Richard Chamblin

Richard (Dick) was born on May 12, 1931 in Arthur, Illinois to Harry Chamblin and Doris
Dixon. The family moved to Decatur in his early years. Dick attended Decatur High School,
where he played football and excelled at English and math. After high school,
he attended the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy and joined the ROTC. He
returned to Illinois to complete an undergraduate degree in accounting at Millikin
University (1957).

As part of the US Army, Dick spent time in France working on bridge repair. He later
was stationed at the Naval Reserve in Chicago, where he got his tattoos.
He was married to JoAn Christersen and together they had three children: Cindy, John,
and Sue, who survive him.

Dick became a Certified Public Accountant and opened his own CPA firm, which he
operated in Decatur IL for many years. After selling his firm, he earned a Masters in
Business Administration (MBA) degree from University of Illinois – Springfield. Dick then
taught accounting at Millikin University. While at Millikin, he participated in a seminar on
Entrepreneurship at Harvard University, where he presented a paper.

Dick’s time at Millikin opened a new chapter in his life. He met his wife Cheryl, who was
also on the Millikin faculty. They were married just a few months shy of 25 years. During
these years the couple traveled all over the U. S. from Hawaii to New York, and from
New Orleans to Minnesota. They built an amazing life together, sharing interests in
genealogy and travel.

Dick became a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. In this organization, he
proved 14 patriots in his line, rose to the rank of Illinois State President, and had
numerous committee responsibilities.

Dick was active in the Decatur community, serving on boards and volunteering for other
causes. The most prominent evidence was the restoration of the original one room
schoolhouse built around 1860, which he single-handedly restored to use as his
accounting office. Dick was honored for the work on this historic project.

One of his passions was sailing. He owned a Lightning sailboat which he sailed almost
weekly, sometimes in a competitive sail with other boats and sometimes for a relaxing
sail just for fun.

He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

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