It was a mild day on February 1st, 2015, when Richard Clearwater passed away in his sleep at Hospice House in Hayden, Idaho.

Richard was born Sept. 9, 1959, in Spokane, Wash., to Leo and Sharon Clearwater. He was an active boy and good at mimicking his playmates so it took a while to realize that he was deaf. Richard never let his deafness slow him down. He graduated with honors from Post Falls High School in 1978, and went on to work for Rob Elder at Crickets and then at Hot Rod Cafe before retiring due to health reasons.

Richard had a hard life, but he never let that dampen his joy for life. His passions were God, his son Brandon Clearwater, collecting military patches and rooting for the Seahawks.

Richard had a prayer journal, and the number of people he prayed for on a daily basis was inspiring to say the least. Richard's amazing faith in God was something to behold. The world lost a prolific prayer warrior on that mild February day.

Richard suffered from MS and heart issues for many years before being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in May of 2014. Despite a valiant effort, the cancer could not be cured. Through it all, God was merciful to this saint and Richard breezed through many bouts of chemotherapy with optimism and hope, before God said "It's time," and called him home in the wee, quiet hours that February morning.

Richard was preceded in death by his wife of 10 years, Sandra; his father Leo Clearwater; and both sets of grandparents. He is survived by his son, Brandon Clearwater; his mom Sharon Clearwater; sister Penney Laird (Jeff); nephew Aaron; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

The memorial service in honor of Richard will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Hospice of North Idaho, or Real Life Ministries, Post Falls.