Richard "Butch" Harper, Sr.

Richard “Butch” Harper, Sr., 83, of Vancleave, Mississippi, passed away on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Moss Point, Mississippi.

A native and lifelong resident of Jackson County, Butch was a longtime member of Larue Baptist Church. He worked as a carpenter at Ingalls Shipbuilding until his retirement and was once a member of the Country Road Quartet. He found great joy in fishing.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruby Lois Cowart Harper, and his son, Robbie Harper.

Butch is survived by his wife of twenty-six years, Hazel Goff Harper; his daughter, Debbie Harper; three sons, Richard L. Harper, Jr., Shorty (Martha) Harper, and Terry L. (Kim) Harper; three sisters, Kay Kraft, Dianne Gregory, and Sheila (Brian) Josephs; two stepdaughters, Ann (Wake) Inabinette and Debra (Arthur) Davis; two stepsons, Eugene (Donna) Mallette and Hal Mallette; nineteen grandchildren; and thirty-six great-grandchildren.