Richard Kirby Hallmark

Richard Kirby Hallmark, 81, passed away on April 26, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona.

After struggling with cognitive impairment and memory issues for several years, he was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’ s Disease in early 2025.

Rick was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1944. He is preceded in death by his parents, Nelson Thane Hallmark and Wanda Przybyla Hallmark.

He is survived by his wife Margarette Rosowski Hallmark, his son Brian Richard Hallmark and his wife Kimberly Anne Franklin, his son Kevin Stanley Hallmark and his wife Jessica Beth Rosenblum, and grandchildren Orion and Minerva. Also surviving Rick are brother Stephen (Anne) Hallmark, sister Deanna Hallmark, sister Linda (Steve) Beste, along with a number of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Although Rick was officially a member of the class of 1966, he actually completed his BA in chemistry from Oberlin College in 1970 after being in the Navy for two and a half years. He earned a PhD in organic chemistry from The University of Michigan in 1977.

He and his wife Margie met in 1969 at Oberlin College. They were assigned to adjacent labs in the chemistry building to work on their respective research projects and that is how they got to know each other. They got married in 1970 and were married for 55 years. Their standard joke over the years was always that “chemistry brought them together both literally and figuratively”.

After working as a chemist for a number of years and holding four patents, Rick made a career change in 1989. He started his own business called Hallmark Consulting, which focused exclusively on Apple computers. He provided computer support to various businesses and specialized in developing custom applications.

Rick had many interests and hobbies. One of his hobbies growing up was electronics. As a result, he got an assignment as an electronics technician when he enlisted in the Navy in 1966. He served on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid during the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1969. While serving in the Navy, he circumnavigated the globe (Order of Magellan), crossed the equator (became a Shellback), and was on the last US warship to go through the Suez Canal just prior to the Six Day War.

Another long-term hobby was photography. He loved landscape photography in particular. Many of his beautiful, unique photos were enlarged, framed and decorate many family homes.

He loved to sing and enjoyed participating in various choirs and choruses over the years. Rick particularly enjoyed the many summers he sang with the SUUSI BOYZ men’s chorus

Rick was a master woodworker and loved sharing his craft. Many of the furniture pieces he built are still in use and are loved and cherished. He made various built-ins inside the house, and a woodworking area and convenient storage cabinets out in the garage. He liked working with his hands and it provided him with a refreshing break from his work with computers.

Rick and Margie lived in Florida for 41 years prior to moving to Tucson in 2021. When he lived in Florida, Rick brewed his own beer. He won 10 medals for his beers at various home brewing competitions in different parts of Florida and 5 of those were 1st place medals! He even taught some workshops on beer brewing and used to say that beer brewing was just another way of applying his education as a synthetic organic chemist.

In 2018, Rick attended the Climate Reality Project leadership training. He was very concerned about climate change and its effects on our world. Rick was determined to make a difference, in whatever way he could, to help educate people about it.

Rick will be remembered as a kind, loving man, for his sense of humor (he loved puns), as someone who was always willing to volunteer his skills and abilities to help, and as a genuinely good person. He touched many lives and will be missed.

To honor Rick’s memory, please consider making a donation to one of these organizations:

Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org

Climate Reality Project https://www.climaterealityproject.org