Richard DeWayne McBride

Richard DeWayne McBride passed away in St. George, Utah on June 12, 2025 with his children by his side. He was 84 years old.

Richard was a supportive and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He had a firm testimony of his Savior, Jesus Christ, and was a steadfast member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is survived by his brother Jim McBride, his sister Patti Benard, and his seven children, Jennifer Kummer, Richard McBride II, Kimberly Ward, Michael McBride, Melissa Stouffer, Roxanne Vollmer, and Camilla Yates. He was a proud grandfather of 20 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

Richard was born on November 4, 1940, in Mesa, Arizona to Irene Arline and Avery McBride. Richard’s parents divorced when he was six years old. His mother took custody of his two younger sisters, Shirley and Dorothy, and his father took custody of Richard, his older brother Gary, and his younger brother Robert. A few years later, Richard’s father married Virginia Hatfield and they had two children, Jimmy and Patti. As a young child, Richard enjoyed playing with his friends in the neighborhood and going to church. He attended Mesa Public Schools and excelled in math. He also played sports including baseball, basketball, and football.

In 1961, Richard received his mission call to the Andes Mission. A few days after arriving in Lima, Peru, he was reassigned to Chile to open a new mission. Richard considered his mission to be a major turning point in his life and loved to share stories from his mission. After his mission ended in December of 1963, Richard attended BYU for one semester but returned to Mesa where he could attend ASU and save money while living at home.

In the summer of 1965, Richard met Georgia at a church dance. After a whirlwind romance they were married on November 12th in the Mesa, Arizona Temple. They lived in Mesa until Richard graduated from ASU in 1967 with a Master’s degree in Mathematics. After that, they moved to Southern California where Richard began working and attending UCLA, where he earned a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics. They settled in West Los Angeles and Richard accepted a professorship at USC Marshall School of Business. They had seven children from 1967-1982.

Richard was a hard worker. He was often found working in his home office late into the evening. While working as a Professor of Information and Operations Management at USC, he developed a computer code to solve network problems. Over the next several years, his program was used to solve network problems for Quaker Oats, United Airlines, Anheuser-Busch, and more. His computer code is still used today.

Richard loved serving in church. Fulfilling his church callings and responsibilities were his priority. He gave his all in whatever calling he had. He served in a variety of callings in the Los Angeles California Santa Monica Stake, including Stake Executive Secretary, Bishop (twice), and a counselor in the Stake Presidency. After he retired from USC, he served as the director of the Family History Center in Los Angeles for many years. Many people benefited from his dedication and testimony.

Even though Richard was busy with work and church service, he still made time for his children. Whether it was wrestling sessions at night, board games on a Sunday afternoon, helping with homework, or driving his children around LA, he was willing to give of his time. He left a legacy of hard work and doing his best that will continue to inspire his family. He is loved and respected by his family and friends. We love you and are so glad you are back with your sweetheart, Georgia. Until we meet again.

Richard will be buried at the Mesa Cemetery on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 9:00am. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 11:00am at 20415 E. Chandler Heights Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85242. You may also join us on Zoom for the memorial service. Zoom Meeting ID: 94561136190

Arrangements by Bunker’s University Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.