Eight Bells: Mel Richley

Melvin Addison Richley Jr.

Melvin Addison Richley Jr., competitor and contributor in west coast sailing, died at 90 years on April 17, 2018.

Mel was born in Los Angeles as a 6th generation Californian. His predecessors arrived as part of the Spanish Army traveling up the coast with Father Junipero Serra. After high school graduation, World War II was in full swing, and Mel enrolled in the US Maritime Academy where he remained for four years, graduating 2nd Class Engineer at age 20.

After the academy he attended USC where he majored in accounting graduating 2nd in his class, then became a CPA. He went to work for Arthur Andersen where John Wayne was one of his clients.

When the Korean War broke out, with his Maritime Academy experience he enrolled in the Navy as a lieutenant and was the Chief Engineer on the US Destroyer Tucker. His ship was deployed to Korea but upon arrival the war ended. Mel said they saw him coming and surrendered! After the war Mel attended USC Law School, graduating in 1952.

In 1958 he left Los Angeles for Newport Beach. He bought the first of his subsequent five homes on Lido Isle for $27,000 where homes are now valued up to $18 million. Mel was an avid sailor and went on to be very active in the Lido Isle Yacht Club and Lido Isle Community Association serving as commodore in 1965. He was also commodore of the Yacht Race Union and Southern California Yachting Association.

He was an entrepreneur who started a boat company building Newport 16’s, 27’s, 30’s and 41’s in the 1960s. In 1982 he purchased a Choate 48, Amante, which has raced tens of thousands of miles including multiple races to Hawaii, Mexico, San Francisco and Catalina.

Mel was predeceased by his first wife, Francis June Richley. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Rickie Richley and sons Buddy (Nancy), Tim, and Steve (Jamie) Richley. He leaves grandchildren Michael, Matthew, Spencer, Maxson, Addison and Summer Richley. A celebration of life will be held at the Lido Isle Clubhouse in the coming weeks.

Source: www.legacy.com/obituaries