Richard S. Dress was born in Evansville, Indiana, son of William Benjamin Dress and Margaret Oline Myers, and died on May 18, 2020.
He was the grandson of William H. Dress, former mayor of Evansville. As a child in Darmstadt, he played in the woods with his brother, sister and cousins and briefly attended the Lutheran parochial school in Darmstadt.
He attended Antioch College, Evansville College, and Oregon State University. Upon graduation, he worked as a design-to-cost engineer for the Navy Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in the Washington, DC area from 1967 until 2002.
He was active in the bluegrass music scenes in Evansville and Oregon when in college. He played guitar for the Ohio River Valley Boys and was a founding member of the Sawtooth Mountain Volunteers in Oregon. He was the banjo player and baritone singer with Washington, DC-based Orange Line Special bluegrass band. He moved to Lebanon, Tennessee in 2008 and continued to enjoy bluegrass music, especially at open jams at the Station Inn in Nashville. He loved good food, good friends and the woodland critters that visited his home in Lebanon.
He is survived by his brother, William B. Dress, Jr. of Camas, Washington; sister, Alice A. Dress, of Washington, DC; nephew, Alexander Dress and great niece, Aurora Dress of Thailand. Private services will be held. Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderWestChapel.com.