Birth date: Jul 21, 1940 Death date: Apr 13, 2026
Richard Earl Hughen, age 85, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, passed away on April 13, 2026. He was born on July 21, 1940, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to the late Irene (Ridgway-Hughen) Hunter and Olin Hughen. Rich was preceded in death Read Obituary
Phyllis and I have such great memories of Rich. One of our first trips after we got married was a Spring break trip up to the cabin at Leadville. Rich was always so welcoming to everyone and the cabin was very crowded. It was so much fun, people everywhere, laughing and playing games. Rich and Carol were such great hosts. We slept under the stairs just trying not to get stepped on. One night Rich loaded everyone up in his tiny Dolphin motorhome and drove us all to the Prospector restaurant to eat, slipping and sliding all the way.
We went up to the cabin many times over the years, Rich always took us on long walks through Beaver Lakes and all around Leadville, watching wildlife and enjoying the history and beauty of the area.
In 2007 Rich led a small group of friends on an overnight expedition to climb Mt. Elbert, highest peak in Colorado. We tent camped at the base of the mountain and started our climb before first light the next
morning. While not a particularly difficult climb, the altitude is killer for us flatlanders! I had a pretty tough time on the way up (but did make it), two others of our expedition ran out of water and climbed
down to a mountain lake far below the trail to refill their bottles. Rich kept Randy and I moving on up the trail as he knew of a place where a glacier was melting and made the perfect place to rest and refill our
bottles. We made it to the summit, enjoyed a nice time together with the incredible view, then headed back down. Randy had a pretty tough time with knee pain on the way down (but did make it). Rich gave me one of the greatest outdoor adventure highlights of my life that I will never forget.
There were so many times we enjoyed time together over the years. Rich was always so soft spoken, thoughtful, philosophical, and thought provoking. We had many discussions over the years about history and world events seasoned with his stories of experiences from his own life. I guess now we will never know what his "classified" missions to Vietnam entailed, as he said "he would have to kill us" if he ever told us the details and he never did!
Richard was a great man, a great cousin, and a great friend to Phyllis and I for many years. He has certainly made our lives better and more interesting and we will surely miss him.
If you knew Dad, you would understand this picture - he took it!
Richard was an avid photographer, over the years we logged many miles together in pursuit of the next great photo opportunity. We had many deep philosophical discussions and a lot of silliness along the way. Richard was a man of many talents, deep down was generous to the core, a man of conviction and always stayed true to those convictions. He never lost his inner child, and always seemed happiest when that inner child was allowed to run free. That inner child of his will truly be missed by all who knew him well.
Randy Ridgway
