Dick Haelsig Scholarship

Honoring the Legacy of Dick Haelsig

Richard Thomas Haelsig

October 6, 1935 – June 16, 2025

Richard Haelsig of Bellevue died June 16 in Seattle at the age of 89. Dick believed deeply in the value of education and travel to broaden opportunities and horizons. His boisterous belly laugh was contagious. His cutting-edge engineering projects spanned work from satellites to submarines, but sharing the joys of life with his family was his first love.

Dick was born on October 6, 1935, to Harry and Ruth Haelsig in San Diego, CA. His father was the City's planning director, and his mother was active in philanthropic causes, instilling in him the importance of service and community.

He graduated from Hoover High School in San Diego and received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a master's degree in structural mechanics from the University of California at Berkely. After a tour of duty in the Air Force he began work at JPL. He often told stories of the 24/7 efforts to get the Mariner satellite designed and built on a tight launch schedule. He was a pioneer in the development of computer code for finite element structural analysis. Mechanics Research, Inc., recruited him to work on top secret projects, including designing a lifting structure on a ship that recovered a sunken Russian nuclear submarine in deep ocean waters. When MRI closed its Tacoma office, Dick went to Aerojet in Tacoma to work on development of a Navy hovercraft. A scale model that could reach 100 knots was built and tested in Puget Sound waters.

Dick founded two engineering companies, both specializing in the design and construction of containers to safely transport radioactive material. The biggest project was developing the railcar containers that moved the damaged fuel from Three Mile Island to Idaho for storage.

Dick married his High School sweetheart Janet Luckenbach in 1957 and moved to Tacoma in 1969 with their two boys Bryan and Bob. He met his second wife, Diane Johnson, a software engineer, when he hired her to write code for his engineering projects. They were married in 1975 and had fun adventures hiking and sailing with their combined family of six teenagers.

Dick and Diane moved into the Newport Shores Community of Bellevue in 1993. He supported Newport Yacht Club's governance, was on the Board and elected Commodore in 2010. Dick was dedicated to results-based project management throughout his life. Even as he was approaching his 80th year, he managed a successful 40,000 cubic yard dredging project for the club.

Turning to volunteer work, Dick joined the Lake Washington Institute of Technology's Foundation Board in 2008. He wrote and implemented practices and procedures consistent with the proper management of a non-profit, served as Treasurer for four years and helped select the current college President and Foundation Director.

Dick and Diane loved sailing and were active in the Seattle Yacht Club. Cruises with their children and grandchildren created many great memories. Dick was elected to the SYC Board of Trustees and to two terms as Treasurer. He served as the SYC Staff Captain for the past three years, combining his commonsense approach to problem solving with his love of mysteries.

Dick and Diane celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in January. What started as a productive engineer/programmer team turned into a lifetime love affair. In their early sixties, they decided to retire and explore the world. They especially loved Africa and went on five photo safaris. They also loved bare boat charters and sailed the waters of New Zealand, Galapagos, Tahiti and Balearic Islands. They took grandchildren on "graduation trips" that created their love of foreign places, people and cultures.

Dick is survived by wife Diane, son's Bryan and Bob Haelsig and stepchildren Tanya Johnson, Kathryn Ormiston (Mark), Eric Johnson and Anna Dunford (Wally), eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He'll be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

The family asks that remembrances go to the "Dick Haelsig Memorial Scholarship" at LWTech Foundation's "Ways to Give" page. You will find it in in the "I want to support" dropdown list. Funds will be added to the Dick and Diane Haelsig Endowment, providing scholarships to students into perpetuity.

A Celebration of Life is planned for fall.