Father Richard was born on December 3, 1928 in Salamanca, New York. After fulfilling his military duty in the US Army, Fr. Richard entered the Stigmatine Fathers and Brothers in 1948 in Waltham, Massachusetts. He was sent to Rome to complete his philosophical and theological studies at the Angelicum and was ordained in Rome on May 5, 1957.He was first assigned to serve at the All Saints Church in Manassas, Virginia, while attending Catholic University, where he earned a Master of Arts in social sciences. In 1959, Fr Richard was assigned to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but when he reached Rome he found that the assignment was changed to Thailand. He arrived in Bangkok in April, 1959. Fr. Richard had many different assignments in his 52 years in Thailand. He had been the Superior of the Stigmatine Mission in Thailand, the Superior of the Stigmatine community in Phuket, pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Church in Phuket Town, prefect of aspirants, master of novices, Superior of the Stigmatine House of Studies in Samphran, and pastor of St Francis Xavier in Trang. He served the community well, welcoming tourists year after year to Mass at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort in Patong and at the Laguna resort complex every weekend. Father Richard’s death was sudden and unexpected. He had returned from visiting relatives in the US on August 3, 2011 and returned to Phuket the following day. He was looking forward to marrying a young couple on Saturday but he died on Friday, August 5, 2011, he was 82 years old. Father Richard’s funeral was held last August 10, 2011 at 10am at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Phuket, Town. Bishop Joseph Pratan, bishop of the Diocese of Surat Thani, officiated the funeral mass. Stigmatine Fathers and Brothers from all over Thailand, as well as parishioners from Assumption Church and other Catholic churches throughout Southern Thailand, joined the Mass to celebrate this wonderful priest’s life. As he wished, Father Richard was buried at the Stigmatine cemetery in Phuket. Father Richard loved Thailand, and especially Phuket. He was a humble man who with missionary spirit humbly served the Thais and tourists of Phuket for over four decades.

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