Richard J. Abrams

1931 - 2019

ABRAMS, RICHARD J., Esq., age 87, passed away peacefully on May 20, 2019, at his home in Aventura, Florida. Mr. Abrams was a retired partner of Richards, Layton & Finger. Richard (Dick) was born in Wilmington, Delaware on June 29, 1931, the second of three sons of Stanley L. Abrams, former general counsel and head of the Legal Department of the DuPont Company, and Mary Josephine Holland Abrams. He attended Wilmington Friends School (1949), Williams College (B.A. 1953 Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa), and Yale University Law School (L.L.B. 1960, Cum Laude with Honors). He was a graduate of U.S. Naval Officers School at Newport, RI, and in 1954-56 served as a Lieutenant on the battleship USS New Jersey (BB 62). When he joined his law firm in 1960, it had 10 lawyers; upon his retirement in 2001, it had over 100 lawyers. Dick was engaged primarily in corporate litigation and in his later years, he was a prominent zoning and land development lawyer. Following his retirement, he maintained a winter home in Aventura, Florida. He was an avid fan and owner of thoroughbred horses and enjoyed spending time at Saratoga Race Course, NY and Gulfstream Park, FL. He participated with Team Valor in owning American thoroughbred racehorses, multiple stakes winners and entries in the Triple Crown Races. He was a founder and longtime director of the Committee of 100 in Delaware; served many years as general counsel and a Vice President of the Board of the Wilmington Institute Library; and served as a director and President of the Wilmington City Housing Corporation, a director of the Water Resources Association of the Delaware River, a director of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, and a Trustee of Preservation Delaware, Inc. He was a member of the Wilmington Club, Vicmead Hunt Club and Wilmington Country Club. His beloved wife, Duane, whom he married in 1953, predeceased him in 1998. He is survived by his four children and their spouses, Kevin and Lynette Abrams, of Wilmington, DE and Jackson, WY; J. Michael and Kathleen Abrams of Andover, MA; Ned and Karen A. Graham of Wilmington, DE; John and Lesley A. Nicholson of Greenwich, CT; and 9 grandchildren. He is also survived by his dear friend and companion for the last 16 years, Priscilla (Pat) Strawgate of Coral Gables, FL. The family will hold a private service which will be followed by a private burial at St. Joseph's on the Brandywine. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wilmington Friends School, 101 School Road, Wilmington, DE 19803.