Richard Avis is survived by his wife of 66 years Emily, two sons Rick and Ken and their wives Jennifer and Patty, daughter Amy, grandson Brent Avis and his wife Anjuli, siblings Gail and Michele as well as many nieces and nephews.

Three things defined Richard “Dick” Avis’s life: his deep love for his God Jehovah, his devotion to his family, and his passion for helping others serve Jehovah — especially young people.

Richard was born on March 13, 1938, in Detroit, Michigan, to Ralph and Ilene Avis. He had five siblings — Gail, Brenda, Pat, and Michele. After his parents divorced, his sisters lived with their mother while Richard was raised by his father. At just seven years old, he discovered God’s name, “Jehovah,” in the “Studies in the Scriptures” at his grandmother’s home, leaving a powerful and lasting impression.

In the fourth grade, his dad sent him to a Catholic military school, where he spent about a year and a half. After that, he lived and attended meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses with his father in Plymouth, Michigan, and was baptized at the age of 13. He loved telling others about God’s promises of a paradise future. 

At 17 he volunteered to work at Bethel, the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in Brooklyn, NY.  Upon leaving Bethel he moved to Tampa and joined the Central Congregation where he would meet and marry the love of his life, Emily Chaves. They faced a real test of faith just a few months into their marriage when the 1958 eight-day international convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses was held in New York. Richard and Emily asked for time off to attend, and both were told by their employers that they would be fired if they went. Trusting in Jehovah they went anyway. Richard lost his job but quickly found another. Emily kept her job, and things worked out. Serving Jehovah always came first.

During his 52 years of service as an elder in the congregation he held various responsibilities such as conducting the Theocratic Ministry School and the Watchtower Study. He also served on the Construction Committee for the Knollwood Kingdom Hall and on the Hospital Liaison Committee. Over the years he assisted countless brothers and sisters with the blood issue, many times leaving the house in the middle of the night, only to return just in time to go to work. He cherished the privilege of helping his brothers and sisters through these life-challenging events. 

Another big focus in Richard’s life was encouraging young people to serve Jehovah. He often encouraged them to set five-year spiritual goals. To support this, he carried 50-cent coins and handed them out to young Witnesses at meetings and conventions — literally giving away thousands.

One of his favorite scriptures in his later years was Romans 12:7-8, which mentions a ministry of encouragement. He regularly called both older and younger ones, and also reached out to those who were no longer serving Jehovah, just to let them know they were loved and missed. 

Richard will be remembered for his love for Jehovah, his love for his family, and his joy in sharing spiritual truths. We look forward to the day when we will see him again — young and healthy in paradise — fulfilling his dream of learning more about his God Jehovah and being able to teach those who will be resurrected back to life here on the earth.

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