1943 – 2020
Richard John Marasco passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his wife, of 54 years, Darlene Marasco and daughters Carly Marasco and Deina King on Sunday, August 23rd 2020. He bravely lived with the degenerative effects of Parkinson’s disease for 12+ years. He had recently celebrated his 77th birthday.
Richard spent his life providing for his family and honoring his Italian heritage. He had a B.S. in Applied Statistics and Computer Science and a M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Utah State University and received his PhD in Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics from University of California at Berkeley. After starting his career as Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, he moved his young family to Seattle to lend his expertise to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a Marine Economist. Over his 29 year tenure with NOAA he was well respected and recognized as a highly effective leader and mentor across a variety of interdisciplinary research programs for the management of marine fish and shellfish resources off Alaska. He oversaw the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program, one of the largest observer programs in the world. Richard provided advice and expertise as a member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, Scientific and Statistical Committee from 1979-1994, as a committee Vice Chairman 1981-1987 and Chairman 1987-1991 and 1998-2004. He played a key role in developing collaborative research with foreign nations and international groups. He served as Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee, Convention for the Conservation and Management of Pollock Resources in the Central Bering Sea. He acted as U.S. Delegate and Member of PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization), and was Chairman of the PICES Finance and Administration Committee. He was the first recipient of the prestigious PICES Chair Award in 2016 in recognition of his sustained contributions to the development of the Pacific Rim Organization (https://meetings.pices.int/awards/Chair). He was venerated by his colleagues in Seattle, Alaska, China, Japan, S. Korea and Russia and beyond.
Richard’s love of family stemmed from his strong roots in Spring Glen, Utah where he was surrounded by a large and loving family of cousins, aunts and uncles. Annual visits to spend time with his parents, sister and family were the source of many wonderful memories.
Richard was his daughters’ biggest fan. He was always there to lend his quiet support, usually in the form of a hug or gentle squeeze of the hand. His unconditional love will never be forgotten.
Richard was a wonderful Grandpa to his grandson, Dylan King. After he retired at 62, he regularly spent happy afternoons with Dylan.
Over the years, Richard and Darlene had the opportunity to travel the world; his favorite destinations were Italy and Maui. They lived in Woodinville, WA for 37 years. In 2014, they downsized to a beautiful home on a quiet golf course in Redmond, WA. Taking care of his family was the most important thing to Richard and he did it well.
Richard loved telling stories about his Grandma’s cooking and growing up on his parent’s farm. He loved finding a good deal on wine and enjoying a well-aged slice of sopressata. We’ll always remember him reading the Sunday paper or watching the Mariners or Seahawks. He appreciated beauty and excellence, loved his family and took delight in his grandson and his BMW. He embraced his son-in-laws, Cris Paden and David King and his brothers-in-law as his own. He was grateful to Gary Cardinelli and Larry Cardinelli for their support, love and willingness to partake in the Christmas Eve Baccala! Our Sunday pasta dinner tradition will live on, in loving memory of Richard.
In honor of Richard’s request for no funeral, we are dedicating a mass at St Jude’s Catholic Church in Redmond, WA on Wednesday, September 2nd at 9:00am pacific time. You’re invited to join us virtually. Use this link to attend: https://vimeo.com/452655876
We’d also like to invite you to join Team Marasco for The Michael J. Fox Foundation Virtual 5K run/walk on October 3rd in celebration and loving memory of Richard. Carly founded Team Marasco in 2018 for a Team Fox fundraiser to support Richard’s journey with Parkinson’s. She has three fundraising races under her belt including the 2019 NYC Marathon. Her enthusiasm and dedication brought family and friends together and inspired all of us to join the cause. The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s and developing better therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today. We will walk and run as Team Marasco. You’re invited to join us in your own way. Whether it’s a walk around your neighborhood or at your favorite park, we’ll be with you virtually reminiscing about the good times we shared with Richard. Please take a selfie and send it to us. We’ll post all pics on our Team Marasco page at: https://foxtrot.michaeljfox.org/fox-trot-virtual/teammarasco
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research @ https://foxtrot.michaeljfox.org/fox-trot-virtual/teammarasco