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Richard “Dick” Pierce of Ivoryton passed away peacefully on Aug. 4. Richard was born in Barton, Vermont, Aug. 26, 1927, to Cedric E. and Julie (Deos) Pierce. Growing up in Barton, about 20 miles from the Canadian border, Richard was a true Green Mountain boy, who was an avid downhill skier. To him there was nothing better than to shush down a ski mountain. After graduating from Barton Academy, he enlisted in the Navy and was assigned to the USS Salem, which has since been decommissioned and serves as a museum in Boston Harbor. Richard was a signalman on the ship and it was his duty to keep all flags in good condition for the ship’s visits to various ports of call. As such, he became quite the adept tailor and made a few extra bucks repairing the uniforms of his shipmates. He saved some of the flags, which are now part of the USS Salem Museum in Boston. Richard and his old Navy buddy, Ed Kleinsmith, were fortunate enough to tour the ship after it had been brought to port in Boston, rekindling many memorable times they had experienced together during their tour of the Mediterranean.

While in port one weekend and visiting his sister who lived in East Hartford, fate intervened. Upon her urging, he attended a dance at a local church where he met the love of his life and future wife of 69 years, Doris, affectionately known to him as “Chippee,” and together they raised four children. Upon leaving the Navy, Richard began his banking career at Society for Savings with the family living in East Hartford. An opportunity at the Deep River Savings Bank saw the family move to Old Lyme, then to Essex, finally settling in Ivoryton, where they have lived for the past 55 years, with Richard retiring in 1990 from the New England Savings Bank.

Richard was a strong family man and an all-around athlete. In addition to skiing, his backyard was the place to be during the summer for the neighborhood kids to gather for a game of kickball, football, baseball or basketball. Richard not only participated in these fun events, but also was a fan of the Boston Celtics, the New York Giants, and most important, the New York Yankees. For many years, he and Doris owned a vacation home in Vermont—Mobi—where many happy times were spent with family and friends. Richard was also an avid reader and one of the Ivoryton Library’s most loyal patrons. Along with another reading aficionado, the two began providing what they thought would be an amusing layman’s book review for each novel they read—zero, one, or two checkmarks—upon returning the book to the library. It turns out, other readers seriously looked forward to their input!

In addition to his parents, Richard was predeceased by his brother Cedric (Bruz) and five sisters: Leslie, Beverly, Rachel, Dorothy, and Carolyn. He is survived by his wife, Doris; daughters Debbie Breaux (Carl) of Cromwell and Lynn Giroux (Dennis) of Chester, sons Mark of Jacksonville, Florida, and James (Rhonda) of Lewisburg, West Virginia, and grandchildren Paul Giroux (Lauren) of Chester, Dominique Giroux (Brendan) of Breckenridge, Colorado, Alyson Riddle (Dain) of Lewisburg, West Virginia, Kara Holliday (Bryan) of Bluefield, Virginia, Tori Pierce (Christian) of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Jennifer Pierce of Conroe, Texas, and Austen Pierce of Davie, Florida. He is also survived by his great-grandchildren Jackson Riddle; Abel, Reed, and Reagan Holliday; and Chloe, Camilla and Elliana Giroux.

A private service in honor of Richard will be held by the family. There are no calling hours. The family wishes to extend its appreciation to the Middlesex Hospice team for their care, day in and day out over the past year. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the Ivoryton Library.