Richard was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, the 5th of 9 children born to Ray A. Naef and Ina E. Holverson Naef.  As a child, he loved to work with his brother Doug building roads, canals, and bridges in the vacant field by the family home. He enjoyed riding his bike, and motorcycle.  At an early age, he gained a love of the outdoors.  He could often be found with his dog. While Richard was in school, he had excellent grades but he didn't bring schoolwork home. He was gifted in math and he had an excellent memory.

Richard and his brother Doug began working for their dad in landscaping and excavation as a child in elementary school. They loaded their father's dump truck with shovels of dirt, gravel, and pumice until the family purchased a loader. These brothers learned to drive a D4 cat when very young by watching their dad. People passing by marveled at these young boys operating heavy equipment.   Richard had a love for fishing and hunting. He enjoyed playing Little League baseball. He lettered in football and wrestling at Idaho Falls High School.

Upon graduating from high school, Richard joined the Idaho National Guard.  After returning from the military, Richard's love for construction work flourished.  Richard and Doug went into the construction business with their dad and started Ray A. Naef Construction. This family business was kept busy with cleanup after the Teton dam flooded, paving parking lots, and other projects.  Richard married his high school sweetheart, Marta Nielsen.  They were later divorced.

He was a construction worker in his soul—a man deeply connected to this work.  Richard excelled at seeing the job from the planning stages to managing the job site work until the project was completed.  He enjoyed difficult jobs for he always found ways to solve challenges.  He was skilled at material calculations, assessing equipment needs, managing work crews, teaching new employees how to operate heavy equipment, and teaching them various phases of construction.

Richard rose quickly to upper management positions in the construction business through hard work and having a natural ability to understand and implement all aspects of road construction.  His honesty: integrity, and attention to detail reflected his incredible work ethic.  He worked for Bonneville Paving, Hartwell Construction, M D Nurseries, and Nethercott Trucking.  He was a supervisor for Burgraff, H-K Contractors, Blonick Construction, and Doug's Excavation.   He was President of the Wyoming Branch for Burgraff Construction.

Richard's lifelong desire to be a husband and father was fulfilled when he married Linda Albertson.  He adopted Linda's son Shane.  They later divorced. He lived for 32 years in Victor, Idaho where he served as a city councilman.  Richard's proudest achievement was being Shane's father. He loved Shane and his wife Cortney and found great happiness being a grandfather to Bowdy, Brayden, and Brinlee Albertson.

He worked hard for his wife and family.  His dreams were seldom spoken except for his lifelong desire to own a boat.  His wants were few, and most of the time, his worries went unspoken.

He was a model of unconditional love, kindness, and sacrifice.  Richard loved and spent a great deal of time caring for his mother-in-law Afton Nethercott whom he loved as if she were his own mother.  They had a great relationship. He also cared for his parents Ray and Ina Naef,  2 sisters, and others.  Richard was a hard worker and devoted his whole life to supporting his family.  His love for his family, care of them, and loyalty to them was an important part of who he was.

He was happy when he was eating a burger and fries and drinking an icy Coke.  He had a sense of humor and could make anyone around him laugh and feel at ease. Richard enjoyed the outdoors, fishing, boating, and hunting.  He loved visiting his home in Mesquite where he spent time with "Granny Nethercott" his beloved mother-in-law. If you couldn't find him in Mesquite, he was out in the desert with family or friends driving his Razor he named "Rocky."

Richard is survived by his son, Shane Albertson (Cortney); brother, Doug Naef (Jackie); sisters: Marilyn Foster and Colleen Hammon (Doug).  He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters: Lois Tomchak and Joan Naef.

On behalf of the family, we give our sincerest gratitude to extended family, friends, and neighbors for their kind thoughts, words, and service.

The family would like to give special thanks to Lincoln Court's Memory Care Unit staff. Richard enjoyed the staff.  Thank you most of all to Brie, Derrick, Disalynn, Beverly, Tracy, and everyone there!  We express our deep appreciation to Hands of Hope's skilled nursing staff.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, September 30, 2023, at Coltrin Mortuary, 2100 First Street, Idaho Falls. The family will visit with friends and family from 6-8:00 p.m., Friday, September 29, 2023, and one hour prior to services both at the mortuary. The interment will be at Rose Hill Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers or other gifts, Richard's family encourages well-wishers to share your memories of Richard to www.coltrinmortuary.com .