Richard A. Singer, 78 years old, of Columbia City passed away on October 23rd, surrounded by family. Born in Batesville, IN on January 21, 1948, and raised on the family farm on the East side of St. Leon, IN. As a young man, he worked on the family farm and also worked for a local farmer, Eddie Bischoff. He then worked at Philco Ford in Connersville, IN for a short time. In 1969, he started working for General Motors in Norwood, OH. Richard then transferred to the GM Truck Plant in 1988 and became a member of UAW Local 2209, retiring in 1999 after 30 years of service.

Richard was an avid outdoorsman who loved hunting deer, fox, rabbit, and raccoon. He was a skilled craftsman who could build and repair anything; from construction to carpentry to mechanical. After retirement, his passion was restoring antique tractors, especially International Harvester, with friends. He also enjoyed farm equipment auctions and annual local swap meets. Gardening and lawn care was also a hobby. He cherished time spent with his family, especially during their large family gatherings. Richard was a practical jokester and enjoyed making others laugh. Richard loved sweet treats and joked that “it would have been better if it was apple pie”.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years of marriage, Colleen Singer (Hawkins), his children Rick Singer of Bright, IN, Nicole (William) Walters of New Haven, IN; siblings Kathy Goldkamp of West Harrison, IN, Donna Baas of St. Leon, IN, Sharon (Philip) Neumeier of Napoleon, IN; sisters-in law Becky (Marvin) Schoenherr, Patti (Wade) Kraft, nieces and nephews Debbie Ritzi, Deanna Lohrum, Kristoffer Stuvengen, Brian Cox, Jeremy Baas, Scott Baas, Hannah Stuvengen, Tyler Kraft, Jordan Brown, Ryan Kraft, and Jason Brown. He is preceded in death by his parents John and Florence Singer; siblings Robert Singer, Carole Ritzi, brothers-in-law Maurice Ritzi, Darrel Baas, Douglas Goldkamp, Father-in-law Herbert Hawkins, and Mother-in-law LaNell Hawkins.

Visitation will be Friday, October 30, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Covington Memorial Funeral Home, 8408 Covington Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46804. Funeral services will begin at 12:00 p.m. followed by interment in Covington Memorial Gardens.

Memorial donations may be directed to the Whitley County 4-H Inc.