Obituary of Richard L. Herrick

Richard (Dick) Lynn Herrick, 87, of South Glastonbury, CT, died on the evening of Wednesday April 5^th, 2023, at his home, after being on home hospice for 8 days. He was affectionately known as “One Eye” and “Itch”.

Dick was born on January 19^th, 1936, in Brockton, Massachusetts, as the only child to Joseph Lynn Herrick and Grace Adelaide (Blanchard) Herrick. He grew up in Fairhaven, Massachusetts where he attended The Rogers School from grades 1 to 8 and graduated from Fairhaven High School in 1954. Afterwards, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1958, with a bachelor's degree in business administration. After college, he served in the United States Army from 1959-1964, primarily in France and Germany. Following the Army, he performed odd jobs, like being a cab driver and a tree-cutter. After that, he was employed at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft as a Procurement Specialist for 42 years.

Dick was a bachelor for 4 decades. His bachelorhood came to a sudden end at the age of 46, when he met and eventually married Marilyn, another only child. He became an instant dad to her 2 daughters from a previous marriage, Karen and Lori. In fact, on their second date, Dick took the three of them out bowling. In the following two years, he became a dad for the third and fourth time with daughters Megan and Sarah, born 364 days apart.

He was an exceptional and admirable son, husband, father, and grandfather. When he was 10 years old, his mother got breast cancer and was still hospitalized on Christmas Day.  He refused to open his presents until she came home some days later. Also, when his mom was in a nursing home, Dick would visit her several times a week. As a husband, he was supportive and loving, always trying to make Marilyn’s day better. He was an amazing father and grandfather, attending all soccer games, softball games, volleyball games, and dance recitals. He was their softball coach and their driving instructor. He instilled in them the importance of education with an emphasis on effort. He will be remembered for his funny phrases, “twiddly diddly” and “oh piggy balls” as well as his more annoying phrases, “it is what it is”, “so be it”, and “it takes all kinds”.

Dick was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and UCONN Huskies men’s and women’s basketball teams. When one of his teams was not playing, he would root for the underdog. He loved to tend to his backyard garden, do outdoor chores, smoke his pipe, and play tennis after work with his friends. During his retirement, he engaged in volunteerism by being a driver for the American Cancer Society and serving as treasurer for the Glastonbury Service Club. He was also a life-long learner, reading all the books that exist about the Civil War and World War II, and attending history classes at Manchester Community College with his friend, Jimmy Smith.

He will forever be admired for his calm demeanor, eternal optimism, and level-headedness. He was our rock.

Dick had long-lasting friendships. Most of his friends were known by nicknames and came from all parts of his life, from high school to retirement:  Balz, Mac, Nickolacci, Footie, Smitty, Bat, Kat, Turnbucket, Jumpin’ Joe, Rooney Tunes, Quarterdeck, Fonse, Ivan, Cougar, Leroy, Wild Bill, Dr. Liquid, Uncle Honest, Linette, MacDougal, Marzi, Scooby Doo, Hank, Billy Bop, and more.  He was the type of friend that would visit others in the hospital or a nursing home, and make the effort to stay in contact with his friends’ children, even visiting them while a parent was in hospice.

Dick leaves behind his wife of 41 years, Marilyn, and his 4 daughters, Karen Slipski and boyfriend Tom, Lori Keller and husband Tim, Megan Herrick, and Sarah Scali and husband Mauro. He was known as Pop-Pop to his 6 grandchildren who range in age from 28 years to 5 months old: Jasmine and Donovan Harris, Isabelle and Olivia Keller, and Leonardo and Gianna Scali. He is also survived by a son-in-law Derrick Harris, and a cousin, Louise Elliott. He was predeceased by his parents, Marilyn’s parents, and numerous friends.

A funeral service will be celebrated on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at The Congregational Church in South Glastonbury, 949 Main Street, South Glastonbury. Family and friends may call on Wednesday April 12, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury. A burial will follow at Green Cemetery, Glastonbury. Donations in his name may be made to the American Cancer Society, at donate.cancer.org. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com.