Richard T. Rawles, 89, of Portsmouth | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily

Richard T. Rawles (Bucktrout Funeral Home)

Richard T. Rawles, a lifelong resident of Portsmouth affectionately known to many as “Cooky,” earned his angel’s wings on November 2, 2025. He was 89.

Born in Portsmouth on February 15, 1936, to Margaret and Clyde Rawles, Richard grew up in the Waterview neighborhood and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Germany from 1963 to 1965 – an experience he said ruined him for camping and cooking on a grill. He spent 44 years as a communications technician with AT&T.

Sailing was one of Richard’s passions, and a sailboat he once owned, the Hampton I, ended up in the collections of The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News. He was also a model train aficionado and constructed an elaborate O-gauge train s