How do you write an obituary for your brother? I guess you start at the beginning. Richard Lee Bly was born in Clarkston Dec. 31, 1953, to Jack L. Bly and JoAnne Kerr Bly. You can then go to the ending, which is that he passed away on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. He is survived by his partner, Paemisa “Film” Tharayuenyong and the daughter of his heart, Baiboon. He is also survived by his mother, JoAnne Bly; his siblings and their spouses, Pamela and Ed Harris, Terry Bly, Roy and Phyllis Bly, Greg Bly and Tuesday Ashley; niece Allison and Tim Parker; nephew Lee Harris; and his dear friends Robert and Rachelle Leland and Robert Mahler.
The beginning and the ending is easy to write. It is the middle, though, that was his life. Richard grew up in Clarkston and graduated from high school in 1972. He attended college at Washington State University and later received his teaching degree from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston. Richard taught briefly and then went to work in public health. He was working for the Quinault Tribe in Taholah, Wash., when he retired. After his retirement, he moved to Thailand to fulfill a lifelong dream of retiring to a foreign country. That is where he met Film and adopted Baiboon.
Richard loved hiking with his friends on Mount Rainer and the North Cascades, taking drives in the mountains, watching college sports, hunting, fishing, reading (usually science fiction) and listening to music. He even went to Nepal to hike in the Himalayan Mountains. That was a scary time for his friends and family, who all knew how accident-prone Richard was. A book of his life would include more than one chapter about his accidents. One chapter would be titled, “How I Learned to Not Throw Rocks at Bears.” Another would be, “How to Help Your Dad By Filling Up the Gas Tank With Dirt.” To be fair, he was very young when he did that and it was an accident.
Richard faced many challenges in his life, including being hit by a car when he was in the third grade. His injuries caused lifelong vision problems. Richard was very proud of overcoming his weight issues. That gave him the ability to travel to Thailand and to have the family he had always dreamed about.
One of Richard’s greatest joys in life was his daughter, Baiboon. He only got to be her Daddy for four short years, but they were some of the happiest years of his life. Baiboon loved to be held and cuddled by her Daddy.
Richard’s family and friends will always be indebted to Film for the loving care that she provided for Richard during his life in Thailand and during his final illness. We also ask that you honor Richard by taking a drive down a back road or going on an adventure to somewhere you have never been before. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
