Posted on 02/18/2020
Richard N. Cordova (July 7, 1936 - February 4, 2020)
Commander Richard N. Cordova, USN (Ret), passed away on February 4, 2020, at Sunrise Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his wife, Alethea Allen, and children, Tim, Richard Jr., Stephen, and Sally present. He was born in El Paso, Texas, on July 7, 1936, the first son of Helen and "Steve" Cordova. He moved, with his parents, to California in 1943 and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, graduating from Notre Dame High School in 1954. After graduating from the Naval Academy with the class of 1958, he married Judy McKee, and they had three children, Richard, Stephen, and Sally, he then started his career in the surface navy aboard the USS GEORGE K. MACKENZIE. In 1960, his destroyer squadron was the first to be homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, after World War II. In a park near his home in Ishiki, Japan, he and his mother were playing with his son Richard when a young lady came into the park and asked if her son could play with Richard. That young man eventually became the Emperor of Japan. He was on the commissioning crew of the USS ROBISON (DDG-12) prior to his entry into the Navy Nuclear Power Program in 1963. Upon completion of Nuclear Power School and Submarine School, he served aboard USS PLUNGER (SSN-595), USS ANDREW JACKSON (SSBN-619), and USS SNOOK (SSN-592). Additional active duty stations were Fleet ASW Training Center, San Diego, and COMMANDER CARRIER GROUP ONE Staff. Upon retiring in 1985, he worked for several government contractors, primarily proving underway data gathering and shore side event reconstruction and analysis support of naval exercises. While providing underway support, he was onboard the USS IOWA (BB-61) in 1989, where he observed the turret explosion that killed 47 men. After retirement from the Navy, he obtained his MBA degree in 1986. He volunteered for many years with his wife Shirley at the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Thrift Shop in San Diego. He also volunteered as a docent in 2018/19 on the USS Midway in San Diego Harbor. In 1976, he became an ordained minister in Community of Christ. He served in a number of self-sustaining ministerial positions, including congregational pastor, financial officer, and jurisdictional president. He served for 10 years on the world church's Peace and Justice Committee, where he provided significant input for the church's theology of peace from the viewpoint of a military peacekeeper. He continued to serve the church until his death. He was predeceased by his wife of 42 years, Shirley, who passed away in 2015. Shirley had been a chapel organist for the Recruit Training Command, San Diego, for over 23 years, impacting the lives of many thousands of young men. In January 2019, he married Alethea Allen, whom he had met through the Community of Christ. During their time together, they shared several trips to visit family and friends across the United States. He is survived by his wife, Alethea Allen, and his children, Kenneth Shaw, Timothy Shaw (Mary), Richard Cordova (Kathi), Stephen Cordova, and Sally Cordova (Gerri); three grandchildren, Rebecca, Andrea, and Steven; four great-grandchildren, Wyatt, Desarae, Colton, and Declan, and his younger brother, Lt. Commander Stephen Cordova USN (Ret), his wife, Connie, and their children, Stephen, Scott, and Nancy. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020, at 2:00 pm at the El Cajon Community of Christ Church. The Congregation will provide refreshments following the service. The address is 115 Cajon View Drive, El Cajon, CA 92020. An Inurnment Service will be held on Monday, February 24, 2020, at 9:00 am at the Miramar National Cemetery located at 5795 Nobel Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.
Published in The San Diego Union Tribune on Feb. 16, 2020