Richard LATON-TAYLOR

LATON-TAYLOR, Richard "Dick" Died on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at Mass General Brigham, due to a fall he sustained two weeks earlier. He was a long-time resident of Jamaica Plain, MA.

Dick was a taciturn, patient man who could summarize an issue after all had weighed in with a comment that showed he was engaged and a brilliant problem solver and analyzer. He was humble to a fault and a gentle rock to his children, his stepchildren and his beloved wife of 30 years.

He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1959 with a bachelor in Naval Science. He received a Bachelor of Civil Engineering at RPI in 1961. He served in the Navy in California, Hawaii, Thailand and Vietnam, in the areas of public works, facility management, program manager of highway and hospital construction, and facilities and contract management in Vietnam. Dick received a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering in 1965 from University of Michigan and a PhD in the same field at University of Michigan in 1971. Dick then worked at M.I.T, Lincoln Labs for eight years and Raytheon for 23 years.

Dick loved the Patriots and held season tickets for 40 years through bad seasons and good, attending first with his young son when he was seven years old. He was a talented cook who took pride in his grilling skills, an accomplished classical pianist who provided the music for carol sings before Christmas dinner, and whose tastes included blue grass and jazz. He was a master of woodworking projects, building cabinets, tables, bookshelves, and yearly wooden Christmas ornaments for 22 lucky family members and friends.

Dick was a flexible, kind, and gentle man willing to help out with finding missing phones, fixing the broken hinge or re-gluing a favorite vase. His patience with having teenagers for many years with his own and then his blended family, was unparalleled. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Claire Laton-Taylor; his daughter, Annemarie Holland, of Kentucky, Dr. Beth Brown of Granby, MA and son-in-law, Nate Brown; son, Scott Laton Esq. of New York and daughter-in-law, Kareen Mozes Laton; and his ex-wife, Dorothy Laton, of Kentucky; stepchildren, Chloe Taylor Evans of Northampton, Julian Taylor Evans of Newton; grandchildren, Georgianna Brown of Granby, Max and Liam Brown of Granby, Isabelle Laton and Lila Laton of NYC; step-grandchildren, Violet Walker of Berkeley, CA and Karuna Evans of Northampton. Dick was predeceased by his father, Jesse Laton (Ignatius Latonis) and mother, Josephine Laton (Stuches), of Springfield, Illinois. He is mourned by his wife's nephew, Tom Hurley and wife, Simone Hurley, of Iowa and Brian Hurley and Amy Hurley of Needham, MA; their children, Lina and Connor; and cousins around the country and in Belgium.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, in Jamaica Plain, on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at 2 pm. All are invited to attend. Contributions in Dicks memory may be made to your public radio station or to Mass General Hospital or Mass General Brigham, Neurology Department.