Richard was an adorable little boy and the apple of his mother’s eye. He grew up playing with his older brother, sister and many neighborhood friends. As a boy, Richard looked forward to the many weekends his family traveled to Hartshorn to spend time visiting with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins to have fun roaming the hills and playing in the river. He enjoyed the country life so much, Rich and his wife Paula had planned on retiring there. Richard also loved his family’s yearly trips to Nebraska where they would spend time with his Gift grandparents, aunt and uncle and cousins. He had many fun memories of riding horses and having a good time. Richard made sure to take his own family to visit Nebraska. All his cousins were not only family to him but some of his closest friends.
Richard graduated from Normandy High School in 1983. He began his working career at a job with Christian Disposal. Starting in 1990 Richard trained as a journeyman with the Carpenter and Floor Layers Union. He continued his career for 34 years as a floor layer working at many large buildings in and around St. Louis.
It took Richard a while to find his true soulmate, Paula Goodman. She came with a bonus, a sweet boy named Devon. They were married on May 31, 2002 in St. Charles, Missouri. A few years later on April 11, 2006, Paula and Richard added a little brother to Devon to their family. They named him Jordan Neal and their family was complete. Richard loved spending time with his boys and working on projects either at home or at their place in the country. Fishing or riding ATVs and of course building fires for family and friends to gather at. Jordan was his deer hunting buddy and they were very successful at it.
We can all remember Richard for his humor and his many jokes he would tell, trying to shock us all with the punchline! But those who were close to Richard knew he was a sensitive and caring guy with a heart of gold who loved his family dearly. Rich was known for offering his help to anyone in need.
Richard Neal Gift passed from this life on May 21, 2024 at the age of 58. He is survived by his wife Paula Gift; his sons, Devon Goodman and Jordan Gift; brother, Gary Gift (Sandy); sister, Roberta Russian (Cliff); nephews, T.J. Frederking, Nick Frederking, James Gift and niece, Erika Warner as well as many family members and friends who all loved him dearly. He will be missed greatly, and life will not be near as interesting for those of us left behind.
