Richard R. Lewis

Richard R. Lewis 1942 – 2024
Uxbridge, MA.- Richard R. Lewis, 81, a widely admired publicist in New England collegiate sports, died June 25 at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass., from a brief illness. Mr. Lewis and his loving wife Josephine (Guliuzza) Lewis were high school sweethearts and married for 61 years. Rich began his career at the New Haven Register as a sports reporter. In 1966, he was hired as the Sports Information Director at the College of the Holy Cross then onto Providence College in 1979 when the Big East Conference was created. Always affable, Rich had a rare instinct for what would make a very good story. He connected many sportswriters with a stable of gifted collegiate athletes. An excellent newsman himself, Mr. Lewis worked part-time for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, and Waterbury Republican in Connecticut. He guided many embarking on their careers and found them jobs based on his valued recommendations. He had a longtime love for golf and worked five years for Golf Digest (1990-95). He also worked as a valued coordinator during the years when the PGA Tour held tournaments at Pleasant Valley CC in Sutton, Massachusetts with his sidekick, also known as his daughter Tracy, by his side. Legions of fellow golfers are left with stories to tell about Rich on courses from Newport (R.I.) and beyond. Besides his wife, Mr. Lewis leaves his two daughters, Tracy Harpin and her husband Michael of Millville, Mass., and Leslie Hayden and her husband Mark of Williamstown, N.J.; two brothers, Raymond and Randi Lewis of Seymour, Conn.; and a brother-in-law, Dominick Guliuzza of Seattle, Washington. He and Josephine had living quarters alongside their granddaughter Kelsey and her husband Joseph Courcy. After golf, Rich loved bringing home treats for his "buddies" - his great granddaughters Elora, Eden and Everly Courcy. He also leaves 5 other grandchildren, grandsons Corey Harpin and Samuel Shannon, and granddaughters Alexandra Woodward and her husband Tom, Abbey Shannon, and Madeline Bisbiglia and her husband Anthony, as well as his great grandson Thomas Woodward Jr. He will be missed by many but his years at the College of the Holy Cross have enabled his family to maintain friendships that have turned into a lifelong extension of their family. Funeral arrangements are private and under the direction of Gilman & Valade Funeral Homes & Crematory. For memorial guestbook visit www. GilmanAndValade.com