Richard Thomas Commins

Richard Thomas Commins, 99, of Sacramento passed away peacefully at home on March 2, 2026. Richard was born January 24,1927, in San Francisco, California, to William Commins and Rose (Barbano) Commins. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Rona (Meinzer) Commins. He was the loving father of Tav Commins, Kip (Jennifer) Commins and Merrin (Kevin) Hansen. Cherished grandpa to fourteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Richard attended Balboa High School in San Francisco, where he excelled on the rowing crew and Football team, and graduated in 1947. That same year, he joined the Marines and served as Private First Class on the U.S.S. Vincennes during and after WWII. After the Marines, he worked his way through college dedicating his summers working at the Ahwahnee hotel in Yosemite National Park where he hiked Half Dome many times just to eat his lunch. He then went on to graduate from San Jose State College with a B.A. in Industrial Arts.

He met Rona (Meinzer), and they were married in 1960. Throughout their 63 years of marriage, he always said how lucky he was to have married such a beautiful and intelligent woman.

Richard had a long and rewarding career teaching art and woodshop classes. The last 20 years of teaching were spent at Rio Linda Junior High School. He volunteered for many years as a Boy Scout leader, where he was able to share his love for the outdoors. Many good memories were created by spending summers camping as a family.

After retirement, he stayed active by becoming a certified personal trainer. He enjoyed helping others reach new fitness goals. At 72, he won a gold medal at a Sr. Olympics weightlifting competition held at CSUS. Ten years later, the local newspaper featured him in an article titled “Personal trainer still pumping at 82”.

He was never one to slow down; his many hobbies and interests included hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, sailing, tennis, racquetball, gardening, fixing cars, ceramics, wood carving, puzzles, scuba diving and, in his older years, he enjoyed cruising with his wife and family.

His values included hard work, healthy eating, living within your means, staying physically active, and, most importantly, his family.

Please join us for a memorial service held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at 10 AM at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2745 Eastern Ave in Sacramento.

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