Richard M. Cole

1945-2014 Richard "Dick” M. Cole, age 69, a resident of Belen, NM passed away on Wednesday, April 30, 2014. He was born on April 17, 1945 to Vern and Evelyn Martinsen Cole in St. Cloud, MN. At an early age his family moved to Ft. Meade, SD where his dad was an EEG Technician. During his school years in Sturgis, he learned as much as he could about rebuilding motors and fixing cars. He also learned to cut meat as a job after school. He joined the United States Navy in 1966 and became a cook on the U.S.S. Enterprise serving approximately 5600 sailors. Sometimes he forgot that there were only three people in the house to cook supper for. He served in the Vietnam War. He was a skilled meat cutter by trade and worked many years in the field including owning his own meat shop. He did NOT like the snow so in 1979 he said he was going to put a snow shovel on the front of his vehicle and travel south until people didn’t know what it was. Then he would be far enough away from the snow. In Belen, he worked many jobs doing construction and meat cutting. He also owned a spray on bed liner business. He and his wife, Diana, have owned the Donut King and Rocky Mountain Casuals for many years. He was a jack of all trades. He could do almost anything that came his way. He was the most organized man you could ever meet. If you ever needed a tool or a part for something, you didn’t need to go to Home Depot or Sears. He probably had it and he could tell you what drawer, bucket or shelf to find it in his garage. If you were a friend of his, you were a friend for life. He always had a comment about everything which made you wonder if he was serious or just joking. Any race, especially NASCAR, was an every weekend occurrence. The only thing that stopped him from watching a race was his two grandchildren, Snicklefritz (Shylyn) and Bubba (Taysen). He loved all the talks that they had about guns, hunting, mechanics, school and many other things. They asked their Papa for advice many times and he loved giving it to them. He was a member of Belen Moose Lodge #1680 since 1980. He was an NRA member, a NASCAR Club member and a lifetime member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was preceded in death by his parents, Vern and Evelyn Martinsen Cole. Dick is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 43 years, Diana Eveleth Cole; one daughter, LaRee and husband, (which he considered the son he never had) Ricky Baca; two grandchildren, Shylyn and Taysen, who were his pride and joy; his sidekick, King, his German Shepherd; two sisters, Kay Davis and JoAnn Schmidt and husband, John; and two sisters-in-law, Pam Cowen and husband, Jim and Bev Patterson and husband, Gary. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and many great and special friends. A Visitation will be held at the Belen Moose Lodge #1680 on Monday, May 5th at 11:00 a.m. with a Memorial Service at 11:30 a.m. A Graveside Service will be held at Black Hills National Cemetery, on Friday, May 9th at 2:00 p.m.Sign Dick’s online tribute at www.romerofuneralhomenm.com Romero Funeral Home, 609 N. Main Street, Belen, NM

Richard M. Cole

April 17, 1945 - April 30, 2014