Dalton, Richard V.
Former Commanding Officer
Served Aboard: 13 NOV 1970 - 08 FEB 1972
Passed 13 Oct 2011
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Captain Richard ("Dick") V. Dalton (USN
Retired) passed away on October 13, 2011 at
his home in Long Beach, CA with his wife Pat
by his side after a battle with cancer. He
was 81 years old. Captain Dalton, a 1953
graduate of the United States Naval Academy,
had a distinguished thirty-year career in
the
United States Navy. The year prior to
his retirement in 1983, he was the senior
naval officer afloat in Long Beach as
Commander of Surface Squadron One with ships
located in several ports on the west coast.
He and his wife Pat retired in Long Beach
and have served their family, the community,
and their church and friends ever since.
Dick was born in 1930 in Manila, Philippines
while his father, Rear Admiral Carl Malcolm
Dalton, was serving on a gunboat on the
Yangtze River for the Navy. Along with his
mother, Olive Baxter Dalton, he spent much
of his childhood in Rector, Arkansas near
his grandparents during his father's
overseas service .He fondly remembered his
grandparents, Owen Luther ("Dad") Dalton and
Miss Vera, who lived in Rector and owned a
hardware store. "Salty Dalty", as he was
nicknamed, ran track and played the guitar
while a midshipman at the Naval Academy.
After graduating in 1953, Dick served on two
sea tours in the western Pacific. He then
was aide to Admiral Ruthven Libby,
Commander, First Fleet. After that, he
continued his career with the first of his
nine commands at sea with a focus on
destroyers, mine sweepers, and small craft.
His career included four deployments in
Vietnam including one where he was in charge
of naval operations in the Mekong Delta. He
loved to be haze grey and under way. In 1956
Dick married his wife, Patsy (Reeves) Dalton
of Denver, Colorado. Dick and Pat raised
three boys and have ten grandchildren and
three great-grandchildren. Their sons and
daughters-in-law are Rick and Tanya Dalton
of Fountain Valley, CA, Rob and Kathy Dalton
of Lakewood, CA, and Dave and Brooke Dalton
of Denver, Colorado. Grandchildren: Taylor
(Sarah) Dalton, Kayli Dalton, Jesse Dalton,
Tyree Dalton, Joshua Dalton, Kimberly
Dalton, Matthew Dalton, Elizabeth Hutton
(Michael), Kristel Gibson, and Curtis Gibson
(Ashley). Great grandchildren: Andrew,
Jackson, and Benjamin Hutton. In addition to
his wife, sons, and their families, Captain
Dalton is survived by his beloved sister,
Dana Walker, and her husband Charles
("Chuck") Walker of Saratoga, California.
Chuck was also a 1953 Naval Academy
graduate. Dick and Pat loved going to
Disneyland either as a happy couple or with
some of their many family and friends. Dick
always loved to have popcorn and a churro
before leaving and never got tired of
Soaring Over California. Dick loved the
children and grandchildren dearly, and they
loved him. Dick and Pat also loved traveling
by car visiting America's National Parks.
Dick combined leadership with kindness,
which instilled both love and respect for
him by the many who knew him. Even during
his final battle with cancer, Captain Dalton
showed grace and kindness to those who cared
for him often reaching out to take their
hand and expressing his thanks to them by
name through his pain. He was a wonderful
example to his three sons, their wives, and
the children and grandchildren. Funeral
service is Saturday, October 22 at 11:00
a.m. at First Baptist Church of Lakewood
(5336 E. Arbor Rd., Long Beach). Military
Honors and Burial are Monday, October 24 at
11:15 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery
(22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside). All are
welcome at both services. In lieu of
flowers, the family has suggested a donation
be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief
Society, 875 North Randolph Street, Suite
225, Arlington, VA 22203 (www.nmcrs.org/donations2.html)
in memory of Captain Richard V. Dalton. If a
donation is made, please include a reference
for notice to Mrs. Pat Dalton at 8000 Tarma
Street, Long Beach, CA 90808. Please sign
the guest book atwww.presstelegram.com/obituaries.
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