Richard "Dick" Yoxall

Dick passed away peacefully and with dignity on Sunday, March 15, at home with his wife and family by his side.

Born July 5, 1935, in Woodston, Kansas, during the Depression, he moved with his parents, Ray and Moyne, and sister, Lorna, to Van Nuys, California in 1940. He excelled at sports from an early age, playing Little League with Don Drysdale, then moving on to Van Nuys High, where he received All Los Angeles City Honors in both baseball and football. The love of sports that he adopted when he was young was carried with him his entire life. He could recite any sports fact or trivia from the 1940s all the way to Niners’ recent Super Bowl Season and would normally do so with an enthusiastic story about what was happening at that time and some nuance about the facts that would make it interesting to whomever was listening.

Dick received a scholarship to play baseball at USC, but after suffering a shoulder injury that ended his playing days, had to rely on his wits and earn his college degree. He graduated from USC in 1958 and went on to work at Rocketdyne during the early years of the NASA Space Program, where he made many friends with whom he kept in frequent contact throughout his life.

Dick’s sister, Lorna, lived in Napa. Through that relationship he was introduced to Lorna’s neighbors, Meryl and Don Messner. Don was the Athletic Director at Napa High School and had coached Bill Buckner, one of Napa’s greatest star athletes. Dick worked on USC’s behalf to recruit Bill to play baseball at USC, but the Los Angeles Dodgers snatched Bill away by making him their first round draft pick. Sadly, Don passed away shortly thereafter.

In 1971, Dick moved to Napa, where he had invested in a prune and plum orchard on Hagen Road and began building upscale homes and beautiful country estates. He soon rekindled his friendship with Meryl Messner and her three children. They became inseparable and were married in August 1973, and their amazing love for each other continued to his death. In 1974, their daughter Patti was born.

Together, along with Dick’s son, Steve, the family went to many baseball and college football games, including several Rose Bowl Games when USC played; along with many vacations skiing in the Sierras and to the Southern California beaches to enjoy the weather and catch up with his old friends. Dick’s love of sports was not lost on the kids, and he coached their sports teams with family friend, Rich Burk, where they both left an impact on the young athletes in Napa in the 1970s and early 80s. Through coaching, Dick was acquainted with one of his players, Russ Orrick, who would later become a sports star at Vintage High School. Dick and Meryl became Russ’ legal guardians during Russ’ formative high school years.

As the household expanded, Dick and Meryl built a new home for the family on the “Orchard land” on a lake and planted a vineyard. Many wonderful times were had with family and friends at that home. After the kids left home, they moved to Third Avenue, living next to Dick’s parents. Dick and Meryl enjoyed their retirement, traveling to USC football games, spending time in Tahoe (Harrah’s sports book), and following their grandkids’ games and events and then on to their graduations. On the computer, Dick enjoyed keeping up with all the grandkids through FaceBook, along with his various stock picks and the latest sports gossip. To the very end, Dick was happiest when he was sitting next to Meryl in their personal chairs, surrounded by his kids, grandkids and great grandkids with a game on (any game, really), the remote control in his hand and regaling stories of past sports glory, whether it was his family’s glory or stories that we had only read about.

Dick is survived by his loving wife, Meryl; sister, Lorna Kurtz of Santa Rosa; daughter, Patricia Beardsley of Napa; son Steve (Peggy) Yoxall of Nashville, Tennessee; Trina Orrick of Raymond, Iowa; Diane (Barry) Belli of Napa; Dave (Tracey) Messner of Santa Barbara; and Doug (DeDe) Messner of Napa, 20 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Dick was preceded in death by his parents and Russ Orrick. He will be greatly missed for his sharp wit, sport-almanac memory, sense of humor and infectious enthusiasm he had for his friends and family.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

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