In a tragic and shocking end to the non-stop party that was Richard Flemming's life, his friends and family mourn the man who could drink anyone under the table: even himself.
At the ripe age of 9, Flemming had his first taste of brown liquor and never looked back. The next 34 years would be a thrill ride of intermittent incoherence, depression, and health complications from chronic alcoholism. And that is how his friends would like to remember him—as a true party machine.
Richard was always looking for a good time, and when he couldn't find it, he'd bring it along with him in the form of slowed reflexes, slurred speech, and a lack of inhibition. The county sheriff came to call him "Roundhouse Rick" after Richard spun around and landed on his face before vomiting all over himself after a failed attempt at kicking a deputy to avoid arrest. He even has a plaque on the wall as a reminder of how much he cost taxpayers in the county since they started keeping track.
His friends and family will think back on him as a man who never got caught up in the hustle and bustle of the business world, as he could never hold a job for more than a week. Richard really seemed to understand the immediacy of living, as was evidenced by his constant desire to drown out all sensory experiences of it. Although a woman or two tried to tame him, he just seemed too focused on doing as much damage to his liver and brain as quickly as possible.
So now, his loved ones hope that he can rest in peace knowing that he finally found what he was looking for: a bloated corpse that was partially consumed by rats in a dark alley before being found, now displayed proudly at his funeral.
Services are Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
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