Richard James Meehan

Richard James Meehan, Sr. was born in Des Plaines on August 28, 1937. Richard (Dickie) graduated from Maryville Academy in Des Plaines. When he needed a date to the Post Office Dinner Dance, his sister set him up with her close friend Patricia Austin. Richard took her to the Post Office Dinner Dance in 1963, where she won a $25 dollar gift certificate and Richard’s heart. They were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Des Plaines in 1965.

They built a home in Mt. Prospect, had a son (Richard James “Jimmy” Meehan, Jr.) in 1966 and a daughter (Susan Lynn Meehan) in 1970. While their kids attended school at St. Zachary Catholic Grade School, Richard and Pat volunteered at numerous Casino Nights and Spaghetti Dinners.

Richard was always a hard worker, starting with a paper route that he completed before making his way to school. From the paper route he progressed to selling newspapers at the local train station, followed by taking on additional duties with the newspaper company. He moved on to working at a dime-store in Chicago before landing a job at the Des Plaines Post Office. He stepped away from the Post Office to serve in the United States Army at a chemical weapons facility in Maryland, then as a reservist. After being honorably discharged from the Army, he returned to the Des Plaines Post Office as a desk clerk and President of the local APWU. He retired from the Post Office in 1992 after which he and his wife moved to Durham, North Carolina. They lived in Durham for 19 years and returned to Elgin in 2012.

Richard welcomed daughter-in-law Ellen and son-in-law Ed with open arms. In the eyes of Richard and Patricia, Ellen and Ed became their own children as soon as their kids fell in love with them.

Richard loved spaghetti westerns, the Chicago Cubs, Bald Eagles, and all things Irish. A gifted storyteller, Richard could tell stories for hours. He was a true family man and would do anything for that family – including working multiple jobs to help pay for the home in Mount Prospect, trips to see Patricia’s family in Virginia and North Carolina, and a Catholic education for his children. He took great pride in a well-manicured lawn and a well-organized garage. He was always willing to get the charcoal grill going to cook burgers, hotdogs and bratwurst – even in the dead of winter. He loved a good book with crime dramas being his book of choice.

Richard was a dedicated husband, father, uncle, cousin and friend. He loved his granddogs and grandhorses, his nieces and nephews, their spouses, their children and grandchildren, his cousins and his “bonus kids” (Jimmy’s and Susan’s close friends). But it went further than that – if you met him, you were immediately charmed by his twinkling eyes, his stories and his chuckle. His children learned the value of hard work, dedication to those they love, the ability to laugh, and their love of books and animals from him.

Richard passed away peacefully on February 12, 2026.

He was preceded in death by the love of his life Patrica Ann Meehan (Austin), his parents Thomas and Magdalena Meehan, his brother Thomas, his sisters Mary Sherman and Carol Sieverding, and many others.

He was a proud Army veteran who was inspired by the American Bald Eagle. Please don’t hesitate to make a donation in his name to the American Eagle Foundation (AEF), https://eagles.org/ or the Chris Patterson Memorial Foundation, https://chrispattersonmemorial.org/.

Visitation services will be held at Countryside Funeral Home at 95 S Gilbert St, South Elgin, IL 60177 on February 21 from 10:00 am until time of sharing and military honors at 12:00 pm. Funeral luncheon to follow.