LANNING, RICHARD

Richard J. Lanning
Captain, US Navy (retired)
Richard James Lanning passed away peacefully on September 4th, at the age of 89, with his son, Jim, at his bedside. Richard was born in Brooklyn, NY on December 28, 1934, the second of three sons of Jeptha Holland Lanning and Helen Agnes Flood Lanning. Orphaned at the age of seven, he was raised by his maternal grandparents in Brooklyn. In 1955, Richard joined the U.S. Navy as an aviation Cadet, where during his 25 years of service, he rose to rank of Captain. He married Josephine Ann (Jo Ann) Holley of Loxley, AL, in 1956, while stationed at the Pensacola, FL Naval Air Station. They had two children together, Holly Ann born in 1959 and Richard James Jr., born in 1961, and were married 20 years.
Richard, more commonly referred to as Dick or Skipper, frequently reminisced about his time in the Navy, from his experience as a member of the Hurricane Hunters to his time serving on the USS Yorktown during the Vietnam War as a member of the admiral’s staff. He was also a member of the faculty at the Naval War College, where he established the first course on human resource management. But with a strong professional interest in leadership, he was most proud of his multiple appointments as Commanding Officer, including Patrol Squadron Ten in Brunswick, ME, the US Naval Base in Souda Bay, Crete, Greece, and his last post, Commander of Reserve Patrol Wing Atlantic in Norfolk, VA. During his career, Richard earned numerous awards, including the Air Medal, Combat Action Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Service medal and his highest honor, the Legion of Merit. He also received a Bachelor of Arts in History from North Texas State and a Master of Science in International Affairs from George Washington University while in the Navy.
After retiring from the Navy, Richard became the General Manager of Evyan Perfumes in New York, NY. He resided in Riverside, CT with his second wife, Eva, who he met while he was Commanding Officer of the Naval Recruiting District in Albany, NY. They spent the next 45 years together, sharing many traveling adventures around the world until her passing in 2021.
In addition to Eva, Richard was predeceased by his older brother Jeptha, his sister-in-law Judy and his grandson Riley. He is survived by his younger brother Gerard, his sister-in-law Joan, his daughter Holly (Dale) and son Jim (Teresa), Eva’s daughter Lora (Joe) and son Steven (Karen) and his grandchildren Grafton, Patrick, Heidi (Thomas), Jeshe (Chris) and Katy (Dale).
A Celebration of Life in Riverside, CT, will occur in October and a military burial at the Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, FL, is planned for the spring.