Richard Allan Lehman

Richard Lehman died peacefully in his sleep in Louisville, Colorado on Friday night February 25th after a short illness. Dick was born in Aurora, Illinois on March 3, 1935 and moved out to Colorado to attend Colorado University of Boulder and subsequently married and raised his family in the Denver area.  Dick is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kathleen Lehman, daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Phil Sinclair-Harry and his son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Valeria Lehman. He also has 5 grandchildren: Caitlyn, Emma and Clark Sinclair-Harry and Elizabeth and Brandon Lehman.

Dick put himself through school through NAVY ROTC and working. He met Kaki, while doing dishes at her sorority house, and she was immediately swept away by his charm and good looks. The couple were married on August 31, 1963. Their daughter, Laura was born a year, followed by a son, Bruce, 18 months after that. Dick was awarded degrees in both Architecture and Architectural Engineering, and enjoyed being part of a series of design partnerships throughout his career. He was very proud of his body of work as an architect, producing many banks, churches and other public buildings while in Denver and homes and Senior Centers in Illinois. He was all about creating spaces for people to come together. Dick was also an active community member serving on the Douglas County Library Board, Arapahoe Mental Health Center Board, East Denver YMCA, and Park Hill Action Committee, among others. He built a custom home for his family in 1972, moving from Park Hill to the Parker. He was a member of the Episcopal Church, helping to found St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, and serve as Bishop’s Warden and architect for the building in downtown Parker. 

Dick returned to Illinois in 1986 for over 3 decades to be near his parents, Herb and Bernice Lehman, sister, Sharon Doeseckle and nephew Matthew Doeseckle. He finished his career there and enjoyed his retirement playing golf, gaming, reading and socializing with everyone he met. He enjoyed playing games and cards with his grandchildren, and best friend, David Koehler although he was known for ‘bending’ the rules and being very competitive. Dick also enjoyed art, attending the Symphony, sailing, traveling and playing bridge. Dick and Kaki returned to the Denver Area in 2019, followed a year later by the Sinclair-Harrys. The delight of his final years was his great-grandson, Liam Sinclair-Harry, who used to take his ‘Taid’ for a walk, and make him laugh. Dick was a man of quick wit, with a twinkle in his eye and a sense of mischief. His humor, joking with every nurse and doctor right up to the end, will be
missed. His German stubbornness, will not be missed as much.

A memorial for Dick will be held this summer. His ashes will be interred at Fairmount Cemetery in Jetmore, Kansas, near the land and pasture that sustained Dick and Kaki in their retirement. Contributions will be gratefully accepted in lieu of flowers to Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, where Dick and Kake attended, (https://www.bvuuf.org/) or Humane Society of Boulder Valley (https://www.boulderhumane.org/).

Heritage Funeral & Cremation Services of Lafayette is handling cremation arrangements.

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