Richard Chard Van Veen, 78, of Bronx, NY passed away peacefully in his home at the Rancho Solano Village on May 2, 2023. He was born June 19, 1944 to Henry and Georgia Van Veen.

Rich, a loving husband, father and grandfather is survived by his two sons, Casey Van Veen and Ryan Van Veen, four amazing grand kids (Addison, Luke, Lauren and Drew) and his brother Peter Van Veen. His second wife, Vivienne passed away in 2020.

Upon graduation from The Dalton School in NY, Rich attended the University of Colorado, Boulder. After joining the ROTC and earing his bachelors in Political Science be joined the United States Air Force and became a pilot. He married Ruth Lillian Osmer and was quickly ordered to serve in Vietnam. There he flew the C-123 and had over 140 confirmed truck kills flying candlestick missions. Later, Rich would serve decades as a reserve officer in the Air Force flying the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. During this time he also pursued a fulltime career in civil aviation with The Flying Tigers and then Federal Express flying 747’s to the DC-10.

Rich was an avid tennis player and could always be found at the Rancho Solano tennis club playing on a variety of club teams. He was humble on and off the court, but a fierce competitor. In his younger years Rich was an avid water and snow skier and enjoyed camping and participating in scouting events with his Eagle Scout sons.

A funeral has been planned for July 11th at 9AM sharp at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery. 5810 Midway Rd, Dixon, CA 95620. Rich will be laid to rest with full military honors. Please arrive ten minutes early so that we can drive as a group to his final resting place. After a short ceremony, family and friends are invited to enjoy each other’s company at The Van Veen family home in Fairfield. 1753 Carson Ct, hosted by Ruth Van Veen and family.