Richard H. Alven, Sr.

Richard (Dick) Henry Alven, 89, of Dallas, passed away on Monday January 18, 2021. Dick was born on December 23, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from Northeast High School. He married his one and only, Cass, on Thanksgiving Day 1952. That was the beginning of a long and loving marriage of nearly 64 years when Cass passed away in 2016. She has waited over 4 years for Dick to reunite with her and we know that their reunion has made heaven brighter. As a child, Dick’s Mom channeled his high energy level into tap dancing and ballet. Dick became quite good at both and the group that he was a part of would perform in the Philadelphia area. Dick would say that dancing helped him become a better athlete. He participated and exceled in many sports. He learned how to box. Boxing combined with his ability to avoid getting hit with whatever his Mom could throw at him (for being late coming home) greatly improved his reflexes. Dick would go on to play football, basketball and baseball. At the age of 14, he played in a semi-pro baseball league where most of the players were 18-19 years old. It was during this time that professional scouts were coming to see him play. However, Dick said he never got any better and so their interest waned. As he got older, he found other sports to conquer and was very good at all of them (bowling, darts, pool, golf, tennis and racquetball). Dick’s ability was important but it was his drive to do his best and willingness to put in whatever effort was needed that would serve him well during his 42 year career with the Pepsi-Cola Company. When he was 18, Dick went to work at Pepsi as a bottle washer but quickly moved into sales where he saw better pay and greater opportunity. The lack of a college degree did not deter him from pursuing positions with greater responsibility. Dick was selected to participate in a management-training program. His success in that program along with reading every business book he could find helped propel him up the management ladder. He could easily relate to those who worked for him since he had been in those very positions. He earned respect and he produced. In 1973, Dick was the VP of Marketing for the Dallas operations. His pursuit of understanding Pepsi’s position in the market led to the very successful Pepsi Challenge campaign that started in Dallas and eventually went national. Dick later became VP of several divisions and ultimately a Senior Vice President. Despite significant travel during his career, when Dick was at home, he was very present and engaged with the family. He always imparted his knowledge of whatever sport his children were involved in and after every game he would breakdown their performance and would give constructive feedback (although it didn’t always feel like that). Dick’s advice was not limited to sports. He talked about life, living (moderation in all things) and death. Dick’s life was full. His positive attitude uplifted everyone in the family and the family knew they were loved by Dick(Dad/Pop Pop) and Cass(Mom/Grammy). Dick is survived by his children Richard Jr. (Grace), Jane (Rita), and Robert (Hanneke), grandchildren Bill (Katy), Candice (Derek), Katie (Jason), Richard III (Alyce), Hank (Meridith), Elizabeth and Megan and great grandchildren, Hudson, Ryder, Noelle, Claire, Gwen and Eve. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Manchester Place Care Homes – St. Michaels and Hope Health Care for their care and kindness. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dick’s memory can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Graveside Services will be held on Saturday - February 20, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. in Holy Redeemer Cemetery, 1500 S. Westmoreland Rd., DeSoto, TX 75115.