Richard Dwayne MacKendrick, age 56, died Sunday, August 21, 2016. He was born February 29, 1960 to Frank Richard MacKendrick and Una Marie (Whitmer) MacKendrick. He is survived by his mother, brother Roger, and sister Ronda, his wife Rebecca Ann MacKendrick, and his children Amanda, Ashley, Adrean, Brandon, and Allison, as well as fourteen grandchildren.
Richard was a hardworking and dedicated man who loved his family and considered them his greatest joy in life. He was a loving husband and celebrated his 34th wedding anniversary the day before his passing. He was proud to be a husband, father and grandfather. His spare time was most often spent with family and any time taken for vacation was to spend time with family at home as well as family in other states.
He will also be missed by the church members he loved and served as well as coworkers and clients where he was said to be irreplaceable in his industry. When Richard set his mind to a task he did it well, fulfilling his motto of, “Do it, and do it right the first time”.
His hobbies and interest included cycling, wood working, and electronics. Cooking was something he liked to do for family gatherings on Sundays and he was especially good at baking bread. He was an active leader in the Boy Scout program and as a result of his calling as well as the time he spent with his family, Richard could often be found camping; his Dutch oven pineapple upside down cake was a favorite camping dish.
All who knew him were blessed by his easy going personality, good humor, and his constant smile. He will be sincerely missed.
A viewing will be held Friday the 26th at 6:30 pm at the Bunkers located at 33 N. Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ 85201. His funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 27th at 10 am at the LDS building located at 1266 S 32nd St., Mesa, AZ 85204. All who knew him are welcome to attend.
Rebecca, Amanda, Ashley, Adrean, Brandon, and Allison, I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Richard. He was like a brother to our family and we so enjoyed the time he lived with my parents in Fruita. I remember his jovial, happy personality and fun loving ways. He worked hard for them too, milking the cows, helping haul hay, and was a great young man. I know he meant a lot to my parents, they worried and cared about him as one of their own children, and would often talk about him just like any other sibling sharing their hopes and joys for his future. I know they both would be very proud of his accomplishments and his fine family. I found several letters from him and souvenirs he sent to them while he was on his mission in Holland. My brother Matt is bringing them to the funeral for you to see. I am sure as you read them you will feel his strong testimony and dedication to God as he served. My love, thoughts and prayers are with your family. We have 7 grandchildren and can understand how much he will be missed by them and the family. I hope the letters will bring some peace and joy to your family.
Love.
Cindy
My heart and prayers goes out to the family. I pray that you will find comfort in knowing that death was never a part of God’s plan. Death is God’s enemy and it is not stronger than God. Just as our heavenly father had the desire and the power to create life, motivated by that same desire and by means of that power, he promises to undo death. Even though death causes great sadness to those left behind to grieve, God’s wonderful promises gives us a reason for joy … 1 Corinthians 15:26; John 5:28, 29; Revelations 21:3, 4.