Richard Earl Hubbard Obituary

Richard Earl Hubbard attended Placer High School in Auburn, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Richard Earl Hubbard.

Graduation Year	Class of 1940
Date of Passing	Feb 26, 2012
About	Richard Earl Hubbard, was born in his great-grandfather's house in "Hubbardville" November 13, 1922. HIs parents were Milton & Sarah. His grandmother Hattie named him. He had a sister Helen and two brothers Freddy and Jim. He had a wonderful childhood as he grew up on a ranch surrounded by family. His Grandparents were within walking distance and he had many uncles aunts and cousins living around him. He attended Columbia School which was a one room school house. He graduated from Placer HIgh School in 1940. At the time there was a popular cartoon strip of the day that featured a short country hillbilly "Snuffy Smith." Since RIchard was only 5'6" and lived out in "the sticks" his friend Bill Hodkins started calling him Snuffy and the name stuck with him the rest of his life. His favorite subject in school was wood shop. After graduation, he and his cousins spent the summer picking fruit and cutting wood - a hobby he loved his whole life. He them worked for the Department of Forestry until he entered the Army Air Corps in 1943 and served in one of the first fire fighting units trained in the U.S. He served in North Africa, Corsica and Italy. He returned home November 1, 1945. He promised his Mom that when he came home he would have dinner with her every Sunday and he did for the rest of her life. On a spring day in 1946, he and a friend stopped to help a family whose car was stuck in the mud and Richard became reacquainted with a girl he had met as a "kid" in her parents restaurant, the "Dutch Lunch" in Applegate. She was now a senior at Placer High School and loved blossomed. They were married in September and shared 65 wonderful years together. He loved to call her "his bride." He was a devoted husband and family man. They raised their 3 daughters Ella, Irene & Susan and spent lots of time with their grandchildren Amy, Sara, Aaron, Brian, Loralyn and Deanna. Richard and Evelyn were devoted parents and grandparents attending every event they could including band concerts, soccer and baseball games, plays, and art events. They enjoyed taking day trips and vacations to Bodega Bay and Lake Tahoe and playing a card game called Pedro. Richard loved to have them spend warm summer nights camping out at the homestead and cooking them breakfast on his grill in the morning. They also have three great-grandchildren, Emerald, Seven and Zephyr. Richard found the job he loved as a heavy equipment operator and excavated for many of the homes and businesses in and around the Auburn area including Alta Sierra and Lake of the Pines. He also was proud to have worked on the restoration of the State Capitol in Sacramento. He retired from the Don Robinson Construction Company in 1987. He was a member of the Placer County Historical Society putting up many historical markers with Lester Hammond and serving on the Landmark Committee. He was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1942 and worked on the memorial to the veterans of WWII which included the 184th infantry from Auburn. He loved to bowl for many years and was a member of the Sportsmen Club and AARP. Recently he spent many happy hours working and watching the renovation of his home with dear friends Bev and DIck Berlin, their children and grandchildren. He loved puttering in his shop, hunting, fishing camping, wood working, leather tooling. He did a lot of rock work and built several fireplaces for himself and friends. He was always teaching and helping family and friends with their projects. He had a generous heart and was a kind man who had many friends. He lived by the Golden Rule and had strong values loving his home and country. He once said, " i didn't know if I believe in God - but I do believe in heaven and he I know my Mom is there with her horse."