Richard Louis Mautino, age 93, of Bethlehem, PA (formerly of Baltimore, Maryland), passed away on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025. Rich was born on January 29th,1932 in Waterbury, Connecticut. He grew up in Oakville, Connecticut with his parents, Louis and Josephine Mautino and his younger sister Linda. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a BA in Political Science.

Richard married the love of his life, Beatrice Carpenter from Watertown, Connecticut, on October 14th, 1951. They raised their family of three children, Dorothy, Kathryn and Kenny while stationed at various military postings throughout the United States and abroad in support of Rich's career as a Naval Officer. They were married for 73 years until her unexpected passing in October of 2024.

Commander Mautino served 22 years in the United States Navy. He was a rated Naval Flight Officer (NFO) serving as a Navigator in the A-3 aircraft at various locations including NAS Cecil Field in Florida, NAS Whidbey Island in Washington, and NAS Agana in Guam. At NAS Whidbey Island he instructed initial qualification for new Navigators in the A-3. At NAS Agana he flew numerous reconnaissance missions over SE Asia including Vietnam, earning several Aerial Achievement and Air Medals. Richard was selected to be one of the first NFOs in the Navy to serve as a Flight Deck Officer in charge of the launch and recovery operations onboard an aircraft carrier. He served on the USS Oriskany and deployed several times in support of the conflict in SE Asia. He was a survivor of the 1966 fire on the USS Oriskany that claimed the life of 44 of his shipmates and injured 156 more. Later in his career as a Naval Officer, Richard went on to perform staff leadership tours at both the Navy Annex and the Pentagon in the Washington DC area. The highlight of Richard's career was his Command tour when he was selected to serve as the Commanding Officer of all US personnel deployed to Antarctica as a part of Operation Deep Freeze 1972-73. In honor of his superior performance as the Commanding Officer, the National Science Foundation named a peak in the Saint Johns Range adjacent to McMurdo Bay in Antarctica in his honor. Information on Mautino Peak can be found on Wikipedia.

Upon retiring from the Navy in 1977 Rich used his leadership skills from the Navy and the Master's Degree he had earned from American University in Washington DC to transition to a 20+ year career in the civilian world. Initially he worked as a Mental Health Administrator in Virginia and New York. He then went on to hold several management/leadership positions for several companies in various sectors of the burgeoning Tech Industry in Maryland.

After fully retiring Rich enjoyed piloting his Cessna 150 aircraft, being an active member of the Maryland Civil Air Patrol, and volunteering at the Baltimore Public Library. He and Bea traveled extensively before becoming residents at Kirkland Village Senior Living in Bethlehem, PA. At Kirkland Village he enjoyed using their pool and gym while his health still permitted.

Richard is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Dorothy and John Travanti, daughter Kathryn Ash, son and daughter-in-law Kenneth and Nancy Mautino. He is also survived by his grandchildren David Travanti, Richard (Julia) Mautino, Christopher Mautino, Lauren (Zachary) Bodge, Nicole (Patrick) Fonda and Olivia Ash and great-grandchildren Ian Mautino, River Bodge, Colin Mautino, and Calvin Fonda. His leadership, inspiration, and love will live on through the lives, hearts, and in the memories of his family and numerous, various, and wonderful friends from his incredible life.

A funeral will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, March 13 2026, at 1:00 PM.

In lieu of the flowers, donations in memory of Richard can be made to The Baltimore Public Library or Best Friends Animal Society.

Sympathy cards can be sent to beamautino@gmail.com (eCards) or 1661 Kevin Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015.