Businessman Richard Behm Dead At 88

Richard Behm Sr., the dairy entrepreneur who operated Behm’s Valley Creamery, died Wednesday. He was 88.

Behm was hospitalized two weeks ago after breaking his hip. Doctors attempted to repair it, but he never fully recovered from the surgery, said his son, Dick Behm Jr.

Members of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce paused for a moment of silence at their meeting Wednesday. Behm was a 46-year member of the chamber.

“He was a first-class citizen,” said Tom Gregory, who worked with Behm on several chamber committees. “He was always in the trenches. He always supported the advancement of Spokane Valley and the region.”

During his years as a Valley businessman, Behm served on the chamber’s local government committee and vigorously supported incorporation initiatives. He was also a 40-year member of the Valley Lions Club.

Folks remember his “heart for the Valley,” and his quiet dedication to the business community.

Jack Cunningham, who started Cunningham Photography Studio, met Behm in 1950.

“He sincerely believed in trying to do things to make the Valley a better place to live,” he said. “His heart always revolved around that.”

Behm was born in Atwater, Minn., on Oct. 2, 1908. He began his dairy career by driving horse-drawn milk wagons in St. Paul. He married his wife, Sally, in June of 1929.

They came to the Valley in 1950 after working in the dairy industry in Seattle and Chehalis, Wash. He bought the dairy operation that became Behm’s Creamery that same year.

His dairy was the first in Spokane to bottle milk in a glass gallon jug. Behm also introduced the first plastic milk containers to the area, his son said.

In 1973, exhausted by a prolonged battle with Spokane County’s widening of Sprague Avenue, Behm retired.

That same year, he built a minimall at 9405 E. Sprague and maintained ownership of it until his death.

Last month, Behm was honored by the Washington State Patrol for 75 years of citation-free driving.

“He was the Valley’s best friend,” his son said.

Funeral services for Behm will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3606 S. Schafer Road.

, DataTimes