Richard Roy Eckles, 55, of Bozeman, MT passed away October 29, 2024, surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was born June 27, 1969, in Sacramento, CA to Robert Eckles and Linda (Gates) Covelli.
Richard attended school in the Sacramento area, graduating from Casa Roble High School in 1988. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and proudly served his country for 21 years as a military policeman, dog handler, and kennel master. His service included tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The military afforded him the opportunity to live in many places including: Adak, AK; San Antonio, TX; Brunswick, ME; Bahrain; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Christchurch, NZ; Yokosuka, Japan; Everett, WA; and Sicily, Italy. Upon retiring from active duty, Richard attended Montana State University from 2011-2014 where he was pursuing a degree in Entrepreneurship.
When Richard met his wife, Iris Matabilas, it was love at first sight on his part. Iris blew him off initially. She was devoted to serving Jesus and was not interested in the dating game. Richard jokingly said that “she Lorded him out of her life,” but he persevered and they were married on April 29, 2000, in Cebu City, Philippines. They shared a love for snorkeling and have gone on snorkeling adventures in the Philippines, Florida, Cozumel, and Belize. They built a beautiful family together, and their sons Zackary, Elijah, and Isaiah were his pride and joy. He was always excited to go to all of their sports events, be it track and field, football, basketball, and soccer. Rain, or shine, or snow—he was there. Richard was a high jump track star in high school, so he loved coaching from the sidelines and cheering them on. His eyes would light up when sharing their accomplishments with family and friends. His love for his family was fierce.
Richard’s pastimes included a love of the outdoors—most notably hunting and bird watching. He shared his passion for hunting with his sons and they enjoyed planning and trekking the woods for wild game. They spent countless hours preparing their arrows and practice shooting their bow for bowhunting season. He poured over hunting regulations and trained his boys to verify different zone regulations to ensure adherence to the T, especially during rifle season. Richard would proudly take pictures of his boys’ harvest, and then train them to properly field dress and process their own game meat for consumption. He is known to willingly mentor those who are interested to learn how to hunt. He has developed and nurtured friendships this way.
He served faithfully at The Table Church. His relationship with Jesus was important to him, and he showed his faith by rolling up his sleeves and being the hands and feet of service to others. He was the first to volunteer to deliver firewood to those in need, serve food and wash dishes after church gatherings, fold up chairs and sweep floors after service, and packaging food for starving children in Haiti. Richard is a man of action, and he showed his love by meeting the needs of his brothers and sisters in Christ.
Richard is survived by his wife and children; mom, Linda; sister, Jennifer Swaney (with husband David); brother, Joshua Lighten (with wife Courteney); nephews, Eric and Eddie (with wife Chloe and daughter Mila); and niece, Brittney (with daughter Willow). He was preceded in death by his father, Bob; and identical twin brother, Rob Eckles.
A Celebration of Life for Richard will be held Saturday, November 2, at 2:00 P.M. at the Yellowstone Theological Institute (The Barn) at 83 Rowland Road in Bozeman.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
