Richard Holbrook Adams

1940 - 2025

Richard Holbrook Adams, "Dick" to his family and friends, died unexpectedly March 31, 2025 at the age of 84.

He was born June 15, 1940 in Stamford, CT, the son of Robert Morton Adams and Mercedes Cullinan. Dick grew up in New Canaan, the second of four children. He graduated from Westminster School and Williams College. Dick joined Citibank in Manhattan in 1962 and spent 10 years in the banking world. He served with the Westchester County Air National Guard, completing military duty while holding down a demanding job.

His love for the outdoors attracted him to Vermont, where he purchased a farmhouse in Chester and spent weekends working on his house, skiing, hiking and biking. Dick eventually moved to Vermont in 1972 and there he discovered his true passion. He had a deep appreciation for New England's landscape and historical homes, an intuitive sense of design and an early talent for woodworking and "fixing things." Dick credited his father for passing this on to him, along with time spent in the shop at Pine Island Camp in Maine as a young boy.

Dick first worked for MacDonald & Swan Construction before branching out on his own in 1985, designing and building houses under the name Richard H. Adams, Inc. His reproductions were built to exacting standards from meticulous hand-drawn plans. He spent many hours scouring the countryside looking for old barns, beams and special moldings. Although Dick had no formal training, he was a skilled architect by any measure and his work is legendary in the mountain towns and beyond.

Dick married Jeanne Frederica "Freddy" Harris in 1979 and became a father to her two children. He and Freddy built a beautiful home in Landgrove and worked together to launch his business until her death in 1987. Dick later married Leigh Alexander Hyde, a family friend.

Dick was equally comfortable in his trademark bow tie, in the woods with a chain saw or in his shop with a hammer strapped to his belt. He was the "fix-it" guy, the person who knew how to do just about anything. Outside of work he enjoyed helping people and he was the steady hand behind many projects. Dick was kind, intelligent and hospitable. He had a friendly smile, a twinkle in his eye and a wonderful sense of humor. He loved 1940s big band music and could "cut a rug" along with the best of them.

Dick loved family gatherings and developed enduring bonds with young people in his extended family. He was larger than life reading annually from his rare edition of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Dick saved the day when he crafted a regulation-size wooden puck in minutes to replace one lost in the snow during a family pond hockey game. He built an impressive suspension bridge running downhill over a brook in his woods. Skiers young and old delighted in watching Dick take the first schuss down.

Dick never missed his annual September trip to Small Point, Maine, where he and Leigh kayaked through the marshes and cherished long walks on the "Big Beach" until his death. He enjoyed their western ski trips with friends and spring adventures in Bermuda and the Caribbean. Dick loved the game of golf and when he finally had time for the golf course, he looked forward to his weekly games and enjoyed camaraderie with his men's lunch group.

Dick relished a quiet evening with drink in hand sitting on his terrace overlooking the Landgrove valley. His close-knit community was important to him and he conscientiously served on the Landgrove Select Board and Cemetery Commission, and was Road Commissioner and a Trustee of Public Funds.

He was Trustee Emeritus of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company and was a member of the Board of Trustees at Ekwanok Country Club, serving as president of the Trustees for many years.

As much as Dick was a people person, he was most at home puttering in his workshop, on his tractor and snowshoeing on his trails in the woods with his dogs Sarah and Nellie.

In addition to his first wife Freddy, Dick was predeceased by his parents, a brother Robert M. Adams, Jr., and a nephew Robert M. Adams III. He is survived by his wife Leigh, Freddy's children Claudia (John Wiley) and Tom (Suzy) Harris and their children Brennan, Serena and Jack Harris, all of Landgrove, a brother Stephen B. Adams (Barbara) of Mont Vernon, NH, a sister Mercedes "Mardi" Adams Huff of Jackson Hole, WY, and generations of beloved nieces, nephews and extended family.

A memorial service for Dick will be held Saturday, June 14 at 3pm at the Landgrove Meeting House with a reception to follow at his home.

Please consider making a donation in his memory to the Mountain Valley Health Center, 38 VT Route 11, Londonderry, VT 05148 or to the Londonderry Volunteer Rescue Squad, Inc., PO Box 911, Londonderry, VT 05148.