WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Dick's deep love for his family, his friends, his community, and the beauty of the natural world around him were the foundation of his life.

His passionate curiosity, love of learning, belief in justice and fairness, and enthusiasm for wide-ranging interests never diminished, even in the very last days of his life. From a firm belief that there were no incorrigible children to his assurance that there were no bad-weather days, Dick exuded a positive outlook on people and life that inspired everyone whose lives he touched. 

Born in New Haven and growing up in suburban Philadelphia, Dick discovered a talent for singing and a lifelong love of music. As a teenager, a trip to Europe opened his mind to other cultures and created an enthusiasm for travel that grew over time, something he loved to share with others.  

After graduating from Dickinson College in 1960, his U.S. army service took him to Korea, where he sang in a chorale that toured South Korea. While in Korea, he also tutored enlisted men, an experience that led to his decision to become a teacher. 

Almost by chance, in 1962, he was offered a job teaching sixth grade while he completed a master's degree in education at the University of Pennsylvania. After five years in the Philadelphia area, he moved to Williamstown where he taught sixth grade at Williamstown Elementary School for another 38 years. 

He loved getting to know and understand people, whatever their age or background, and he especially loved children. His commitment to children extended beyond classroom teaching: He served as a camp director at Camp Becket in Becket, in the 1970s and co-administrator of Camp Sarsaparilla in Pownal, Vt., from 1983 until 2019. After his retirement from teaching in 2005, he served as director of education at the Park-McCullough House in Bennington, Vt.; he also worked as a volunteer science teacher in the Four Winds program in southern Vermont.

As a docent at the Clark Art Museum in Williamstown, he especially liked to take on the children's tours, and he threw himself into learning more about painting and all the visual arts in order to make those tours an inspiration to kids. Dick expressed his love for Williamstown and the Berkshires through various church and community activities, including serving as a town Selectperson, a member of the boards of Williamstown Rural Lands, the Williamstown Historical Museum, Wild Oats Food Co-Op, Mount Greylock Ski Club, and almost every committee, including deacons and trustees, at the First Congregational Church in Williamstown. 

He was a volunteer at the Friendship Center Food Pantry and read for Recording for the Blind. He was active in Bridges for Peace, which took him on trips to Ukraine and the USSR in the late 1980s, and later to Ukraine and Russia in the early 1990s. He read widely, especially biographies and books on history, the environment, art, and music. Music of all kinds, from jazz and the "big bands" to opera, was an essential of his life. He served on the board of the Williamstown Chamber Music Society. And, he loved to sing: as a choir member and soloist at the church, and in the Williams College Choral Society and the Northern Berkshire Chorale. Along with music, he loved always to be outdoors, no matter what time of year. Walking with friends; gardening and caring for his sheep; running, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and canoeing. Being in the woods in Williamstown, on lakes in the Adirondacks, or by the ocean on Cape Cod were to him spiritual experiences that nourished his life. 

He is loved and remembered by his wife of just short of 60 years, Gwen; his daughter, Kristin, her husband, Josė, and their daughter, Sara, in Portugal; his son Paul and his wife, Tina, in Nevada City, California; and his son Benjamin, his wife, Brigid, and their son Julian in Manhattan. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice Care in the Berkshires, Berkshire Immigrant Center, The Food Bank, or Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation. The family is planning a service to celebrate Dick's life later in the year when more people can attend.