Richard L. "Dick" Cutting

1931 - 2014

HUME - Richard L. "Dick" Cutting, of 10873 County Road 23, died Tuesday (June 10, 2014) at Olean General Hospital.
He was born Jan. 26, 1931, in Guilford, Vt., a son of the late Elmer and Clara Jillson Cutting. On March 2, 1957, he married Linda Mason, who survives. They just celebrated their 57th anniversary.
Surviving in addition to his wife are his children, Karlyn (Bruce) Robinson of Myrtle Beach, S.C., Rich (Deb) Cutting of Hume, Chandler (Jody) Cutting of Elizabethtown, Pa., Thomas (Peggy) Cutting of Buena Vista, Calif., and Andrew Cutting of Leicester; 12 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; a sister, Louise Hughes of Canaan, N.H.; and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two sisters and a brother.
Although these dates, numbers and names don't tell the whole story, they give insight to the man behind them. The dates tell us his life spanned the Great Depression and years of plenty; wars and peace; rotary phones and iPhones; and numerous cars that he would say he "had one just like that once," but they fail to speak of the strong and dedicated worker those years made of him. During the years, he was a chef at Houghton College. He would also milk cows, deliver firewood, cook at summer camps or perform other odd jobs to provide for his family. He was a sergeant in the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War from 1953 to 1955.
The number of children, foster-children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren speak volumes of the size of that family, but they fail to show the joy he felt when he was surrounded by them. Thanksgiving and Christmas were happy times, filling the big, white, century-old home in Hume to capacity. Watching him sit quietly in a lawn chair during family reunions on Rushford Lake, you could see the twinkle in his eyes and the smile on his face. The perfect picture of contentment.
The names reveal a rich past of farmers, loggers and soldiers; a strong present of parents, builders, pastors and leaders; and a bright future yet to be discovered, but they fail to expose the true strengths he left with each of us. We carry on his faith in God; perseverance to finish a job started; ability to know when enough is enough; willingness to serve others; skill to tell a story and, just possibly, stretch the truth; and, of course, his love of family.
Those privileged to be part of that family, work beside him, drink coffee with him or just call him friend may forget the dates, numbers and names, but they will not fail to remember the man behind them.
Family and friends may gather from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Kopler-Williams Funeral Home, 21 N. Genesee St., Fillmore. A funeral service will be held at noon Thursday (June 19, 2014) at the Hume Baptist Church. The Rev. Joel Stroud will officiate. A private family burial will be in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Houghton.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages memorial gifts to be sent to Hume Baptist Church, Building Fund, P.O. Box 87, Hume, NY 14745. Online condolences may be made at www.koplerwilliamsfuneralhome.com.