Richard Wayne Bye

Richard W. Bye, 68, husband, brother, uncle, friend, coach, mentor, neighbor and donor, passed away on Wednesday evening, January 13, 2016, after a 10 month battle to survive a massive heart attack. He is survived by his wife, Roseanne Marie Bye (Forrester); brothers, Ed and Bob Bye and their families. He never had children, but he was a father/mentor to many nieces, nephews, neighbors' children, Chapman students and his "doxie" dogs – Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mikey, Missy, Cappie and Punkin'.

Born in Huron, South Dakota on March 20, 1947, Richard was the second child of Edwin and Mary Ethyl Bye. Richard and his family lived in many small towns throughout South Dakota and Minnesota until they moved to Crestwood, Illinois, where, when a sophomore in high school, he met his wife, Roseanne M. Bye. They dated during high school and college and married June 14, 1969; last June, Richard and Roseanne celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary.

Immediately following their wedding, Richard and Roseanne drove to Anaheim, California where they lived until moving to their home in Orange 40 years ago.
Richard worked most of his life starting with jobs on the family farm, lawn mowing, babysitting, bagging groceries, golf caddying, snow shoveling, truck driving, sports announcing, writing and many other jobs. When he moved to California, his first job was as warehouse manager with Shearing-Plough (Coppertone), Inc. He then started a business, with a partner, designing and producing high-end handbags for Bullocks, Neiman-Marcus, Robinson's, etc. Richard began working for Minolta in 1976 as a salesman in the office products division. From there, he worked for Cannon, Inc. Then he decided to try his hand at his own business again, finally ending with TG Marketing and Advertising, Inc.

Even though Richard was always working, he still found time to travel extensively with his wife, spend holidays at their home in Lake Arrowhead, go boating, water skiing, off-roading and golfing, be President of Shakespeare Orange County and serve on the Chapman University Athletic Hall of Fame Committee. In his retirement years, he was able to spend many volunteer hours at Chapman University and the Santa Ana Zoo.
Richard loved attending Chapman men's and women's sporting events and supporting their efforts. He was their "Number 1 Fan." For the friends of the Santa Ana Zoo, he did everything from scooping ice cream to security at the "sunset" events and collecting most of the items for the silent auction at the Zoofari every year. He even took on the full-time job of President of the Owners Association at Warner Springs Ranch. There was never a moment that Richard was not involved in something or with someone. He was generous with his time, talents and treasure. Even after death, he donated various parts of his body to science through OneLegacy.

Richard's warmth and compassion for others and his exuberance for life will be missed by all who knew him.

Those who wish to honor Richard's memory are invited to donate to the Richard and Roseanne Bye Endowed Scholarship, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, Calif. 92866. Please include notation that the gift is in memory of Richard Bye.