Richard Brandiger finished his fight with cancer, slipping away to his Lord on November 18, 2013. He spent his last days at Ft. Meade in the care of his family and the hospice angels.

He was born June 21, 1943 in Denver, Colorado to Edmund and Cecelia (Kleinschnitz) Brandiger. His love for aviation began in Renton, WA at age 4 while flying his father's T-craft as Ed hung out the door taking aerial photographs. His family moved to Tucson, then Alamogordo, where Richard roamed the deserts developing his lifelong love of exploring.

His father's aircraft repair business afforded him the opportunity to hone his mechanical skills on airplanes, old cars, and anything else with moving parts.

Richard held his first adult job with the US Forest Service, and then enlisted in the Air Force in 1964, where his solid mechanical foundation earned him rapid advancement through various training schools. He served in Viet Nam where he led an aircraft recovery team and repaired downed aircraft in remote jungle airstrips, often under fire.

Upon his return to the US, Richard met and married Kathy Berg, his wife and best friend of forty-five years. After his discharge in 1968, he and Kathy made their home in Colorado Springs, welcoming daughter, Tamara, in 1973, and son, Nathan, in 1976.

After working in the private sector, Richard began work at the USAF Academy where he maintained a fleet of sailplanes, and signed off on the maintenance of all the other training aircraft on the field, including a hot air balloon. He had the opportunity to fly every bird in the fleet of sailplanes, relishing the day he caught a "Rocky Mountain wave" and began climbing a thousand feet per minute. He made the instant decision to go for it,' and rode the wave to 29,000 feet, earning a frosty mustache, several minutes of pure exhilaration a chewing out for his out-of-bounds test flight'.

In 1977, he was presented with a saber by the Cadet Wing in recognition of the work he did mentoring cadets. Of the many awards Richard received in his career, Richard treasured his saber most.

In 1973, Richard took on the additional challenge of building SPITVAR, an aircraft for NASA. At Kathy's insistence, He moved the project from Denver to the Brandiger garage. The role of this aircraft would be to conduct high-altitude thunderstorm research for to the Apollo-Soyuz space launch. The Brandiger home became a 24-hour-a-day aircraft factory/boarding-house. SPITVAR was completed and ready for work with only an hour and a half of test flight, then flown to Cape Canaveral to begin its critical contribution to the successful Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, It continued to fly many missions to further knowledge in the field of climate and weather.

In 1977, Richard was recruited as an Airworthiness Inspector by the Federal Aviation Administration. He moved his family to the Black Hills, and began establishing his reputation as a valued advocate and resource to the South Dakota aviation community. The depth and breadth of his knowledge enabled him to solve the complex problems of mechanics, builders, and aviators, using the rules as a tool instead of a barrier. While maintaining the highest standards of the industry, he always remembered that he was a servant of the aviation public.

In his twenty-three years with the FAA, Richard had the opportunity to serve on teams sent to Japan, Europe, and The British Isles establishing repair stations for US certified aircraft. He participated in special inspections throughout the US, and applied his knowledge and skills in many aircraft accident investigations. There was always a special place in his heart for the grass-root aviators building their dreams in their garages, and the aircraft mechanics who, like his father, worked so hard in a field they loved to provide a service and a living for their families.

The Black Hills gave Richard many days of joy. Their history and mystery and beauty struck a chord deep in his heart, and the days he spent rambling and playing in their streams and valleys were among his happiest. He learned all he could about the days of the gold rush, and about the rocks he collected. His pleasure multiplied by sharing. Under his tutelage his children and many friends experienced the special excitement of finding tiny specks of gold. His real treasures were his abundant friendships, his family and the miracles of God's creation.

Richard's interests led him and Kathy to many adventures, prospecting in Alaska, metal detecting the beaches of the Florida Treasure Coast, and most exciting, diving with friends who worked as salvers of Spanish Galleon treasure.

Richard retired in 2001, and plunged into a busy life of airplanes, tinkering and travel. He and Kathy had marveled at the twisted landscape of Terra del Fuego and the endless blues of Antarctica. They wintered in Maui for several years where Richard began collecting a whole new set of activities and friends.

As Richard continued the fight for his life, he retained his optimism, declaring every day, "I'm having a good day," to anyone who asked.

Richard is survived by his wife, Kathy, daughter Tamara and her husband John Ross, and son Nathan and his wife Amy Brandiger, sisters Donna and her husband Billy Bell, Carol and her husband Joe Kelley, his grandchildren Lindsey, Lauren, Jacob, Camryn, Taylor, and Stone, and great-grandchildren CJ and Lilly.

Richard was predeceased by his parents Ed and Cecelia Brandiger, and brother Ron.

A celebration of Richard's life will be held Friday, November 22, 2013, at 10:00 a.m. at Rimrock Evangelical Free Church at Johnson Siding with Pastor Mike Hays officiating. Committal rites will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Black Hills National Cemetery with military honors provided by the Sturgis Veteran's Honor Guard.