Richard Padilla
01.06.26
Richard Padilla was born on February 25th, 1947 at Mt San Rafael Hospital in
Trinidad, CO. He attended grade school at Santa Fe Grade School on San Pedro
Street. He graduated Centennial Junior High School in 1961.
From a young age of growing up in Trinidad, Richard was exposed to playing sports,
fueling a life-long drive to play, compete, and win in athletic accomplishments.
Richard's other Dream was to be a disc jockey, fueled by his love of early Rock and
Roll - especially Elvis Presley.
Richard attended and graduated Trinidad High School in 1965, and he attended
Trinidad State Junior College, Adams State College in Alamosa, and college in
Pueblo.
Richard
was drafted into the Vietnam War and began his tour of duty January
2nd, 1969. By May 28th, 1969 he was on the ground in Vietnam where he
served through April 24th, 1970. Richard served with great distinction
in Vietnam. When his unit was subjected to intense small arms fire
Richard displayed “aggressiveness, devotion to duty, and personal
bravery” according to the Department of the Army. He was awarded the
Bronze Star, with a V, for his heroism.
Upon
returning home, Richard attended college, but then began working on
what was his lifelong passion – broadcasting at KCRT radio as a DJ and
Head of the News and Sports Departments. He worked there from 1970
through 1977, and it was his ultimate favorite job, and he dreamed of
returning to it upon his retirement.
In
September of 1976, Rich met his lifelong partner Deborah Poole. They
were married the following Spring. In May of 1977, they were blessed
with the birth of son Brad, followed by Bret, in February 1981.
In
October of 1977 and seeking a better income for his family, Rich went
to work for United Parcel Service where he would be employed for 32
years as a semi-truck feeder driver. His proudest accomplishment came
in 2006 when he was named one of the 4,202 Worldwide Safest Drivers for
UPS. He was inducted into the UPS Circle of Honor commending him for 25
years of service (or more) without a single accident.
Throughout the years, Rich maintained a great love of sports. He could be found at most any of the High School games for both boys and girls, many of which he called for the radio station both at home and away. When the High School girls JV basketball team needed a coach for a few seasons, Rich volunteered to coach the team after work. He loved working with the kids and seeing them excel to be their best. Most of all he loved Trinidad High School.
Richard
enjoyed getting involved to help coach Bret’s youth basketball teams
and assisting in coaching the high school golf team.
As
Bret took up the game of golf, Rich’s love for the sport also grew
immensely and he rediscovered the competitive juices from other sports
he had played. He worked very hard on his golf game and went from a
lower flight golfer, and improved up the ranks to play in the
Championship Flight in a number of tournaments at Trinidad Golf Course,
winning a number of tournaments in various flights. Richard also served
for several years on the Golf Board at Trinidad Golf Course, helping to
set up and manage the many tournaments the course would have throughout
the year.
In
2010, Rich suffered an unknown accident while on the road in New Mexico
coming back from Texas on his daily Feeder route. He spent 2 weeks in
intensive care, 2 months of rehab in Denver CO, and 3 months of rehab in
Conroe, TX. Getting back to Trinidad was always his #1 priority and
goal throughout his rehab. He was finally able to return home in August
of 2010.
Richard
spent the last 6 years of his life at the Spanish Peaks Veterans
Community Living Center in Walsenburg, CO where he was a staff
favorite.
Richard
passed away on January 6th, 2026. He is survived by his wife Deborah,
and his sons Brad and Bret, as well as his brother Ron Lopez, niece and
nephew Audra and Brian and his cousin Dennis Maes.
Visitation for Richard will be January 19, 2026 from 3:00pm until 6:00pm at Comi Funeral Home. The Services will be held at the Mt Carmel Chapel, January 20, 2026 at 10:00am; followed by internment at Trindad Catholic Cemetery.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, Donations be made to the Sims Fayola Foundation and reference the Richard L. Padilla Scholarship Fund in the Notes and send to:
Sims Fayola Foundation
12500 E Iliff Ave
Ste 200
Aurora, CO 80014