Richard Allan Gorgens

Richard Allan Gorgens, a giant in every way, died on May 18th at age 69 in Plantation, Florida. Richard/Richie/Rich/Dick/Opa died peacefully at his home from infection after a valiant fight against progressive post-polio disease and related complications. He contracted the polio virus at 4 years old and his mother, then a nurse, personally and tirelessly rehabilitated him and he miraculously regained the ability to walk and was fully cured for a long time before the virus was re-activated and gradually robbed him of his lower limb strength and mobility. From the earliest age, Richard was an inventor, deconstructing everything to see how it worked and his mother Emmy always credited him with inventing the moving sidewalk (complete with schematics but no patent). His father, an engineer, was something of a patent expert with 18 to his name and Richard nearly caught up to him with 16 under his belt. After his parent’s divorce, his mother left nursing and took over a steel manufacturing company (Alloy Engineering) and Richard spent his childhood working on the factory floor with metal lathes and thermowells. As a teenager, he fell in love with Ham radio (call sign WI/WKJ) and he built a global network of friends. He played the saxophone and keyboard and graduated from Joel Barlow High School in 1965 in Easton, Connecticut. He was then selected for a prestigious work-education program at Northeastern in Boston where he interned at MIT. Like many technology savants, he was convinced that he knew more than his professors and left college to join the then-brand-new generation of computer entrepreneurs (n.b., with classic Germanic stubbornness, decades later he declined the offer of an honorary degree from Northeastern). In 1970, he started his first company, Incoterm, inventing the external tape drive. He then launched his next companies, Alloy Computer Products, then Microsystems Software Inc., and recently 1st Works, where he was recently pretending to be retired. His business and technology accomplishments were recognized as extraordinary by Boston Magazine, Massachusetts Governor Dukakis, President Bill Clinton, and Inc. Magazine. All told, he has been involved with three Inc. 500 companies. Among his many projects, he worked on the prototype ATM, invented the external tape backup drive, developed the first internet parental control software, pioneered geolocation technology, data compression and more. There wasn’t a gadget or human organ he couldn’t re-engineer, improve or repair—in fact he was a master of “Dick Gorgens Home Surgery” and fancied himself to be a master suturer, orthodontist and veterinary surgeon. Richard loved life. He was a fearless private pilot (much to his passenger’s horror), an avid world traveler, and a model of kindness. No one went hungry, unable, homeless, or lonely when Dick was on the case. He pioneered the sip and puff technology that allows people with limited mobility to manipulate their wheelchairs and developed HandiCode (a morse code communication system for persons with limited verbal language). He housed friends and strangers, fed and supplied resources to the masses and never met an animal who wasn’t instantly drawn to him for rescue or affection. He was a lover of birds, dogs and cats in equal measure. He also loved art, food, films, fun and gin & tonics. He never attended a party without being the limelight, musical accompaniment and the always contagious, only sometimes appropriate, comedic talent. Richard especially loved being loved and was all swagger, making a practice of marrying the very finest of women. He married Karen Soderholm in 1969 (to 1985), Debra Chesla in 1989 (to 2013) and had recently re-proposed to his love, Liz Mavin, and was planning a December 2016 wedding at the time of his death. He was a tender-hearted Prince who routinely wrote checks to strangers including a check to send his physical therapist back to college and money to support every single animal rescue. And he never forgot the loss of a friend from his young neighbor Martha when he was only 5 years old to his best friend Lee only just recently. Richard is survived by a grieving but grateful family that includes his 93-year-old Father Bud, his step-mother Peg, his sister Cathy, and step-brother Greg as well as a gaggle of adoring kids including Kimbo, Jennifer, Peter, Sarah, Catherine and John (and their spouses Jerry, Mike, and Zak); an expanding group of grandchildren including Allysa, Sophia, Vander, James, Nicholas, Anderson, Wesley and Violet. He just recently welcomed his first great-granddaughter Isabella and was planning to add another step-daughter, Isabella, with his forthcoming wedding to Liz too. All this together with an entire population of in-laws and outlaws (more of the latter of course) as well as roommates and elected family members including Eric, Wally, Joan, Hilda, and Nicole. His furry family includes the canine trifecta of Kabuki, Meeko and Sushi. All told, he leaves behind a huge void but also the most profound lessons in kindness and largess. “Go Big or Go Home” – Dick Gorgens (1947-2016) Family and Friends will be received Friday, from 3:00 PM-4:00 PM with a Memorial Service at 4:00 PM at T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his loving memory to: http://www.animal-aid.com/ http://www.gratefulpaws.org/home.html Animal Aid inc is 571 NE 44 Street , Oakland park, Fl 33334. They are a non-profit, no-kill animal rescue shelter and adoption center. Animalaidinc@aol.com tel:754-223-5378 http://www.animal-aid.com/