Richard W. Bootle

Dracut

Richard W. Bootle, age 55, a longtime resident of Dracut, passed away peacefully at the Holy Family Hospital in Methuen on Sunday, February 19, 2023 surrounded by his loving family.

He was born in Lowell on February 20, 1967 and was the youngest son of Mary (Edwards) Bootle and the late William J. Bootle. He was raised in Chelmsford before moving to various group homes in Lowell and Dracut.

Richie loved assembling puzzles, building with Lego, and listening to music. He also enjoyed going to the beach and visiting the waterfalls next to the mills. His favorite pastime was browsing through magazines, especially those that displayed construction vehicles and desserts. His favorite food was pizza followed by a brownie ice cream sundae. He was a frequent patron of Friendly's and more recently Sully's ice cream stand.

Richie was born with Down syndrome and two bladders. At two weeks old he had major surgery to save his life and was not expected to live past his teens. Having battled hundreds of infections and living just one day shy of his 56th birthday, Richie truly was a fighter with a strong will to survive. He was high-spirited with a mischievous yet beautiful smile, enriching the lives of everyone who came to know him. He was loved by his immediate family, plus his wonderful, extended family at Bridgewell (residence) and Incompass (day program).

Richie is survived by his mother, Mary Bootle of North Chelmsford, his sister, Carol Bootle of Macungie, PA, his brother, Michael Bootle of Madison, WI, and his niece, Samantha Hinckley of Washington, DC.

He is predeceased by his father Bill Bootle, who passed away on June 22, 2017.

Many thanks to all of Richie's care givers who have provided love and support over the years.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bridgewell (10 Dearborn Rd, Peabody, MA 01969 www.bridgewell.org ) or Incompass Human Services (4 Omni Way, Chelmsford, MA 01824 www.incompasshs.org )

His funeral service will be held on Friday, March 3rd, 2023 at 1:00 pm at the BLAKE CHELMSFORD FUNERAL HOME, 24 Worthen St., CHELMSFORD. Interment will be held privately. Funeral Directors Paul A. Hardy, Jr. & Jennifer Lebaropoulos Hardy. For directions and online guestbook, visit CHELMSFORDFUNERALHOME.COM and find us on Facebook.



View the online memorial for Richard W. Bootle