Richard Ivan Mueller, P.E., of Hayden, Idaho, formerly of San Antonio and Dallas, Texas, and Rancho

Cucamonga, Calif., left this life for heaven on Friday afternoon, Aug. 5, 2022. Born on June 29, 1955, in San Antonio to Dr. Edwin Lee and Mary Helen Burkhalter Mueller, he was the third of eight children. He was an Eagle Scout, graduated with honors from Robert E. Lee High School, attended Texas A&M as a President’s Scholar, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1977, and earned an MS in Engineering Management at SMU in 1983.

Richard joined concrete pressure pipe manufacturer Gifford-Hill-American, Inc. (GHA) in 1977 rising to the position of Vice President, Engineering and Marketing. Throughout his over two decades career at GHA, and continuing as president of the Water Transmission Group of Ameron International Corporation, Richard was known as a “Master of Creative ideas, consistently thinking outside of the box.” He served his professional societies in executive roles at state and national levels. He received the Engineer of the Year Award from the Dallas Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers in 2001 and the Zachary Distinguished Graduate Award from Texas A&M in 2011.

Richard was a born-again Christian and he loved the Lord. One of his favorite activities was to share the love of Christ with anyone who listened. God gave Richard the opportunity to share the message of salvation with many people, some of which, became believers. His greatest joy was to partner with the Lord in bringing someone into the Kingdom of God.

Richard married Martha Pulliam in 1979 and had two sons, Michael, and Patrick, of whom he was very proud. Despite divorcing, Richard and Martha remained close friends. After moving to California, Richard met Mary Ellen O’Banion and married in 2004. Richard and Mary Ellen liked to travel for adventure. They traveled to Africa for a wildlife safari and the opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. They traveled to Israel where Richard was baptized in the Jordan river. Their favorite trip was to Antarctica to see all the wildlife and the penguins. Europe and the U.S. had many destinations for them as well.

Richard was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Edwin L. Mueller, Jr. He is survived by his mother, Mary Helen Burkhalter Mueller of San Antonio; wife, Mary Ellen O’Banion of Hayden: sons: Michael (Sean) of Freeport, Florida and Patrick (Allison) of Dallas; ex-wife and friend, Martha Pulliam Mueller of Dallas; siblings: Marylee Kott (Edward) of Houston, Tom (Donna) of Fayetteville, Doug (Melanie) of San Antonio, Frank (Cherie) of San Antonio, Sue Zapalac (Kenny) of La Grange, Steve (Joyce) of Houston, and Jim (Kay) of Burnet; many nieces and nephews; and great-nieces and great-nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, at Lake City Church, 6000 N. Ramsey Rd., Coeur d’Alene, ID with a reception lunch to follow at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to Boy Scouts of America (scouting.org), Texas A&M Foundation Honorary & Memorial Gifts (txamfoundation.com), Living Waters International (https://water.cc) or United Way (unitedway.org).

Yates Funeral Homes is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit Richard’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com