J. Richard Whitcomb

NORTHFORD - J. Richard Whitcomb, engineer and civic leader, passed away Sept. 7, 2012, in Wallingford.

Born Aug. 16, 1928 in Branford, the son of Edith (Bloomberg) and John Richard Whitcomb Sr. He is survived by his wife, Judith (Wessoleck); his children, Lisa (John Krick), of Philadelphia, Carissa (Robert Neubig), of Wallingford, and John Richard Whitcomb III (Cynthia), of North Haven. He leaves six grandchildren who adored him, Evan and Madeleine Krick, Stephen and Peter Neubig, and Kayla and Meredith Whitcomb; and one great-granddaughter, Aubrey Krick. He also leaves his sister, Johann (Paul) Ross, of Selbyville, Del.; and his brother, David (Karen) Whitcomb, of Palmyra, Va., formerly of Guilford; and many nieces and nephews.
Throughout his life he remained close to his childhood home in Branford and his friends. Turning down a scholarship to Yale as a player from Branford's 1946 state championship basketball team, Mr. Whitcomb joined the U.S. Army in 1947 and served in the Occupation Forces in Japan. Returning from Japan, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was captain of the championship hockey team, made many lifelong friends and was a member of Theta Chapter Chi Phi there.

Early in his career as a fluids engineer, Mr. Whitcomb worked on fuel pump design for the space program and delighted his children by bringing home freeze-dried astronaut food from NASA. He later went on to build a career in the cement industry, ultimately owning Landscape Product Design, which made architectural concrete products.

He was an elected member of the North Branford Board of Education and served as its Chairman for six years. During his tenure, he supervised the construction of the Northford Intermediate School and the Stanley T. Williams Elementary School. Public service and participation was important to him. The American Red Cross honored him as a lifelong, committed and generous blood donor. Gardening was one of his passions and he was justly proud of his potatoes and pumpkins. Until very recently he was an active golfer and tennis player at Pine Orchard Yacht & County Club and The Landings Yacht, Golf & Tennis Club.
Since retirement, Mr. Whitcomb and his wife resided part of the year in Northford, in the house he built himself in the 1950s , and part of the year in Fort Myers, Florida.

Funeral services at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 65 North Main Street, Wallingford, on Monday at 10 a.m. Burial in Center Cemetery, Branford. Friends may call at the Keenan Funeral Home, 330 Notch Hill Road (Route 22S at Route 80), North Branford, on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Salvation Army, 450 George Street, New Haven, CT 06511.