Richard Stulz

The San Diego Union-Tribune

June 14, 1996

Richard F. Stulz served in Marines twice

Richard F. Stulz, who formerly headed the local union representing U.S. Border Patrol agents, died Saturday. He was 60 and resided in Ramona. Mr. Stulz, who had been in apparent good health, died after being stricken while attending a wedding in Poway.

Mr. Stulz was a native of Philadelphia. He joined the Marines in 1952 and served for four years. He left the Corps and went to work as a dispatcher for the Border Patrol, then returned to the Marine Corps in 1965.

As a Marine communication specialist, he served around the world until his retirement in 1982. He was involved in the missions to recover the command modules of the Apollo 12 and Apollo 17 spacecraft.

After leaving the Marine Corps a second time, Mr. Stulz returned to the Border Patrol as a dispatcher. He became very active with National Border Patrol Council Local 1613, serving as president from mid-1994 to December 1995.

His wife, Veronica, recalled him as "a strong advocate and activist" for agents and said he was considered "a guardian angel" by many of those he represented.

Armand Olvera, as assistant chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol here, said that while the union local represents the green-uniformed field agents and support personnel in the agency, the presidency is traditionally held by an agent.

"In all the 26 years I have been in this sector, (Mr. Stulz's presidency) was the first time a green shirt was not the president, which speaks very highly of what the green shirts thought of Dick," Olvera said. "He was a very easy-going person, easy to talk to," said Olvera, who supervised Mr. Stulz. "He was cool in the line of fire. He did what dispatchers do, handling things in the field, hairy pursuits, whatever. He just took charge of what had to be taken care of.

"He was a great family man. He loved his children and his grandchildren. But one of his biggest loves, after the Marine Corps, was the Border Patrol."

In addition to his wife, Mr. Stulz is survived by two daughters, Catherine Marie Cordova of Poway and Loretta Anne Stulz of Merrick, N.Y.; a son, Mark Anthony Stulz of Oceanside; a sister, Margaret Fantazzi of Philadelphia; a brother, William Stulz of El Paso; and four grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 537 E St., Ramona. Inurnment will follow at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.