Richard Reeve
Mar 28, 1937 -
Dec 29, 2022
Richard Davenport Reeve, also known as "Dick" or "RDR," passed away at home on Dec. 29, 2022, with his wife Carole of 59 years by his side.
Born the eldest child to Robert "Bob" and Janice "Tilly" Reeve, Richard was born on March 28, 1937, in Seward, Alaska. Richard's first flight took place only days after being born when Bob flew the young family home to Valdez. The Reeve family lived in Valdez, Fairbanks, and a long summer in Nabesna before finally settling in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1941.
Richard attended Denali Elementary School, Central Junior High School and graduated from Anchorage High, now West High School, in 1955. He went on to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he earned his bachelor's degree in business administration in 1960. During his time at UAF, he joined the ROTC program where he excelled on the shooting team.
After college, Richard served in the United States Army Reserves for eight years at Fort Richardson. He was honorably discharged as a Captain in May 1968.
In 1962, he met Carole Kunerth, a Reeve Aleutian Airways (RAA) flight attendant. They flew together until their marriage in 1963. In the years following their nuptials they had six children together. Richard and Carole would have celebrated 60 years of marriage on Jan. 19, 2023.
Richard's aviation career began early. He landed his first Douglas DC-3 at the age of 13, a plane he would later Captain at RAA. His formal flight training began at age 17 in a Cessna 140, earning his private pilot license later that year and his commercial in 1959. Once he left the cockpit, he served as RAA's Director of Flight Operations, then Vice President of Operations, and eventually President and CEO. Richard brought RAA into the jet age with the addition of two Boeing 727s in 1983, named after his parents, RCR and Tilly. He remained at the controls of the company until 2000.
During his decades as a retiree, Richard remained active within the aviation community. He built and flew a Lancair Legacy. He chose this carbon-fiber aircraft because of its light weight and speed - he always liked to go fast. He was actively involved in the local Experimental Aircraft Association and served as its president. Always fascinated by the constant advancements in aircraft technology, Richard was a supporter of ADS-B Technologies and UAF's UAV program.
Being an avid aviator and hunter, Richard was a member the ANC Hangar of the QBs and the Boone and Crockett Club. He thoroughly enjoyed his fall goose hunts in Cold Bay and deer hunts on Kodiak Island. In 2021, he received the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from the Federal Aviation Administration.
In addition to his wife Carole of Anchorage, Richard is survived by his daughter, Lillian and husband Henry Knackstedt; son, Alexander and wife Denise; daughter, Paula and husband Jon Duracinski; son, Garrett and wife Marti; son, Michael and wife Renee; daughter, Crystal Reeve and husband Ben York; grandchildren, Forrest Reeve and wife Katya, Carolyn Knackstedt, Kathryn Knackstedt and Kaitlyn Wilcox; brother, David and wife Laurie Reeve; brother, Whitham and wife Karen Reeve; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his parents, Bob and Tilly Reeve; and sisters, Janice Reeve Ogle and Roberta Sheldon.
Richard was a loving husband, father, grandfather, pilot, businessman, wood carver, computer builder and creative individual. He will be deeply missed by his family.
