Obituary of Richard Norman Riehl

Richard Norman Riehl, 79, of Ocala, Florida passed away on Saturday, June 23rd surrounded by his loving family after a long struggle with cancer. Richard will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 55 years Patricia and his children, Mark (Alyse) and Marijo (Dan). Richard will also be fondly remembered by his six grandchildren Joseph, Kayla, Brittany, Nathaniel, Timothy, and Ella. Richard was predeceased by his adoptive parents Norman and Dorthea Riehl.

Richard was born in Bronx, NY on August 4, 1938. He grew up with his adoptive parents in northern New Jersey. Richard spent his entire life in New Jersey, moving to Ocala, Florida two years ago to enjoy the warm weather.

Richie, as he was known to friends and family, was a proud Air Force Veteran. After leaving the service, he worked as a specialized diamond driller on large jobs such as the World Trade Center and Newark Airport (installing runway lights). One of his early hobbies was auto racing – his family has a number of his trophies from local raceways such as Raceway Park and New Egypt Speedway. Tinkering with cars was a favorite pastime, Richie worked with his son Mark to rebuild an engine for his first car (a 1968 Pontiac Firebird convertible). Another one of Richie’s pastimes was anything hands on – he was constantly working on the house, finishing an attic, finishing a basement, replacing drywall, and painting (but he hated wallpapering).

Richie and a business partner saw the opportunity to open their own business to sell and rent construction equipment, starting EZ Equipment in Brick, NJ in 1983. He successfully managed EZ Equipment for more than 25 years supporting local contractors until health issues forced him to step aside.

A service in memory of Richard will be held on Friday, July 6, 2018 at 10:00 AM at the Tilghman Funeral Home, 52 Main Street, New Egypt, NJ 08533 (www.TilghmanFH.com).   Calling hours will be on Friday morning from 9:00 to 10:00 AM at the funeral home.  A military ceremony will follow at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ.

In place of flowers, memorial donations in memory of Richard can be made to American Cancer Society,
P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123 (www.cancer.org).