Richard Lee “Dick” Creveling
May 9, 1934 - May 9, 2023
Loving husband, father, and grandfather, Richard Lee Creveling passed away peacefully on his 89th birthday surrounded by family and friends on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
Richard was born on May 9, 1934 to the late Cecelia (Stopper) Creveling in Bloomsburg, PA. “Dick” lived most of his life as a resident of Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He served his country as a member of the US Air Force, having been stationed in California, and later at a joint NATO command base at Fontainebleau, France. While in France he made many friends, traveled extensively and was granted a private audience with St. Pope John XXIII and volunteered to assist pilgrims at the grotto of Lourdes.
Upon leaving the Air Force, Dick attended and graduated from Lycoming College, where he met his future wife, Kay, the daughter of the late Dr. James and Ruth Yoder. He eventually became an educator with the Williamsport Area School District, where he helped to influence thousands of young people during his 36 plus years of teaching. He served as advisor of the Williamsport Area High School Key Club and National Honor Society for many years as well as mentored many student teachers.
Dick loved to travel with his family and close friends, venturing throughout this country as well as visiting many corners of the world, making his way to five continents.
He was also a man of faith and lived his life as an example of piety, love and charity, serving many years as the director of religious education at the former Annunciation Church in Williamsport. He enjoyed membership in the Williamsport Kiwanis Club and Delaware Saengerbund.
Prior to succumbing to his illness, he spent several months living with his family in Delaware, celebrating a life well-lived and enjoying the simple pleasures of spending time together with those he loved.
In addition to his mother, Dick was preceded in death by his beloved siblings, Mary, William, Robert and John. He is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Kay (Yoder); son, Rick (Tricia); and his treasured twin grandchildren, Mal and Collin.
A visitation for family and friends will be held from 10 am until 11:15 am on Friday, May 19, 2023, at St. Joseph Parish, 319 East Main Street, Middletown, DE, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11:30 am. Interment will be held at 10 am on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear, DE. A memorial service is being planned later this summer in Williamsport, PA for family and friends unable to travel.
A memorial scholarship is being established in Dick’s name. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the “Richard L. Creveling Memorial Fund” at P.O. Box 536, Middletown, DE 19709.
Andrew Kilpatrick
“God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31)
Having grown up with Mr. Creveling as my teacher and ultimately as a dear friend, it is genuinely difficult to imagine a world without him. What a life he lived! His passing brings to my mind the creation of the world recounted in the Book of Genesis. Specifically, I am pondering what Dick must have been reflecting on during his final days and hours among us.
I imagine that…
Dick saw what he made out of the life God had given him, and indeed, it was very good.
He saw his relationship with his loving wife, Kay, who he loved, cared for, and treasured.
He saw his son, Rick, and the successful, generous man he has become, and the beautiful family that he and Tricia have created.
He saw his grandchildren, Mal and Collin, and marveled at how smart, and talented, and oh so very good they are.
He saw his nearly four decades as a teacher and mentor and remembered how many “Millionaires” he taught and how many young lives’ were impacted positively because of his good work.
He saw his home, filled with memories, and photographs, and mementos of a life spent seeing the world and exploring the beauty of God’s creation with his wife and their friends.
And I imagine that Dick saw that all of it was, indeed, very good.
Over the past 15 years of so, I came to realize that Dick did not believe in getting old, because to do so would mean that someday he would have to let go of what he had made out of the life God had given him, which was, indeed, very good. But as a child of God and a man of faith, ultimately he knew this time would come–that God would call him home and invite him to a banquet somehow even more beautiful than the amazing life he lived.
May Dick rest in peace. May his family know God’s love and our support. And may all of us honor Dick by living our lives to the fullest, so that someday we, too, can look back at what we have made with the lives God has given each of us and see that they were, indeed, very good.
Ben Laurenson
I was a student at the Roosevelt Junior High School (Roosevelt Rough-Rider).
My 8th grade (1970-71) social studies teacher was Mr. Creveling.
I definitely appreciated all the material Mr. Creveling presented and if I had my pick of teachers for any of my children and grandchildren it would be him.
He could also pull off a pastel shirt and loud tie when others wouldn’t dare.
RIP Mr. Creveling
Toni Fogal
Wonderful man. I had him as a teacher…
Many prayers sent out to his wife and family.
robert zarzyczny
Sorry for your loss. I had Mr. Creveling in 8th grade for PA. Civics 1979. He was a great teacher and was very well respected by those that he taught. God bless him.
Chad and Alysha Sides Greevy
Our hearts go out to Rick and to his family over the loss of Rick’s father.
We talk about Mr. Creveling as we were both in the Key Club homeroom with Rick and on more than one occasion, we believed that we were both a challenge to our Homeroom Advisor. What a great man and what a lasting influence he left upon all of us– students, friends and family. Not a time goes by that we don’t pass the Grampian homestead and comment about The Crevelings and their influences they made on this community and to the WASD school district.
Years after graduation, Chad had the opportunity to co-teach with Kay and what smiles that brought to his teaching with her in the neighborhood “Governor’s School.” The Crevelings were always full of smiles and more than a story when meeting them around town and we’d always get an update on what Rick was doing and about the grandchildren. They were always so proud to be Rick’s parents and proud of their grandchildren.
God bless Mr. Creveling. He made a lasting impact on us as individuals and on us as a family.