Mr. Richard Allen English, 57, of Gastonia, North Carolina, passed away Saturday, May 20, 2023, at CaroMont Regional Medical Center, Gastonia, NC.

He was born January 30, 1966, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the late Robert Barron English and Doris Turner English.  He was also preceded in death by his brother, Lonnie Andrew English.

Richard had many terms of endearment, Rich, Richy, Rick-Rick, Mr. Superman, Spiderman, Uncle Richy, and Mr. Captain America.  He loved all the superhero characters because he was a superhero to many.  Rich loved to dance, sing, create art, and spend time with family at the many large gatherings the English family enjoyed frequently. He was a shining star in the family constellation.  He was active in his community church and Kings Mountain Life Enrichment Center.  He loved being “Santa Claus” for church gatherings for the children.  He taught his family and community a lot about the nature of love for his family, neighbors, and community. He lived in the moment.  When a good beat of music presented itself, he’d dance or sing wherever and whenever.  He never had any criterion for judgment of others by politics, race, or social status.  Superman gave High Fives to perfect strangers. Spiderman considered himself “a ladies' man,” often encouraging ladies to dance with him.  Richard was a snappy dresser and enjoyed a good suit, a new pair of jeans, and the latest trend in tennis shoes. He enjoyed going out to eat a cheeseburger and a Pepsi, but his favorite was fried chicken from KFC. His concept of money was unique, often favoring a one-dollar bill over other high denominations, which he thought could buy anything. Rich loved babies and dogs. Rick-Rick had an uncanny ability to know if you were kind or mean and had no patience for mean people and gave them none of his time. Uncle Richy was a superb prankster and enjoyed a good laugh at your expense, pranks that often involved banana peels.  He loved police officers, firefighters, and ministers. They were his superheroes too. Pastor Reynolds said Richy would leave him frequent notes for his love of Jesus, and Rich would lead the worship services in prayer, sometimes serving as a greeter and usher in church.  His inspiration for his works of art included nature scenes and landscapes.

Richard, Rich, Richy, Rick-Rick, Mr. Superman, Spiderman, Uncle Richy, and Mr. Captain America will be greatly missed by all who loved him but mostly by his family, who were blessed enough to call him their brother and uncle.

Mr. English is survived by his sisters, Bobbie English, Angela Yvonne English (Dr. Susan Skyler), Louann E. Fields (Dean), and Dorothy Manning (Allen); his brothers, Walter Barron English (Marie) and Mitchell Louis English (Angie); and many loving nieces and nephews.

A Funeral Service will be held at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Destiny Church, 3723 York Hwy., Gastonia, NC.  The family will receive friends one hour before the service, beginning at 5:00 p.m.  Interment will be private at Lakeview Memory Gardens.

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