Richard Charles YANCEY

Richard Charles Yancey, 97, of Brooklyn Heights, NY, died peacefully at home, on February 9, 2024. A respected international financier, dedicated philanthropist, and fervent advocate for Brooklyn, Dick was born into a pioneering family in Spokane, Washington. After serving in the Navy at the end of WWII and graduating with distinction from Harvard Business School, he relocated to New York City in 1952, where he met the love of his life, and fellow Washingtonian, Mary Anne Shaffer. They wed in 1956 and settled in Brooklyn Heights, where they raised their family.

Together, Dick and Mary Anne were one of a small group of devoted, passionate, modern-day pioneers who planted the seeds of Brooklyn's cultural renaissance. They were truly partners in nurturing numerous local community institutions, whose boards and committees got a 'two-for-one' brain trust of advice and support. Dick and Mary Anne were one of the founding families of Saint Ann's School, attended by six of their progeny, as well as long-time supporters of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the Brooklyn Museum, among oth-ers. Dick's passion for music (and beautiful tenor voice) inspired his service on the board of the Grammy Award-winning Brooklyn Youth Chorus, which Mary Anne had previously chaired, and as a director of Brooklyn Chamber Music Society. He was a long-time active member, former president, and past trustee of Plymouth Church, where Mary Anne also played a very active role, becoming the first woman council president in the church's 175-year history. Additionally, Dick was a trustee of Beekman Downtown Hospital and on the board of overseers at his alma mater, Whitman College.

Dick flourished in his career as a Managing Director at the Wall Street investment banking firm Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. A leader in utilizing the power of finance for diplomacy, he notably sup-ported emerging markets in post-war Japan and Italy, and played a pivotal role in the Middle East during the '70s and '80s. His contributions continued after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when he served as Vice Chair of the Czech and Slovak American Enterprise Fund, receiving the Pres-ident's Call to Service Award in 2006. Dick's many domestic clients included Chevron, CIT Fi-nancial, TWA, the City of New York, and the New York Power Authority. Throughout his career, Dick's counsel was highly valued, both personally and professionally. He was a director of the Principal Funds, chair of the WM Group of Funds, and a senior advisor to both AdMedia Part-ners and Midwood Securities. His interest in people was genuine, and many younger profes-sionals turned to Dick for career advice and support.

Preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Mary Anne (2013), and brother Robert (2020), Dick is survived by his three children, Leslie of Whitefish, MT, Jennifer of Taos, NM, and Richard Jr. (Inger) of Brooklyn, NY, as well as his grandchildren, Gavin, Connor, Oliver, Elia, and Neal. Dick will be deeply missed by us all. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 6th, at 2:00pm, at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to the Brooklyn Youth Chorus's Mary Anne & Dick Yancey Memorial Fund (https://bychorus.org/yancey) or the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society (http://brooklynchamber-musicsociety.org/contribute.htm).