Richard J. Kilpatrick, Jr., 80, of Manchester-by-the-Sea passed away peacefully at Beverly Hospital on December 14. Survived by his wife of 45 years Jacqueline Booth Kilpatrick, son Scott Richard Kilpatrick (Lindsay) of Topsfield, daughter Kara Aardal (Christopher) of Cranston, Rhode Island, and five (soon to be six) grandchildren. Also his two brothers, Robert Gavin Kilpatrick (Rosemary) of Oldsmar, Florida and Manchester, and Kevin John Kilpatrick (Mary Sue) of Ipswich, and many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Dick was born July 18, 1942, the first son of Richard J. Kilpatrick and Anita Gavin Kilpatrick. His early years were spent in the home of his grandparents, John H. and Elinor Gavin, on Union Street in Manchester-by-the-Sea as World War II raged and all the young men in the family were away. A curious young lad, he snuck out and climbed to the top of a rock ledge behind their house and promptly plummeted into the “clothes” yard behind it, landing without injury in a large snow drift. This set a pattern for the rest of his years.
After the War, a new business took the family to Hartford, and for many years it was to be the family homestead in Manchester only when school was out in Connecticut. Dick was fortunate to attend The Loomis Institute and then Boston College, experiences he treasured and gifts he used well. After three years as a US Army officer during the Vietnam Era, he joined his father (and later his brothers) in business with Hartford Office Supply Company. When his father retired, Dick was named President and CEO of the firm, and served in that capacity until the company merged with Staples Corp. in 2004. Shortly thereafter, Dick and Jackie left Glastonbury, Connecticut and returned full-time to their home on Union Street, escaping to Longboat Key, Florida when the snows arrived on Cape Ann.
Dick, his brothers, also in the family business, and their wives raised seven cousins who became (and are) as close as siblings. Dick enjoyed every moment with every one of them. And he created those moments at every opportunity. Once, on a whim, he hopped a plane to Ireland and upon return announced that he had found and rented a house in Killarney's Gap of Dunloe for six weeks. So for a few years when the cousins were all at just the right ages, each family (sometimes with Grandma Anita) enjoyed two emerald-green summer weeks in The Gap House. For Dick, a life well-lived was lived in the embrace of family, steeped in all its laughter and joys. His enduring kindness, gentle soul, and quiet example will be missed by all.
Funeral services will be at the convenience of Dick's family, with a memorial celebration in his hometown of Manchester-by-the-Sea to be announced later next year. In lieu of flowers the family asks that gifts be made to The Loomis Chaffee School, designated for Financial Aid.
