Richard will be laid to rest next to Mom and Dad at the Gregory Neil Gentry cemetery in Bristol/White Springs FL. I am sure he has hugged Mom, Dad, Jesus and thousands more since he left us. “Well done thou good and faithful servant” comes to mind to summarize Richard's earthly life. Until we cross over to our next life and hear, “Hi I’m Richard,” followed by a hug may God keep you. We will miss you, Uncle. The family will receive friends, from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM, EST, Saturday, June 8, 2024 at The Church of Jesus Christ 0f Latter-Day Saints, 12605 NW Myers Ann Street, Bristol, FL 32321. The Funeral service will follow at 11:00 AM and interment will be at Gregory Neil Gentry Cemetery in Bristol. Todd Wahlquist is assisting the family with their arrangements (850-385-2193, www.bevisfh.com).

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Richard Eugene Gause

July 14, 1959 - May 21, 2024