Richard Berube

Richard Berube of Tequesta, Florida passed away on December 1, 2023, surrounded by his family. Richard was born October 19th, 1944 in Hartford, Connecticut to parents Edgar and Estelle Berube. He was raised in Manchester, Connecticut in a full house with siblings Jeanne, Constance, and David. He worked in his father's commercial woodshop and was a standout high school athlete. Richard met the absolute love of his life and future wife of 52 years, Susan Phyllis Donahue (also of Manchester) just before he left to attend St. Michael's College in Vermont. After graduation he enlisted in the Navy and soon found himself training in Pensacola, Florida. Thanks to the Morse Code he learned as a boy scout and the typing he learned in a high school summer course imposed upon him by his mother, he graduated first in his communications class. He and Susan promptly got married and then deployed to Winter Harbor, Maine to join the top-secret Naval Security Group, where he collected Soviet submarine and spacecraft electronic intelligence. After his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1969, he moved to South Florida, initially working for Mal Tool creating experimental titanium jet engine parts for military aircraft. In 1972 he and Susan settled in Tequesta, started a family, and built a property-casualty insurance business, Berube Insurance, which they ran together for the next 40 years.

Richard, intent on creating adventure on the water with his family, spent the last 40 years coursing the deep blue waters of the Bahamas on their boat Horsefeathers, spearing fish and lobster, making lifelong friends, and giving back to the Abaco community of Man-O-War Cay that brought him such joy. Those that knew Richard and Susan knew their constant Weimaraner companion, Spearit, who brought them great happiness for many years. Richard loved his country deeply and never tired of exploring it. The American West brought great wonder, and he loved sharing it with friends and family.

Committed to helping others, Richard tirelessly drove his children to their 4 am swim practices, made grocery runs for homebound neighbors and was the consummate handyman for friends and family spanning the country from Arizona to Connecticut. Never idle nor ever at a loss for words, he was the most fun guy in the group. Regaling parties with (true) stories of fending off shark attacks with his bare hands, kneeboarding and bodysurfing with his teenage and adult children, or meeting new friends at a biker bar, he lived life to the fullest.

Richard learned to ride motorcycles in his 70's from his best friend and brother David, and was seen blissfully cruising the curving roads of Connecticut on his BMW just weeks before he passed.

Richard was passionate about his community in Tequesta. He served as a Village Council member, on the Chamber of Commerce, and most recently with his friends on the Citizens On Patrol Team.

While his wife, Susan, and his sister, Jeanne, predeceased him, Richard is survived by his sister Constance DeMaio (wife of the late John DeMaio), brother David (Kathleen), brother-in-law Tom Hamilton, son Ryan (Michele), daughter Nicole, grandchildren Jack, Ella, Rush and Jude, and his treasured nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Swim Across America, making waves to fight cancer, at www.swimacrossamerica.org/goto/RichardBerube.