Richard H. Terzian

Richard H. Terzian passed away on March 4, 2023, at the age of 86. Richard is survived by his wife of 58 years, Bretta, his three sons, Phil and his wife, Traci; Matt and his wife, Jennifer; and Mike and his wife, Sabrina; as well as his seven grandchildren: Dylan, Olivia, Ella, William, Stone, Harrison, and Gage. Richard lived life his way, working out with his friends at the Bay Club, dining at his favorite restaurants, and ignoring his age all the way to the end. He proudly wore the titles of Mr. Terzian, Dad, Mr. T, and of course Papa to his favorite seven.

Richard’s story began in Hollywood where he was born and raised, attending Hollywood High School directly across the street from the set of I Love Lucy, where he often got to watch show tapings. After his graduation, Richard studied at Stanford University where he earned his BS in Economics followed shortly with an MBA in Finance. Upon graduation, Richard returned to his Southern California roots, where he met and married Bretta, a middle school teacher. They settled in Woodland Hills, California, in a house that hosted more parties and gatherings than one could count.

Over the course of his career, Richard held a variety of senior level finance roles in the banking industry including SVP and Treasurer of Great Western Bank in Beverly Hills. In 1990, Richard left Great Western and with his wife, Bretta, moved to the Big Apple for a wild adventure at a then struggling savings bank, Dime where he served as CFO. Through hard work and a talented team, Dime Savings Bank became a huge success. Eventually Dime Savings Bank became part of JP Morgan Chase.

After their adventure in NYC, Richard and Bretta decided the City by the Bay was calling and moved to San Francisco. Over the span of seven years, Richard served as the CFO of Cal Fed Bank. He culminated his career by leading the sale of Cal Fed Bank to Citibank in 2002. Upon his retirement, Richard and Bretta moved south to Hermosa Beach, CA. Never one to sit still, Richard and his three sons formed Hermosa Land Investment, LLC, focusing on investment property opportunities across TX. Today, his sons continue to run Hermosa Land Investment for the family operating locations in Lubbock and Austin.

Richard was an incredible father, husband, grandfather, mentor, and a loyal friend to those in his life. A calming force in the face of any storm, he will be deeply missed by all those fortunate to have known him. Papa. The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Richard on Saturday, April 8th from 1pm to 4pm at the Hotel Portofino <https://www.hotelportofino.com in Redondo Beach, California.