Richard E. Confer, 71, of Colonial Drive, New Castle, passed away the night of January 17, 2015 in Willard, Ohio. Born October 2, 1943 in New Castle, he was a son of Clarence E. Confer and Ruth E. Byler Confer Connerly. Richard was preceded in death by his first wife, Sandra Womer Confer in 1989. He is survived by his second wife, Elaine E. Druschel Confer, whom he married September 21, 1996. He was a graduate of Penn State University. A veteran of the Vietnam war, he served in the U.S. Air Force with the rank of Airman 2nd class as a communication specialist. Richard was employed with CSX Railroad as an engineer for 10 years. He was also the owner of West Star Electronics and previously employed with General Dynamics in New York. He was a member of the Mahoning New Castle Lodge No 243 where he was past master in 1973, was a 32nd Degree Mason, and past commander of the New Castle Consistory Legion of Honor, and an officer in the Lodge of Perfection of New Castle. Among his interests were gardening and astronomy. He was a member and Elder of the former Second Presbyterian Church and attended Shenango Presbyterian Church. In addition to his wife Elaine, he is survived by three sons, Richard A. Confer of Cypress, TX, Steven Confer of New Castle, and Timothy Confer of Irwin, PA; two step-daughters, Melissa E. Knox of Butler and Diana J. (James) Way of Poland, OH; three brothers, Harry Confer of Irvine, CA, Thomas Confer of Boca Raton, FL, and Robert Greider of Thousand Oaks, CA; one sister, Barbara Morton of Wilmington, NC; ten grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the R. Cunningham Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., 2429 Wilmington Road. A funeral service will take place on Friday at 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home with Rev. Amy Na officiating. A military service will be held by the New Castle Area Honor Guard. A Masonic Service will take place Thursday at 8:00 pm. Burial will be in Castle View Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Shriner's Hospital, c/o Syria Temple, 1877 Shriners Way, Cheswick, PA 15024. Online condolences may be offered at www.cunninghamfh.com