Colonel Richard C. (Dick) Husemann, US Air Force (Retired) made his “final permanent change of station” on August 5th, 2021 after losing a two-year battle with multiple myeloma. He was born in Cincinnati OH on October 8, 1943, the son of Charles Husemann and Ruth McCranner Husemann, both of whom predeceased him, as did brother Steve of Mooresville NC and sister Jean of Columbus OH. 

In July 1969, he met Brenda Eleanor Gillespie in Hawaii – “the best thing that ever happened to me’ as he often said. After a nine-day courtship and two-month engagement, they were married on October 11, 1969. They were blessed with two great children. Son, Charles Bowen, a graduate of Miami University (the one in Ohio), is an information technology consultant in Chicago married an awesome lady, Stephany Metzler. Dick and Brenda’s daughter, Mary Margaret, is a graduate of Notre Dame, Ohio State and South Carolina. Married in May 2008, she is an independent high school teacher and her husband Deaver is a university executive at UNC Asheville. They made Brenda and Dick grandparents for the first time in February 2011(grandson Thomas) and a second time in May 2013 (granddaughter Ginny). Frantic but great times are definitely had by all whenever they get together.

Dick is survived by sister-in-law Diana Husemann of Fort Mill SC; nephew Colonel Matt Husemann, USAF, his wife, Sarah and two daughters, Claire and Audrey of Dover Air Force Base DE; niece Emily Spring, husband Lloyd and children Ava Beth and Quinton of Philadelphia PA; and brother-in-law Ed Scheiderer and wife Lynn of Hilliard OH.

For his undergraduate studies, Dick went to the US Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs on a basketball scholarship and majored in chemistry and physics. He graduated in 1965, and being too tall and too color vision deficient to go to pilot training, opted for intelligence as a career field. During the next 27 years, Dick was stationed in Texas, Okinawa, Viet Nam, Maryland, Hawaii, Ohio (twice), Germany (twice), New Mexico, Virginia and Washington DC in variety of intelligence collection, analysis and management assignments. The first third of his career was focused on events in Asia, particularly the unpleasantness in Viet Nam while the last two-thirds were involved with assessing the Soviet Union, especially the scientific and technical capabilities of its defense research sector. Among the highlights of his career were four extended trips in 1989-90 to the then Soviet Union as an arms control inspector under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Along the way, Dick accumulated Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and systems management from the University of Southern California. He earned the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Outstanding Air Force Unit Award, many “I was there ribbons” and parachutist wings.

After retiring from the Air Force, he and great friend Gary Bowser started a company to import Russian electron beam and X-ray technology for food pasteurization, pathogen destruction, and cargo inspection. Later, he managed a vocational rehabilitation program for people with mental health and substance abuse disabilities. In his last career, he taught physics and math at the high school, community college and university level.

Dick was a strong believer in service to community and held a number of offices in the Providence Homeowners Association. He also served as an Air Force Admissions Liaison Officer for eleven years and helped numerous students receive appointments to the Air Force Academy. Brenda and he were enthusiastic Master Gardeners and coordinated maintenance of 130+ roses of the New Hanover County Arboretum. In addition to serving as an usher for many years, Dick proffered his wise counsel as member of the St Mark Catholic Church Pastoral Council as well as the St Mark Catholic School Advisory Board for many years… but his favorite volunteer job was coaching the St Mark Division 2 girls basketball team.

Dick was a great man - an easy-going, upbeat guy who sincerely loved his family, country, faith, friends, the Air Force, sports, painful puns, lunching with the “old guys of Providence”, dinnering with awesome friends Bill and Carol Ryan, and his golden retriever, Lucy.

The Husemann family is most appreciative of the superb care Dick received from Dr Janice Dickerson, Dr. Birgit Arb and the staff of Novant/NHRMC.

A memorial mass will be held on August 20th at 13:00 at St Mark’s Chuck in Wilmington, NC. He will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date

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