Richard Charles Crooks

Richard Charles Crooks, 63, mortgage company owner in Moscow and Orofino, Idaho, died of cancer Wednesday at Moscow Care Center in Moscow.

He was born June 10, 1935, to Richard N. and Esther Aiken Crooks at Moscow. He attended schools at Moscow and later at Orofino. He graduated from high school at Orofino in 1953.

He enlisted with the Army and served in Germany during the Korean conflict. He worked as a Russian linguist and spy and was a communications specialist.

He married Beverly Nelson in 1958. They divorced in 1984.

He was honorably discharged from the military in 1964. He moved back to Moscow and enrolled at the University of Idaho. He completed a degree in political science in 1967.

The family moved to San Jose, Calif., where he worked as a technical writer for Lenkurt Electronics in Palo Alto, Calif. He later taught in a high school there. They moved after a few years to Salem, Ore., where he worked as the educational director for the state of Oregon Department of Real Estate.

The family moved to Bend, Ore., a few years later, and he was the owner-operator of High Desert Mortgage Co. He moved to Lewiston, Idaho, in 1994 and founded State Line Mortgage Co.

He moved the main office to Orofino in 1997 and opened a branch office in Moscow with his son, Bradley.

He was interested in his family history and had done genealogy work recently to trace his ancestors. He also liked to fish and was an avid reader.

He is survived by two sons, Bradley Crooks of Moscow and Richard "Kass" Crooks of Prineville, Ore.; his mother of Orofino; three grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

He was preceded in death by his father.

Private family services will be held.

Short's Funeral Chapel of Moscow is in charge of arrangements.