Richard Phillip Arras, age 90, passed away surrounded by loved ones on June 3, 2026.

Richard was born February 24, 1936, in San Francisco, California. He was the only child of German immigrants, Phillip and Elise Arras.

Richard was President of his class at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, where he graduated in 1954. He went on to earn his degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 1958. He later earned his MBA and Master’s in Engineering from USC in 1966 and 1970 respectively.

Richard worked in Aerospace throughout his career, originally with Lockheed in the Bay Area before finding his way to Southern California with Rockwell International (later Boeing International). He proudly worked on the Apollo Missions and was part of the team who sent our astronauts into space and to the moon. Later, Richard would lead the team tasked with building the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites for the U.S. Air Force. The same GPS we now use to navigate our world.

In 1962, he met and married his wife of 60 years, Virginia Blanche Miles Arras. In 1964, they relocated to Huntington Beach, California, where they raised their four children. Upon retirement in 1998, Richard and Virginia moved to Laguna Niguel, California, where they spent the rest of their lives.

Richard was smart, humble, kind, generous and fun! He loved sports, golf, good food and wine, and travel. He and Virginia loved to entertain. You could always find him behind his bar serving a special cocktail. Above all, he loved spending time with and being surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Family brought him the greatest joy.

Richard is survived by his children Lisa (Wilder), Claudine (Roberts) and Leslie (Johnson); his ten grandchildren Taylor, Zachary, Blair, Paige, Sophie, Abby, Brooke, Luc, Porter and Cade. He is predeceased by his wife Virginia; his son Richard; and his parents Phillip and Elise.

Richard will be laid to rest, beside Virginia, at a private ceremony at Pacific View Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers; donations may be made to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.