Richard E. Popovich

Devoted Husband, Father, Grandfather, and Friend Richard Emil Popovich, 78, was born on May 9, 1944, in Seattle, Washington, to Emil and Helen Popovich, and died on Sunday, October 2, 2022, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was the younger of two children, and his sister, Jackie Sweazey, and parents; Emil and Helen Popovich preceded him in death. He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Susan Popovich, daughters Natalie (Scott) Pinson and Elizabeth (Ryan) Mueller, grandson Jeremy Pinson, and granddaughters Audrey Pinson, Cora Mueller, and Ruthie Mueller. Richard studied at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1962. Later, he headed to sunny California to discover the world and briefly worked for Shelby American, Inc. (a high-performance car manufacturer). He met his future wife, Susan Sobery, from St. Louis, Missouri, on the dance floor at their favorite hangout in Manhattan Beach, California. In 1969, they married in Las Vegas, Nevada, and welcomed their first daughter, Natalie, later that year. In 1970, they settled in St. Louis, where Richard earned his master’s degree in philosophy from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville (SIUE) and briefly taught philosophy. Throughout his life, Richard was always resourceful and good at working with his hands. This made him a natural fit as Head of Maintenance at Carrollton Apartments in 1971—where he worked for his father-in-law’s thriving business. During that time, Richard and Susan welcomed their second daughter, Elizabeth, in 1982. Richard’s hardworking nature paved the way for his eventual ownership and management of Butler Hill Apartments in 1990. After selling Butler Hill Apartments, in 2003, they purchased a condominium in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida, and wintered there every year until his death. He enjoyed playing cards in the cabana and attending social activities offered at their Sea Ranch Club. Most recently, he continued to grow and manage his real estate business, even from afar, owning properties in Missouri and surrounding states under his business entity, REP Properties, LLC. One of Richard’s passions in life was cars—especially sports cars, including Formula One racing, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500. He owned several sports cars during his lifetime, mostly red, and always dreamed of owning a car museum. He instilled his love of cars (and trains!) in his grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and kids alike, with his collectible car and train sets he would always have running each Christmas. Richard had a thirst for knowledge and a love of books which sparked his interest in publishing. He started his own publishing company and, throughout the years, published works such as a family member’s memoir and an aspiring children’s author’s book under REP Publishing, LLC. Richard was a history buff, a political ideologist, and loved a good debate and thoughtful conversation. He was an avid St. Louis sports fan and enjoyed college hoops. He was a philanthropist, a master record-keeper, but—above all else—he was a family man. Richard was a wonderful husband, father, uncle, and generous grandfather who always put his family first. We know that our ‘stars’ will collide in the heavens again someday. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation be made in Richard’s honor to: Prostate Cancer Foundation https://www.pcf.org/ or Sierra Club https://www.sierraclub.org/

Richard E. Popovich

May 9, 1944 - October 2, 2022