Richard Arthur Brass, “Dick” (92) passed away on November 5, 2025 in Price, Utah. Dick was born January 21, 1933 in Middletown, Connecticut.
Dick led a life of adventure and intellectual excellence. He loved learning how machines worked and had the heart of an engineer. Dick was a European sports car enthusiast during
his time in the aerospace industry and owned a number of interesting cars including an Austin Healy 100-4, a Mini Cooper 1100 and a Fiat Abarth Allemano which was so small it had bumps in the roof to make room for the occupants heads. This love of adventure fueled his life.
After two years of college, he joined the Air Force and spent four years working as a mechanic repairing jet engines. Once he completed his military career, he went back to school and graduated from M.I.T. in 1960 with a BSME and then pursued a career in the aerospace industry.
He helped design, build and test rocket engines. He had successful careers at Aero Jet General Corp, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, Grumman Aerospace Corp, and finally, Rockwell International. During this time, he was fortunate to work on remarkable projects including the Apollo Program and the Space Shuttle Program.
After leaving the aerospace industry, Dick expanded his love of machines and he became a partner in Cycle Dynamics, a Husqvarna and Penton motorcycle business. He loved
challenges and enjoyed competing in Enduro dirt bike competitions*. A special project Dick was involved with was the development of the o-ring chain for the Husqvarna Racing Team. Dick moved to Montana in the late 1970s and worked for Montana Energy Research and Development Institute (MERDI)**, helping develop Magnetohydrodynamic Generators. (Google for more info)
Through the years, traveling back and forth from California to his parent’s home in Connecticut, he became enamored with the San Rafael Swell. Dick’s passion for riding dirt
bikes and exploring drew him to the Swell where he fell in love with the mysterious desert landscape. In the early 1980s he landed a job with Utah Power & Light at the Hunter Power Plant and moved to the Castle Valley Area. The San Rafael became his backyard and haven for the rest of his life.
The Swell had almost everything Dick needed, except for motorcycle trails! So, he spent the next 40+ years of retirement " finding; new trails for all motorized recreationists to enjoy. Dick truly became a legend in the off-road dirt bike community. Now, people come from around the world to ride his trails in the Temple Mountain Area including The Five Miles of Hell, Waterfall, and Odds trails. (Search YouTube) In 1986, alongside Ron Stokes and Paul Edmonds, The Utah Trail Machine Association (UTMA) was formed with Dick at the helm. Many of the organization’s great accomplishments were because of him. The off-road community owes Dick a debt that can never be repaid. UTMA hopes their members can instill Dick’s legacy into the next generation. If all join, participate, and donate. We can build upon the great work that he started.
Dick kept his circle small, but his impact on the land and the people of the Castle Valley area was broad. He will be greatly missed. His dear friends will miss their adventures in the desert with Dick. Their weekly lunches at Taco Time were spent reminiscing and sharing stories and planning to make more.
Dick never married nor had any children. He was preceded in death by his parents; Philip Davis Brass and Grace Elizabeth Gates. He is survived by his brother Garrett Brass (Rosalie), nephew Philip Brass and niece Joanne Spitz.
There will be no funeral service at this time. We will have a celebration of life in the spring of 2026 in the Temple Mountain area on The San Rafael Swell.