Richard Kennedy

Richard B. Kennedy, 77

WORCESTER - Richard B. Kennedy, 77, of Worcester, died Friday, May 14, 2021 at UMass Memorial Medical Center after a brief illness.

Dick leaves his wife of 52 years, Mary Ann (Manning) Kennedy; a son Richard B. Kennedy II of New York, New York; a daughter Elizabeth DeHoratius and her husband Edmund of Worcester; three grandsons, William, Matthew and Andrew DeHoratius; a sister, Kathleen A. Kennedy of Mystic, Connecticut; three brothers, Francis E. Kennedy and his wife Pattrawadi of Hanover, New Hampshire, Paul S. Kennedy of Worcester, and Robert M. Kennedy and his wife Mary of Rochdale; and many nieces and nephews. His sister-in-law Joan M. Kennedy passed away last year.

Dick was born in Worcester, son of Francis E. and Margaret M. (Toomey) Kennedy. He grew up in Rochdale and, after graduating from WPI in 1965, started his career at IBM. After a brief stint in Poughkeepsie, Dick and Mary Ann moved back to Worcester in 1976. He worked at Norton Company and Saint-Gobain, retiring as Vice President of the Abrasives Marketing Group in 1999. He subsequently consulted for Frank Lynn & Associates of Chicago until 2004. He then became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, a position he held until 2013. Never content to be fully retired, in recent years Dick consulted for the Worcester Business Development Corporation, the Benefits Development Group and Sunshine Sign. He served on the board of the L.S. Starrett Company for over 25 years.

Dick was a champion of Worcester, devoting his professional and personal energy to any effort that strengthened the city. His love of Worcester was surpassed only by his love of friends and family. He connected easily with people, who without fail remember him as kind, funny, caring, upbeat and genuinely interested in their lives. He was as devoted a husband, father and Papa as you could find, delighting in his children's and grandchildren's accomplishments, big and small. We will miss him forever and strive each day to emulate his kindness, enthusiasm, good humor and zest for life.

We would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital and UMass Memorial Medical Center 7th floor and 2 Lakeside ICU for their kindness and compassion over the past few weeks. We extend heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Savant Mehta and his team for their superior care and tireless advocacy.

There will be calling hours Wednesday, May 19, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Athy Memorial Home, 111 Lancaster St., Worcester. The funeral Mass will be Thursday, May 20, at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 353 Grove St., Worcester. Burial will be at Rural Cemetery, Worcester.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Dick's memory to the Worcester Regional Strategic Opportunity Foundation (c/o Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, 311 Main Street, Suite 200, Worcester, MA 01608 or https://www.worcesterchamber.org/chamber-mission-strategy/) or the United Way of Central Massachusetts (484 Main Street, Suite 300, Worcester, MA 01608 or https://unitedwaycm.org/).