Services are set for 10 a.m. July 20 at Seattle University for Richard Louis Haugland who died June 4 in Seattle.
He was born Nov. 19, 1935, in Seattle, the only son of Robert and Henrietta (Simon) Haugland. He grew up in Port Angeles, Wash., and graduated from Port Angeles High School. After high school he served in the U.S. Army and attended University of Washington on the G.I. Bill, earning bachelor’s degrees in zoology and literature, as well as a varsity letter on the rowing team. In 1963, he married Marylou McMahon, and together they raised five children in Seattle and Bellevue. After earning his insurance accreditation, he turned his love of the sea into a career in marine insurance, running his own agency R. L. Haugland Co. out of Ballard for decades, serving mostly the small-boat Alaska fishing fleet in Southeast Alaska, Bristol Bay, Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet. He loved Alaska, and some of his favorite memories and stories were about adventures during his high school years as a young commercial fisherman. He enjoyed all of Southeast, but his favorite community was Sitka, where he had several friends, and reflected often on a special trip he made here with his son in the 1970s. He was intellectually curious and had a lifelong love of adventure and the outdoors, and read any book he could get his hands on about Alaska. He was a dedicated father to his five kids, attending every sporting and music event throughout their childhoods, and keeping in close touch with them when they were adults. “He was the kindest person I’ve ever known, with a truly generous heart that believed in the best in people,” wrote his youngest daughter, Heather, formerly of Sitka. “He was keenly intelligent, humble, easy-to-please, optimistic, hard-working and resilient in the face of hardship. Above all, he was a devoted father. In his eyes, we could do no wrong. Although I will miss him terribly, I am so grateful for the privilege of being his daughter.” He was preceded in death by son Michael. He is survived by daughters Melissa Lloyd of Clyde Hill, Wash.; Shannon Haugland of Sitka; Megan Haugland of Bellevue, Wash.; and Heather Haugland of Bellingham, Wash. Other survivors include grandchildren Connor, Tyler and Jordan Lloyd of Clyde Hill; and Diego and Marco Diaz of Bellingham. The service will be held in the Chapel of St. Ignatius Seattle University campus, with a reception to follow.
