Obituary of Richard Ray Harp

Richard Ray Harp passed away peacefully on April 21, 2021, at the age of 59, at home surrounded by his family, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was a beloved husband, father and grandfather. Richard was born to Orville and Bettie Harp on January 6, 1962. He attended kindergarten through 12th grade in Gridley, where he met his future wife, Karen Nunes. He graduated from Gridley High School in 1980, and went on to play basketball at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, at Butte College, and at U.C. Davis, graduating in 1985. He was a proud member of the Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternity. Richard and Karen married in 1986, and together they raised two sons. He started his career in the fruit industry after graduation, and went to work for Lomo Cold Storage in 1996, where he became the General Manager. He thoroughly enjoyed working for the Micheli family, and appreciated the many opportunities he was given to learn and grow. Richard loved to help out and work with the youth in his community. He coached basketball, and served on the boards of the Gridley Unified School District, and the Gridley Education Foundation. In his spare time, he farmed walnuts, enjoyed fly fishing, going to Lake Almanor, and spending time with his sons. He valued his friendships, and looked forward to the annual Duck Party with his AGR brothers, and an annual fishing trip to Canada. Richard is survived by his wife, Karen; two sons, Joseph (Meghan) and Benjamin; two grandchildren, Presley Jo and Baxter Rich; his brother, Robert (Lynn) Harp; and two nephews. He will be greatly missed by so many friends and family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gridley Education Foundation, 429 Magnolia Street, Gridley, CA 95948 ATTN: Richard Harp Scholarship, or a charity of your choice. True to form, Richard requested that, if we insisted on having some sort of celebration for him, it better be scheduled after the majority of rice planting is finished. Therefore, a casual celebration of Richard's life will be held Thursday, May 20, 2021, at 4:00-8:00pm at Pasquini's Fine Italian Food in Live Oak, California. Arrangements entrusted to Gridley-Block Funeral Chapel.