Richard North
Richard B. “Dick” North, a lifetime resident of Rossville, passed away on July 23, 2020, after a brief illness. He was 88.
Dick was born on Sept. 10, 1931, the son of Grace and John Henry North. He was the sixth of seven North brothers who were a force in local athletics in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He attended Rossville High School, where he played on the varsity football and basketball teams. He was a member of the Rossville basketball team that won the 1946 Georgia State championship. He was the captain of the basketball team his senior year. In 1994, Dick was inducted by the Rossville High School Alumni Association into its Sports Hall of Fame.
After high school, Dick attended the University of Chattanooga on an R.O.T.C. scholarship. He was a member of the Moccasins varsity basketball team, and a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity (of which he served as president). During college, he also traveled the southeast playing on the Peerless Woolens softball team. He graduated with a B.S. degree from the University of Chattanooga in 1954.
Soon after college, he married the late Anna Mildred Washington North, and they celebrated their 59th anniversary shortly before her death in 2014.
Following graduation, Dick served in the United States Army. He was an officer with the 583rd Field Artillery Battalion. After leaving active duty in 1956, he served in the U.S. Army reserves, achieving the rank of Captain. He also then became the Manager of G & M Furniture Company (and later the owner of the store, which he renamed North Furniture Company), where he worked for more than fifty years.
Dick was extremely active in the community. He was a member of the Walker County School Board from 1959 until 1970, and served a term as chairman of the board. He served as president of the North Georgia Athletic Officials Association, and for years he officiated high school football games throughout north Georgia. He belonged to Rossville Lodge No. 397, F. & A. M., and the Alahambra Shriners of Chattanooga.
In addition to his wife and his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Frederick L. North (and his late wife, Roberta), John H. North, Jr., William L. North, Harold L. North (and his late wife, Frances), and M. Lamar North; and by his sisters Frances Monds (Leroy) and Elizabeth Jane North.
He is survived by a daughter, Terri A. North; a son, Richard B. North, Jr. (Claudia); two grandchildren, Richard B. North III and Margaret A. (Maggie) Ramsey (Kevin); a brother, Ben L. North (Mildred); sisters-in-law, Maxine North and Mary North; and several nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind three dedicated caregivers, Connie Daniels, Dee Myers, and Renette Camp, who brightened his final years.
The family will hold a private burial service, with a memorial service at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to McFarland United Methodist Church, 101 East Gordon Ave., Rossville, Ga. 30741, where Dick was a lifelong member.
Arrangements are by Heritage Funeral Home & Crematory, Battlefield Parkway.