Richard Sirvint

1946 - 2020

Rick (Richard) Sirvint was born in the Bronx, New York, on August 2, 1946 and passed away on August 10, 2020. He was a teacher for his entire career, first at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts, and then in the Hartford, CT public schools. When he retired, he settled in New Hampshire, which he always loved. He continued his love of swimming and canoeing in Pool Pond.

Whatever he did, he always gave 100%. His passions were history, writing, and Judaism. He volunteered for the American Federation of Teachers, teaching about democracy in Nicaragua, Uzbekistan, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, among others. He was an inveterate reader and often gave talks at the Ingalls Memorial Library on World War II and related topics. He served on numerous committees for the Town of Rindge and was known for his passion in defending what he thought was right. He also became a regular columnist for the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, always taking a contrarian point of view. He was never afraid to speak his mind. His writing skills won him a trip to Korea for his short story about the significance of the Korean War. Rick was a strong supporter of Israel and fought to combat anti-Semitism through his writing.

Rick and his wife, Roberta Gordenstein, traveled extensively to Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa and to various places in the United States. He was always ready to plan his next trip.

Besides Roberta, Rick leaves his children, Scott Blanksteen and wife Eva Ho, Shelley Casciano, Lara Curtis and husband Dean, Michael, and six grandchildren, Julia, Lianne, Jessica, Caitlin, Ben and Andrew, his sister-in-law, Carol Gordenstein, and other family members.

The funeral will be Thursday, August 13, at 2 PM at Sons of Jacob cemetery, Kings Highway, West Springfield. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Rick's name to Congregation Agudat Achim, 268 Washington St., Leominster, MA or to the Ingalls 1894 Association, PO Box 224, Rindge, NH 03461. Visiting hours with social distancing Friday and Sunday 2-4 at 334 RTE 202 in Rindge.