Richard Robert Hauser

Richard R. Hauser, 77, of Carmel and Westfield, passed away January 8, 2022.  He was born June 19, 1944 in Pittsburgh, PA, son of the late Ernest and Rita (Wolfenberger) Hauser.
Richard was a graduate of Eastmoor High School, Columbus, OH. He continued his education at Franklin University in Columbus, OH and earned his MBA at Capital University, Columbus, OH in 1978.

As a US Navy veteran, Richard served his country during the Vietnam War, stationed in Iceland, where he was awarded a letter of commendation for efficiency recommendations. One great adventure was caravan trekking in a "Beetle Bug' Volkswagon behind Land Rovers to a small, active volcanic eruption, bouncing across a mud field at one point and hitting a hidden rock that dented the floor, thankfully without disabling the vehicle !

During the years of working as a business executive and in leadership roles, Richard was with multiple companies in Ohio and Michigan before moving to Indiana. From 1982-1988, Richard worked as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Operations at Que Corp., which was a leading computer book publisher.  From 1989-1998, he worked as CFO and then President at Howard W. Sams Co., a leading technical publisher. Richard enjoyed being a consultant to small businesses from 1998-2010, during which time he was invited to be a guest lecturer at Capital University in Columbus.  He worked as the Controller at Whitesell Corporation from 2011-2014.  Richard worked as an executive at American Fasteners, Midwest Graphics and Hoosier Trim before his recent retirement. The highlight of his career was owning and managing Howard W. Sams with business partner, Damon Davis during the 1990s, when they proudly saved a hundred local jobs. They purchased the company from Macmillan, then sold to Bell Atlantic (now Verizon).
Richard felt honored to have had the privilege to personally meet such dignitaries as Margaret Thatcher, Jack Kemp, Colin Powell, and Dan Coats. He loved being a part of the Honor Flight and the experience of seeing the Washington DC monuments and meeting Bob Dole.
Richard received the 1990 “New Venture of the Year” as well as the MBA Alumni Award in 2000 from Capital University.

Richard was known as a dedicated, hardworking, loving husband, father, and grandfather, who took great joy in the accomplishments of his family. He loved high school football and several of his teammates went on to play collegiate and NFL football. Richard was an avid OSU and Big 10 football fan, loved building puzzles during winter months, and spent countless happy hours in his workshop creating quality display cases and numerous tack projects. Not bad for someone who almost failed high school shop class!

Survivors include his devoted wife, Nancy L. Hauser; sons, Mark R. Hauser of Pekin, IN and Craig A. (Shannon) Hauser of Charlotte, NC; daughter, Jen N. Hauser of Birmingham, AL; grandchildren, Max, Karl, Conrad, and Lorelei Hauser; sister, Elaine (Don) Lakin of Dublin, OH and brother-in-law; sisters-in-law; nieces and nephews.
 
Visitation will take place Saturday, January 15, 2022 from 12 noon-2 pm at Bussell Family Funerals, 1621 E. Greyhound Pass, Carmel, where a Funeral Service for the family will begin at 2 pm.
A Committal Service with military honors will follow in Carmel Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be given to Indy Honor Flights, P.O. Box 10, Plainfield, IN 46168 or indyhonorflight.org or Wounded Warriors Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.

Bussell Family Funerals is privileged to assist the family in arrangements.