Richard L. Parziale

Richard L. Parziale, born storyteller, avid golfer and 50-year caregiver to two wives, died May 3, 2026 at the age of 83 in Carlsbad, California, from complications of cancer.

Richard was born October 13, 1942 in East Cleveland, Ohio, to Lawrence and Marie (Trivisonno) Parziale. He was raised by his grandparents, Jenny and Nick Trivisonno, until he was about four, while his father was stationed in Europe (he was an aide to Gen. Douglas McArther during World War II) and his mother worked. 

As a child, Rich was known as “Sourpuss Dickie” because he never smiled. No one knows why he sported a frown all the time. He was the oldest grandchild on his mother’s side, and, he acknowledged, “very spoiled.” He grew up around numerous cousins, aunts and uncles, and attended grade school and junior high in Euclid. In 1954, his family moved 30 miles east to Madison where his father, a self-taught carpenter, built tract homes. Rich took up golf at the Madi’s Country Club (where he also caddied) and played football at Madison High School. The family moved back to Euclid, and Rich graduated from Euclid High School in 1960. 

Rich married Barbara Kern shortly after graduation, and they had two children, Eva in 1960 and Michael in 1964. Rich’s first “real” job was as a bank teller at Cleveland Trust. On the weekends, he worked at a shoe store and he took night classes at Cuyahoga Community College. He joined the Lincoln Electric Co. in Euclid in 1964 and worked as a punch-press operator for 40 years. During most of that time, he worked swing shifts – mornings, afternoons and overnights on a weekly rotating basis. It was a boring job, a grueling schedule and the working conditions were difficult, but it paid well and enabled him to provide a middle-class lifestyle for his family. After retiring from Lincoln at the age of 62, he was hired as a loan officer at a mortgage company owned by his stepson, Michael McCandless.  

The only job Rich recalls ever wanting, though, was in the Madison Country Club pro shop. Because of a misunderstanding, he lost the job after being promised it. He went on to work with the greens keeping crew and “I antagonized those people in the pro shop something terrible, which was wrong, obviously, but I was 13 or 14,” Rich recalled.

During much of their 25-year marriage, Rich took care of Barbara who suffered from mental-health issues and was eventually diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, confining her to a wheelchair. They divorced in 1985. 

In 1990, Rich married Lynn Cheraso, a hairdresser with two sons, Michael and Brandon. They spent the first 20 years traveling (Alaska, Canada, Italy) before Lynn was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007. She died in 2014 and Rich moved to San Diego to be closer to his son Michael, daughter-in-law, Yvonne, and their three children. The climate also was a draw because it meant Rich could play golf year-round. 

“I liked golf so much, but I didn’t know how to play the right way,” Rich said. He finally learned “the right way” after hiring a pro at The Crossings at Carlsbad, the city-owned golf course, and taking an estimated 100 lessons. At the same time, Rich volunteered at the course in exchange for free rounds of golf, free range balls and discounted pro lessons. He also got a break on meal prices at the club restaurant. “I used to live there. I’d show up at 7:30 in the morning and have breakfast and stay all day,” he said.

Rich was well-known around his condo complex. For several years, he drove a BMW M2 and loved to loudly rev its engine as he left the complex. His neighbors were grateful when he traded his car for a more sedate SUV.  

He made a number of good friends in Carlsbad, mostly through golf, and they kindly called and stopped by whenever he was being treated for cancer. He also met Nina Greben while taking a ballroom dancing class, and they enjoyed many (early-bird) dinners, concerts, movies and swapping stories about their children and grandchildren.

Rich was diagnosed with Merkle cell carcinoma in 2016 then large B-cell lymphoma in 2022. After chemotherapy, he was cancer-free for about two years. The lymphoma returned in 2025, and he underwent immunotherapy. The only time he took a break from golf was when he was being treated for cancer.

Immunotherapy stopped working after six months, and Rich decided in January 2026 to end further treatment and enter hospice. He was tired and did not want to return to chemotherapy - a difficult procedure in his condition. Home health care aides from Visiting Angels of North County provided 24-hour care for him at his home, and he was most grateful for their kindness. He also appreciated the care he received from the doctors and nurses at the University of California, San Diego and the staff of The Elizabeth Hospice.

The one regret Rich had in life, he said, was not going to college. “I would have liked to have taught history,” he said. He was an avid reader of history, particularly about World War II. He admired his father’s service in the U.S. Army, and that of his many uncles. “They really were the greatest generation,” he said.

Rich is also preceded in death by his parents Lawrence and Marie (Trivisonno) Parziale, brother Lawrence Parziale and sister Marilyn (Pete) Nicolosi. 

He is survived by his daughter Eva Parziale (Daniel Delehanty) of Columbus, Ohio, son Michael Parziale (Yvonne) of Scottsdale, Arizona, and stepsons Michael McCandless (Trina) of Highland Heights, Ohio, and Brandon Cheraso (Kathleen) of Las Vegas, Nevada. 

He leaves behind his grandchildren Natalie Ortega (Chris); Jack Parziale (Emma Cooper); Max Parziale (Samantha Dee); Kelsey Delehanty (Chris Brand); Maggie Delehanty; Mattie Lynn McCandless; Katie Wenzel (Michael); Abby McCandless (Chris Roach); Nicole McDermott; Ashley Malone (Joey); Alex Kriticos; Ty Cheraso (Cara); Anthony Cheraso; and Alyssa Cheraso.

Rich is also survived by great-grandchildren Layla Cubbal, Joey Cubbal, Mikayla Ortega, Hadley Ortega, Eliana Mae Roach, Blakely Lynn Roach, Viola Marie Wenzel, Adalynn Kriticos, Marceline Cheraso and Olive Cheraso.

In addition to numerous cousins in California, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan, Rich is survived by nieces and nephews Ann Marie Bell (Michael); Steven Nicolosi (Krystin); Mark Nicolosi (Shikin), Jason Parziale; Jim Parziale; Roy Kern; Raymond Kern; Randy Kern; and brother-in-law, Pete Nicolosi.

No funeral or memorial services are planned, but Rich would love it if you remembered him the next time you play a round of golf.