Richard C. Honeycutt

Honeycutt, Richard C.

Richard C. Honeycutt, Ph.D., 75

It is with great sadness and profound love that we announce the passing of Richard C. Honeycutt, loving husband, devoted father, attentive grandfather, brilliant scientist, and friend to all whose lives he touched, on November 14, 2020 at the Hospice Home at High Point. Richard lived a full and balanced life of family, love, education, work, travel, sports and laughter. Richard was an extremely hard worker known for his keen intellect, passion for learning and meticulous work ethic. His research and risk assessment of chemicals on the public and the environment was the focal point of his career. Most importantly Richard was a really good man, incredibly caring, generous, loyal and forgiving. Richard's joy of life, childlike curiosity, infectious laugh and corny sense of humor made for the perfect paradox to the serious scientist. To his many colleagues and contemporaries in the field of agrochemical science he was Dr. Richard C. Honeycutt, Ph.D. To us he was Papa Richie.

Richard, the son of George and Thelma Ramsey Honeycutt, was born on June 27, 1945 in Newport News, Virginia. Richard graduated from Newport News High School in 1963, National Honors Society and received his undergraduate BA from Anderson College in Indiana, cum laude, honors in chemistry 1967. Richard received his Ph.D. from Purdue University 1971.

Richard was preceded in death by his wife Milagros, parents George and Thelma Ramsey Honeycutt, sisters Mary-Alice and Lavern, and grandson Brian Anthony DeGeare.

Surviving family members include four children: Olivia Honeycutt, and Richard Kenneth (Ken) Honeycutt, Brian DeGeare, Mark DeGeare; grandchildren Chris DeGeare, Jamie DeGeare, Lauren (DeGeare) Wiley, Rachel DeGeare; great-grandchildren Raiden, Millie Rose, and Kal'el DeGeare; sisters Shirley McGonagal, Shelby Martindale and husband Richard, cousin Hubert Metcalf, brother Calvin Honeycutt and wife Clarice and many beloved nieces and nephews.

In 1976, Richard joined Ciba Geigy Corporation in Greensboro, NC as a senior metabolism chemist and in 1980 he became a senior environmental scientist at Ciba-Geigy Corporation doing research in pesticide environmental fate and ecotoxicology.

In 1990, Richard founded H.E.R.A.C., Inc. (Hazard Evaluation and Regulatory Affairs Company) in Greensboro, NC, a research and consulting company performing field research in pesticide exposure assessment to man and the environment. He was president of H.E.R.A.C., Inc., which specialized in exposure assessment for farm workers as well as assessment of the public's exposure to pesticide residues in food and water.

Richard published widely in the field of pesticide metabolism, worker exposure, and environmental impacts of pesticides. His career garnered over 60 published works, including seven books which he edited, and over 150 unpublished reports in this field. He had been a member of the American Chemical Society since 1973. He was past chair of the Central North Carolina Sections of ACS, past chair of the Agrochemical Division of the ACS and was awarded the Agrochemical Division Fellow award. He had been past councilor and alternate councilor of the Central North Carolina Section of the ACS.

The family would like to recognize those that cared for Richard, Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, Dr. Roche Lima and Dr. McQuellon, Greensboro Medical Association Lonnie Kindal, Hospice of the Piedmont - High Point.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to an academic scholarship in the name of Richard Carl Honeycutt. For information to do this, please go Richard's website at www.haneslineberryfhsedgefield.com.

Visitation will be Tuesday, November 17, 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Hanes-Lineberry Funeral Home, 6000 W. Gate City Blvd., Greensboro, NC 27407. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. at Hanes Lineberry on Wednesday, November 18.

Online condolences may be sent to www.haneslineberryfhsedgefield.com.