Richard C. Vlach, 80, of Houston, TX, formerly of Hanover, died Thursday, April 21, 2016.

A rosary service will be held at 7:00 p.m., Thursday, April 28, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Hanover.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, April 29, at St. John’s Catholic Church.

Burial with Military Honors will be in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery.

Richard was born in Hanover on January 24, 1936 to Anthony and Loretta (Imming) Vlach. Following graduation, Richard worked in the family business, Vlach Market.

Richard was a talented athlete and was signed as a prospect by the St. Louis Cardinals. As a high school athlete, he was recognized in the national Six Man Football Magazine as the twelfth leading scorer in the nation, during the 1952 season, scoring 124 points in seven games and helping his team complete a twenty-two game winning streak.

Richard served in the National Guard from 1958 to 1961. He then began a career at Frontier Airlines and subsequently, Continental Airlines in Kansas City, Denver and Houston from 1968 until his retirement in 2001. Working in the airline industry allowed Richard to travel extensively during his career.

Richard loved music and sang in the church choir and Operetta’s at St. John’s Catholic Church. He was a avid and life-long opera fan. In addition, he loved his pets, especially his cat, Patches. He like to read and worked diligently on his daily crossword puzzles. Richard was a very quiet man who loved his family and was a devout Catholic. He quietly helped others without expecting anything in return.

Preceding him in death were his parents; and sister, Antoinette.

Survivors include brothers and sisters, Bill (Wilma) Vlach, Lago Vista, TX, Jim (Colleen) Vlach, Madison, MS, Mary Carol (Errol) Saville, Topeka, Tony (Pat) Vlach, Leland, NC, Karen (Richard) Owens, Spring Hill and Kathy Vlach Jones, Houston, TX; and many loving nieces and nephews.