Richard James Howrigan

Fairfield – Richard James Howrigan a longtime and very active member of this community and former Vermont House Representative, passed away Saturday, January 18th, 2025, at his son's home in Colchester. Dick was 91 years old. He traveled a long ways to end up back where he started. Born in Colchester, on February 14th, 1933, he was the son of the late Edward James and Helen Alice (Maloney) Howrigan.
On July 2nd, 1971, at St. Mary's Church in Waltham, Massachusetts, Dick married Kathleen Ann Speer who predeceased him on May 17th, 2013. He claimed that he met her when she answered an ad in the paper. We all knew that wasn't true.
Dick had more degrees than a thermometer. He was educated at the Fairfield Elementary School and was a 1947 graduate of St. Mary's High School. He left high school for a period to devote his life to chewing tobacco and working on farms. After some "wood shed therapy", he was sent to Newman Preparatory School in Boston and eventually was a 1956 graduate of St. Michael's College. In 1986 he attended Purdue University to complete the instructor program for Real Estate Appraisers. Nonetheless, despite all the education, he still remained as handy as a pocket on a shirt. He was a charter member and first Fire Chief in 1957 of the Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department and was made a lifetime and honorary member.
He trained at Georgetown University and served in the United States Peace Corp in Ethiopia. He enjoyed teaching English in the rural town of Jimma but was called back to Addis Ababa to help set up the first fire brigade at the Addis Ababa International Airport. Off work in Addis, he became the ad hoc chauffeur to a cousin of Emperor Haile Selassi, who showed him the healing power of tej. After returning from Africa, he went on to teach at St Ann's Academy in Swanton. He truly enjoyed his time teaching in Swanton. He moved to Boston. He then was an independent appraiser and from 1970 to 1990, he worked for the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency where he held various appraisal positions. Health concerns gave him a solid reason to move back to Fairfield where he quickly got to work on getting a small maple sugaring operation going. From 1990 to 1993 he was a self-employed contract appraiser and community development agent. He also was an appraiser for the Vermont Tax Department, Vermont Highway Department and various lending institutions in Northern Vermont.
Dick could talk two starving dogs off a meat wagon. He served in the Vermont House of Representatives-18th District from 1993 to 2012. He loved serving the people of his district in any way he could. Active in the Fairfield Community, he was Chairman of the Committee to bring municipal water to Fairfield, and development of the elderly housing complex, Chester A. Arthur Apartments.
He served in the Vermont Army National Guard, was a longtime communicant of St. Patrick Parish, where he was member of the choir and altar server. Dick was also a member of the Fairfield Old Cemetery Association, Vermont Old Cemetery Association, St. Albans Elks Lodge # 1566, Green Mountain Post # 1, American Legion, the Vermont Farm Bureau and former Eagles Lodge in East Fairfield.
Survivors include his son, Richard "Jim" Howrigan and his wife, Kathy, of Colchester; three grandsons, Seamus, Kevin and Carsten, as well as his brother, Philip John Howrigan of Seattle, Washington and sister-in-law, Marie Speer of Orlando, Florida.
In addition to his parents, Edward and Helen and his wife, Kathleen, Dick was predeceased by his sister, Elaine Pettit on April 8th, 2024.
Dick's family will receive family and friends on Friday, January 24th, 2025, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Heald Funeral Home, 87 South Main Street, St. Albans.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, January 25th, 2025, at 11:00 AM at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 116 Church Road, Fairfield. The Reverend Father Jerome Mercure will be the celebrant. Prayers of committal will be later this spring in the family lot in St. Patrick Catholic Cemetery.
Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider the Vermont Right to Life Educational Trust Fund, P.O. Box 1079, Montpelier, Vermont 05601.
Honored to be serving the family of Richard Howrigan is Rett Heald of the Heald Funeral Home, where messages of condolence are welcome at www.healdfuneralhome.com.