Richard (Rick) M. Propp, of Alamo, California passed away at home on December, 23, 2023, of complications due to MSA (Multiple System Atrophy: Cerebellar) after a lengthy struggle against this rare atypical Parkinson’s disease. Rick died at home with his brother Jim and wife Eileen by his side. Per his wishes his brain was donated for science to the rare atypical Parkinson brain bank at Jacksonville Mayo Clinic so that others could benefit from his suffering.

Rick was known for his intelligence and kindness as much as his dry humor, and playful smile. Rick was preceded in death by his parents Allen Propp (2006) and Johanne (2007). He is survived by his wife Eileen, brothers William and Jim, sister Nancy, father in-law Paul, mother in-law Beatrice, brother-in-law Edward, as well as 4 nieces, 1 nephew, and 1 great nephew. He is also survived by aunts, uncles and cousins way too numerous to mention by name. Rick loved his large family-by-marriage, often joking, "I have 50 cousins now."

He was born in Lakeland, Florida in 1969 to Allen and Johanne Propp and went on to attend Duke University in 1987. His mathematical abilities were readily apparent as he began his career as an engineer. He graduated in 1991 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and continued his doctorate studies at University of California at Berkeley. He graduated in 1998 with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering: Computational Fluid Dynamics and published his dissertation on Numerical Modeling of a Trickle Bed Reactor. His quick mental math abilities and careful logic benefited him outside the classroom as well — he was a skilled online poker player, and supported himself through graduate school with his winnings.

Rick completed a postdoc at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) until 2000 when he joined Real Time Solutions to pursue his interests in software development. In 2003, he was hired by PeopleSoft, which became Oracle in 2005. He joined Workday in 2007 as employee # 84. He helped write foundational code for the company as it grew. He enjoyed mentoring, and excelled at inspiring and teaching large groups with his kindness and thoughtfulness. He worked at Workday for 16 years until he retired due to his illness in 2023.

Rick was a Duke basketball and San Francisco Giants fan. He loved Coca-Cola, vanilla bean ice cream, and Mama BB’s (mother-in-law) lemon bread. He was known for his dry sense of humor and his love of Hawaiian shirts. During a sabbatical in 2015 he traveled to the Giants’ Spring training in Arizona, U.S. Virgin Islands, San Diego, and Hawaii (three times, in fact) with various family members. Some of his happiest moments were from that year — simply sitting on the beach with Eileen, watching the turtles play in the ocean.

He grew close with his older brother Jim over the years. They loved watching sports, and talking about investments. Rick’s weekends were filled with visits from nieces and nephews, each of whom he had a special handshake or greeting with.

Most of all, he loved spending time with his wife, Eileen. She was the love of his life for 22 years and he, hers. They’d go on walks to see the local wild deer and turkey. He wrote her love letters, left long, doting recordings on her phone, and would teasingly joke before every meal that he’d been the first in the relationship to say he loved her.

Through Eileen’s own battles with chronic illness, he was her constant protector and supporter, a role that eventually reversed during his own struggles against MSA. In his final letter to her, he remarked, “I am the luckiest person in the world to have you as my partner, my advocate, my soulmate, and my best friend (in addition to barber, chauffeur, chef, masseuse, etc)..”

He developed a special bond with Eileen’s service dogs, Montana and later, Saturn. Towards the end of his illness Saturn started alerting him to his lightheadedness and pain as his illness progressed.

A private celebration of life service will be held in March 2024. Please do not send any flowers to this service or his home. If so inclined, Rick would like donations to be made in his name to the MSA Coalition (www.multiplesystematrophy.org) or JLAD (www.joydogs.org). 

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