Loyd Richard "Dick" Griest was born in Minneapolis, Kansas on December 14, 1937. He started playing drums at a very early age, initially with the pots and pans in the cupboard and then moving on to the professional set his mother bought him. By the time he was in elementary school, he was performing in the high school band. Upon graduation, he was accepted in the US Navy band, and remained a member for the next 20 years. Dick's extended tours with the Navy included Newfoundland, Spain, and Greece, plus two years in Japan, where he got to see his idol, Frank Sinatra, perform in Tokyo. He loved exploring the world by aircraft carrier or—even better—by train, where he chatted with every stranger. A meat-and-potatoes man, he contended that the best food he ate was aboard ship. The last six years of his Navy career were with the US Naval Academy Band in Annapolis, Maryland.

In 1967, Dick was briefly stationed at the Naval base in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he met and married his wife, Irene. They celebrated their 52nd anniversary this year in Corpus Christi, where they moved after his retirement from the Navy in 1975. Dick is survived by his wife Irene, daughter Barbara (Alex), daughter Stephanie, grandson Jordan, granddaughter Analina, nieces Tammy Shaw, Stacy Prater, DeeDee Becker and numerous extended family. His parents Loris and Madge Griest, brother Walter Reed and nephew Don preceded him in death.

Dick devoted his life to his art. After the Navy, he continued playing drums with various groups in Corpus Christi and the surrounding areas. He also gave drum lessons to many young students, who he was proud to see continuing his love of music. He also delighted in being a stay-at-home dad. After brewing a morning cup of coffee for Irene before she left for work, he made his daughters breakfast, packed their tuna fish sandwiches, and walked them to school. Then he'd hit the tennis courts at the Naval base, enjoy lunch at Whataburger, and make it back with plenty of time to play the piano before picking up the girls from school. He was always up for an adventure afterward, taking the girls out on bike rides, excursions to the T-heads, and on ferry rides to Port Aransas, where they often spotted a porpoise or two. Every summer, he'd pack up the van for an extended family road trip. Together, the four traveled to the Redwood Forest, Mesa Verde, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone, with John Denver crooning through the tape deck. He and Stephanie spent many a week with his beloved family in Kansas. They always timed their 870-mile trek to arrive in Salina just before Cozy Inn closed for a sack of tiny burgers.

In 1996 and 1998, Dick and Irene were thrilled to welcome grandchildren into the family. Jordan and Analina renamed them "Po" and "Mo." No sooner than the grandkids would arrive for a visit would Po sit them down at his drum set—the same one his mother had given him half a century before—to teach them how to play "BOOM get a rat trap bigger than a cat trap." Jordan pursued interests in the health field, while Analina continued drumming and is now a music major at St. Mary's University who performs at Sea World and for several popular bands in San Antonio.

Despite playing tennis every day, Po's health started faltering in 1999--two bouts with cancer, heart surgeries, and several hernia operations. Even so, he never missed a birthday party, cross-country move, book reading, or concert, and always sent big bouquets of flowers to his girls every Valentine's Day. The joys of his life were his daughters and the highlight of his many travels was in 2010 when the whole family visited Alaska.

On the evening of Saturday, July 6, 2019, Mo alerted her girls to come home. Barbara and her family arrived from San Antonio just after midnight; Stephanie drove all night from a writing retreat in Marfa and arrived at 5:45 am. Everyone had a chance to say goodbye, including Po, who squeezed Stephanie's hand as he fought for every breath. He set off on the ultimate journey at 9:24 am at age 81 on July 7. His happy-go-lucky nature will be deeply missed, but his family feels confident they will find his guiding light again someday. Until then, Po's legacy lives on through his two children, two grandchildren, and hundreds of drum students.

Please join the Griest/Devora/Elizondo family for a celebration of Po's life:

Monday, July 15, 2019
10:30 am Family Visitation
11:30 am Memorial Service
Guardian Funeral Home, 5922 Crosstown SH.286, Corpus Christi, Texas 78417
Phone: 361-853-0155

1 pm Military Service
Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery
9974 I-37, Corpus Christi, Texas 78410

2 pm Buffet and Reception
Silverado Smokehouse
4522 Weber Road, Corpus Christi, Texas 78411

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer's Association at https://www.alz.org.