R. Richard Straub ’54

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Dick died Nov. 24, 2020, after a brief battle with COVID-19.

At Webster Groves High School in St. Louis he was active in football, student government, and glee club.

At Princeton he majored in history and the American Civilization Program, joined Cannon Club, played football and basketball, and graduated with honors. Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marines, he served from 1954 to 1956. A former roommate characterized him as “warm, intelligent, upright, and the paradigm of a Marine.”

Dick married Beverly Jean Wallace in 1958 and earned a law degree from Washington University in 1959. He practiced corporate law with the St. Louis firm of Lewis Rice for 22 years until he retired because of a brain hemorrhage and stroke. Yet he continued to approach life with tenacity and positivity, sustained by his deep faith in Jesus Christ.

He engaged in Stephens Ministry, provided free legal counsel at Score, tutored children, and assisted with stroke education at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He played golf with one hand, bowled, and loved to tell jokes and play games. He moved to an assisted-living facility in 2014, but as recently as 2019 Beverly reported he was still “Princeton sharp.”

Dick is survived by Beverly, daughters Susie Graham and Karen Spann, four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and a brother.

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