Richard M. Hatch Jr.

1920 - 2017

Richard Myrick Hatch Jr., 96, a descendant of original settlers at Plymouth Rock, died peacefully in his sleep at Newbury Court, Concord MA, on April 11, 2017. His wife of 62 years, Mary Jaquelin Noyes Hatch, predeceased him in 2010. He is survived by three of the couples four children, Carolyn Flood of Concord, Rebecca (Roger) Meyers of Sarasota FL and Grantham NH, and Myrick (Claudia) Hatch of Shanghai, China. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law Rhonda Hatch, widow of his youngest child Jonathan Hatch, of Saco ME, who lost his life to cancer in 2008. Richard was the grandfather of Lyssa, Robin, Cameron, Kendall, Haven, Samuel and Dylan, and great grandfather of Joshua and Maya. In addition to raising his own family, Richard played an influential role in the lives of several nieces and nephews on both sides of the family. Born in Watertown MA on July 24, 1920, Richard (also known as Dick) was the second child of Estella Chaplin Hatch and Richard Myrick Hatch Sr., both of whom had grown up in Concord in the late 1800s. Richard is also predeceased by his only sibling, Helen Hatch Bowen, who was 16 years older. His paternal grandfather, Myrick Lot Hatch, owned and operated a hardware store in Concord Center and his maternal grandfather, William Chaplin, was an officer and shop teacher at the state prison then known as the Massachusetts Reformatory. Richards unusual middle name, said to honor a country doctor admired by Richards mid-nineteenth century ancestors, has been used in six successive generations of Hatches. Richard attended Watertown High School, where he developed a keen interest in electronics and became an accomplished flute player. The first in his family to go to college, he attended Northeastern University on a work-study program, graduating in 1943 with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering. A professor referred him to a job in a Harvard University research laboratory, where his work developing early radar systems exempted him from military service in World War II. He met his wife Mary Jac in a choir/youth group at Christ Church, Cambridge while she was still a student at Radcliffe College. They were married in Evanston IL soon after her graduation in 1947. Richard spent three years working at the Stanford Research Institute (then part of Stanford University) in Menlo Park CA before the couple returned East in 1952 and moved into a home on Main Street, West Concord that had belonged to his maternal grandfather and passed down to his mother. The property, which Richard had gradually renovated during the 1950s and 60s, is still in the family. An exquisite grandfathers clock, built in 1891 in that same home by Richards grandfather, remains a treasured possession; it still keeps time today and sat not far from his bed at the end. Richards long career in the electronics industry featured several years as an engineer with Sylvania followed by engineering and program management positions with Lockheed Martin (formerly Sanders Associates). Business travel took him all over the world proposing and managing military defense system projects with many U.S. allies. For a short period in his thirties, Richard interrupted his career to try to revive an ailing West Concord manufacturing business, Conant Machine and Steel, Inc., which he had inherited from his aunt and uncle, Wallace and Edna Hatch Conant. Although the effort eventually failed, Richard often reflected on the interesting challenge that experience provided. In retirement, the Hatches converted a second home in South Orleans MA into their primary residence, while always maintaining their Concord ties. Richard returned to Concord in 2012 to reside at Newbury Court. Richard was a lifelong leader and hands-on contributor to the cultural life of his two communities, earning respect and appreciation for his intelligence, inventiveness, and persistence in making continual improvements. Most notably, he was a founder and past president of the Friends of the Performing Arts Center (51 Walden) of Concord, a past president and director of the Concord Players, and a past president and acting executive director of the Academy of Performing Arts in Orleans. He gave his all to these organizations and much of the Hatches social life revolved around them. Richard was a skilled draftsman, carpenter and set designer/builder. Among the countless items he constructed or reconstructed over his lifetime, he was especially proud of the 24-foot sailboat he built and outfitted from scratch. He delighted in his sailing expeditions in Cape Cods Pleasant Bay with friends. One such outing is particularly memorable: as a novice sailor, he misjudged the tides and he and his guests were stranded in shallow water on a sand bar for the better part of a day! Richard and Mary Jac were committed to fostering positive international relationships one person at a time. Year-round for decades, they hosted and arranged home visits for hundreds of students and travelers representing more than 100 countries. In return, they enjoyed visiting the homes of many of their former guests on multiple trips to six different continents. The Hatch family wishes to thank the caregivers at Newbury Court, Rivercrest Nursing Home and the Gardens for working to ensure their dads final years and days were comfortable and safe. At a time when his declining mental and physical condition had taken away virtually all his former pursuits and pleasures, Richard loved to sit outside in the sun overlooking the river, meadows and sky. Happily, he was able to spend a little time doing so with his daughter Carrie on a spring afternoon, just two days before his death. The family requests that gifts in memory of their father be directed to 51 Walden Performing Arts Center, P.O. Box 251, Concord MA 01742. Arrangements are under the care of Susan M. Dee and Charles W. Dee, Jr. Dee Funeral Home of Concord. To share a remembrance in Richards online guest book, visit www.deefuneralhome. com