Richard North Obituary

Richard North attended Central High School in Duluth, MN. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Richard North.

Graduation Year	Class of 1947
Date of Passing	Dec 02, 2022
About	Richard Forbes North 06/24/1929 - 12/02/2022. He is survived by children Stephanie Chastain (Jim), Richard, Phillip (Jill) and Valerie Chloupek (Brett); eleven grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren, and was predeceased by his adored wife, Irene (d. 2007), and daughter, Pamela Sanchez (d. 2011). “Dick” was born in Duluth, Minnesota and graduated from Central High School in Duluth. He worked on the Great Lakes as a Merchant Marine and went to Duluth Junior College. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 and served as a Quartermaster in Korea until 1953. Upon his return to the States, he visited his mother in Colorado. On the urging of his brothers, he headed to Phoenix where they lived, and fell hard for their neighbor, a beautiful blonde from New York, Irene Szafrankowsi. They fell in love and quickly married in September of 1953. He eventually joined his brothers in a family business, North Brothers, that was one of the first wall to wall carpet distributors in the Valley. He graduated from Arizona State University on the GI Bill. Irene and Dick went on to enjoy a wonderful life in the Valley of the Sun, including his time running another family business, Decoratrim, which was the original Formica distributor in Arizona. Family memories and Dick’s love for his family will live on. He had natural artistic abilities, built a family cabin in Northern Arizona, adored all types of music, and sang in the church choir for over 50 years at St. Louis the King. The family is thankful for the care of a compassionate staff at Banner University Medical who honored his wishes, with dignity, in his last days.