Richard Jewell Durrell

Durrell, Richard Jewell 82, died March 7, 2008 peacefully after a long illness at his home in Fairfield, CT, surrounded by his devoted wife of 58 years, Jacquelyn C. Durrell, and other family members. "Dick" was born in Minneapolis, MN, the son of Dorothy and Royal Durrell. He excelled in basketball and baseball while growing up, and later was offered professional baseball contracts by the Dodgers and Cubs. He graduated from Washburn High School in Minneapolis in 1942 and enlisted in the U.S. Marines during World War II, where he served three years and was in Occupied Japan. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1948. Dick began a long career at Time Inc. by answering a newspaper ad for a circulation newsstand representative in the Twin Cities. He and Jacky married in 1949, and lived in Minneapolis, Dallas and Westport before moving to their beloved hometown of Fairfield in 1956. As a young married couple with small children, Dick and Jacky answered a community call for host families for exchange students and have since enjoyed a lifelong friendship with Chris and Gisela Kersten of Germany. At Time Inc, he worked in advertising for both Life and Time Magazines, including as Life's Assistant Publisher. He was instrumental in the launch of People Magazine as its founding publisher. He was a vice president of Time Inc. and retired from the company as People publisher in 1984. A few years were spent working in the advertising business, at Grey Advertising and Young & Rubicam. He had been an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University and frequently lectured on journalism and communications at universities. He served on the boards of HBO, the American Advertising Foundation, Northland College in Wisconsin, the Fairfield YMCA and the Sox Exchange, among other organizations. He was a family man and enjoyed sports, traveling, reading, aand lengthy conversations with family and friends. As a lifelong athlete, he often played sports with his children and became an avid golfer as an adult. He was a member of the Country Club of Fairfield, John's Island Golf Club in Vero Beach, and National Golf Links on Long Island. For many years he was a part-time resident of John's Island, Vero Beach, Fla., where he was a longtime season ticket-holder to Los Angeles Dodger spring training games. He was admired for his ability to tell stories, his attention to detail, his intellectual curiosity, his fairness, his compassion and his modesty. He had a fondness for history and international relations. He always stressed that someone's character mattered more than their title, name or background. Many may remember receiving clippings of newspaper articles pertinent to their lives from Dick. He was a legendary fan of the Boston Red Sox, having first watched Ted Williams as a minor leaguer in Minneapolis in 1938, and took great joy in their 2004 and 2007 World Championships. He was responsible for bringing the 2004 World Series championship trophy to the Fairfield Town Hall Green. He was also active in the Society of American Baseball Research. Dick was always supportive of his wife's political career, and often joked he was perhaps best known in Fairfield as "Jacky's husband." Jacky Durrell served as Fairfield First Selectman for 10 years. He was pre-deceased by a son, Scott- Alexander Durrell, of Minneapolis and is survived by his wife, five children and seven grandchildren: daughter Piper Durrell and her husband, Russ May, of Blacksburg, Va., and their children, Lily May of Washington, D.C. and Jackson May of Blacksburg; daughter Robyn Geissler and her husband, Tom, of Mill Valley, CA, and their children, Jillian Geissler of Guatemala (Peace Corps volunteer), Christopher Geissler of Washington, D.C., and Annie Geissler of Mill Valley; daughter Kerry Durrell and her companion, Peter Hancock, of San Diego, CA; son Brad Durrell and his partner, Richard Barnes, of Morris, CT; and son Alex Durrell and his wife, Trudi, of Fairfield and their children, Ryan Durrell and Stacey Durrell of Fairfield. Also, his sister, Lois Anne Anderson, and her husband, Keith, of Sun Valley, ID; and by four brothers-in-law, Loris Dow, Duane Dow, Ronald Dow and James Dow, and their spouses, and many other relatives. He also will be missed by numerous close friends in Connecticut, New York City, Minnesota, Vero Beach, Fla., Red Sox Nation and elsewhere. A Memorial Service will take place Saturday, April 5 at 11:30 AM at First Church Congregational, 148 Beach Rd., Fairfield, CT. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the SHAUGHNESSEY-BANKS FUNERAL HOME, 50 Reef Rd. in Fairfield. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Hospice at Home, 40 Lindeman Drive, Trumbull, CT 06611, or Dick Siebert (Athletic) Scholarship Fund, University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Fund, 600 15th Ave. SE, Rm. 275, Minneapolis, MN 55455. To send an online condolence, please visit www.shaughnesseyfuneralhome.com
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.