American AcornsRichard Oak's late shift at the foundry
Around nine at night during Richard Oak's late shift, one of his children would bring him a reheated dinner at the Wyman-Gordon foundry in Northfield, New Hampshire. His child remembers a picnic table beside the river and, in winter, being allowed into the employee lounge. The deliveries continued until the child began working himself in high school.
Bangor to Danville
Richard was born on April 3, 1956, in Bangor, Maine, a son of Evelyn (Dixon) Oak and her husband. His obituary describes his childhood in Danville, New Hampshire, and his attendance at Timberlane Regional High School.
Source: Valley News, February 25, 2008, page 4 (Newspapers.com)
How it is shown: Excerpt: the held clipping ends mid-sentence, before the names of his four sons.
Image details
Source: Valley News, via Newspapers.com (image 834645768); index record: Ancestry.
How it is shown: Complete newspaper page; no crop, no retouch, no search highlight.
Keep in mind: The Newspapers.com index places the item on this page; that has not been checked against the article text.
Image details
The Army, then Texas
After Danville, Richard enlisted in the Army. His separation record, DD Form 214, supplied by the National Personnel Records Center in October 2026, shows that he entered active duty on June 17, 1977. He trained as a Chaparral air defense missile crewman, completed the Basic Airborne Course, and earned Expert badges in rifle and hand grenade. On February 21, 1979, he was honorably discharged at Fort Hood, Texas, as a specialist fourth class in the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division.
Source: Copy supplied by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center.
How it is shown: Complete page; the Social Security number and the mailing street address are covered with solid black boxes (the pixels are removed, not hidden); no other change.
Keep in mind: Typed form, The unredacted copy and the archive's case reference are not published.
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His obituary describes his Army service as "two years," a rounded account of the one year and eight months recorded on his separation form, and says he settled in Texas after his discharge — that part of his story, like his later work at Sturm Ruger, rests on the obituary alone; his service record, grave marker and VA listing confirm only that he served. At 25, he married Margery Clarkson in San Saba County on May 20, 1981, according to the Texas marriage index cited in her biography.
He later moved to New Hampshire, where his obituary names Sturm Ruger as his most recent employer and remembers him as a passionate outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Work and family
His family remembers Richard working as a logger while they lived in Maine. Later, he spent years as an hourly worker at the Wyman-Gordon foundry in Northfield, New Hampshire, close to the family home. He wore heavy protective clothing around molten metal, and the family remembers that he may have operated a press at times.
His marriages. Richard married four times. His first wife was Joanne Knowlton, a classmate at Timberlane Regional High School and the mother of his eldest son; that marriage ended in divorce. In Texas, after the Army, he met Margery Clarkson at a ranch where he was working, and they married in 1981. His third wife, Rowena, had also been at Timberlane with him. His fourth wife was Noreen (Hastings) Oak; they married in December 2007, about two months before his death, and his funeral record names her as his wife. These facts about his marriages were provided by his family.
Death at Enfield, New Hampshire, 2008
According to his obituary, Richard Dixon Oak Sr. died on Saturday, February 23, 2008, at his home in Enfield, New Hampshire, surrounded by family. His mother and a brother, Russell Oak, had died before him.
His grave marker is inscribed "RICHARD DIXON OAK / US ARMY / APR 3 1956 / FEB 23 2008," independently corroborating his birth and death dates and his Army service.
About the evidence
Richard's obituary supplies his childhood, time in Texas and work at Sturm Ruger. His Army service comes from his DD Form 214; the grave marker and VA gravesite record agree. The logging, foundry work and dinner deliveries come from a family recollection recorded in September 2026.
A 2002 New Hampshire engineering report describes the Northfield foundry's aluminum and magnesium casting operations. It provides workplace context, not Richard's employment dates or specific job duties.
Sources
- Valley News (Enfield, N.H. dateline), 25 February 2008, p. 4, obituary of Richard D. Oak Sr., 51. The linked person page includes a credited excerpt.
- Grave marker, inscribed "RICHARD DIXON OAK / US ARMY / APR 3 1956 / FEB 23 2008". Grave-marker photograph from another member's tree; photographer unrecorded.
- New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, Wyman-Gordon engineering summary, September 19, 2002. Facility/workplace context for the Northfield foundry; not a record of Richard's employment dates or duties.
- DD Form 214, Report of Separation from Active Duty, for Richard Dixon Oak, National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, supplied October 2026. Social Security number and mailing address are covered wherever the form is shown.
- Family recollection recorded September 2026 (private).
- His marriages: family account given by his son Michael Oak, October 2026; the December 2007 marriage and Noreen as his wife at his death also appear in his funeral home memorial book (family collection).