Richard John Wylie
December 13, 1933 - December 21, 2018
Richard John Wylie of San Jose, California, known as Dick Wylie to family and friends, died peacefully at age 85 in his home on December 21.
Son of John and Ruth Wylie, Dick was born in Fresno and grew up in Palo Alto. He graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1961, and Stanford University in 1955. From an early age he wanted to be an attorney, and received his degree from Stanford Law School 1958 following with a 46 year legal career.
After short tenures in the Legislative Counsel’s Office in Sacramento and as an Assist. District Attorney for Contra Costa County, he went into private practice forming the law firm of Wylie, Leahy, Blunt & McBride in San Jose to serve workers and consumers in the South Bay. (The firm now exists as Wylie McBride Platten & Renner). His work as a trial attorney included many milestones of success and leadership including President of the Santa Clara County Bar Association and Executive Board Member of the California State Bar Association.
Highlights of his legal and political activism included serving as volunteer counsel during the Civil Rights Era including in Jackson, Mississippi, representing clients to prevent school segregation (Diaz vs San Jose Unified School District), Chair of the Democratic Central Committee, and Campaign co-Chair and as an Elected Delegate for Robert Kennedy to the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. In the '60s and '70s he worked on numerous campaigns at the local level, and on boards and in leadership positions to serving thhe disadvantaged and supporting the arts in San Jose.
Dick was a devoted and beloved husband and father, always spending time talking, laughing, listening to music, discussing news of the day, and never missing his favorite family vacation times at the beach in Santa Cruz and at Lake Tahoe. He worked hard at his career, but always prioritized and savored time with family and friends. He played the trumpet in his youth and as a lover of jazz, began courting his wife, Karen while attending jazz performances. As a Stanford sports fanatic, he attended men’s and women’s basketball games, tennis matches, and every home football home game including bowl games having been a walk-on player in his freshman year. Last but not least, he loved his golden retrievers, training and caring for a string of four wonderful companions.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Karen Sue Cress Wylie, a daughter, Pamela Wylie of Monrovia, CA; a son and daughter-in-law, Michael Wylie (Margaret) of San Francisco, and two grandsons, Evan O’Toole and Lucas Wylie.
Plans for a memorial celebrating his life are pending. If you wish to make a contribution in Dick Wylie’s memory, donations can be made in his name to the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley or to the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.