Richard Owen Carey (September 4, 1931 – January 19, 2022)
Richard Owen Carey, a 43-year resident of Washington, CT, died peacefully at his home January 19, 2022 at the age of 90.
It was Parkinson’s that ultimately ended his journey, but he died with his spirit and independence intact, thanks to the love, deep understanding and commitment of his wife of nearly 55 years, Barbara.
Born in 1931 to Joseph Earl and Pauline Agnes (Jackson) Carey in Waterbury, Connecticut, Dick was raised around the church steeples and spires his grandfather helped build. He graduated from The Gunnery School seeding his lifelong connection with northwestern CT.
He attended Yale University where he swam under the legendary coach Bob Kipith and qualified for the 1956 Olympic swimming team. He graduated in 1954 and after college traveled across Europe and the U.S. racking up regaling accounts of adventure.
Dick eventually returned to Ridgefield, CT in his 30’s and, once he finally married and had children, became a true family-man. He attended nearly every sporting and school event of his two daughters, supported and challenged both, and took immeasurable pride in their athletic and life accomplishments.
Dick had been involved in Real Estate since 1956 and community service throughout his life. He served as a leader in community zoning and planning for decades and was recognized as a leading thinker on responsible development, protecting the waterways of Connecticut, and on historic preservation and land conservation. He helped found the Village Bank and Trust (now Webster) and served on the Board of Directors for over 25 years, and in his final decades was an elected official, serving as a Selectman of the Town of Washington. In 2015 he was honored with a citation from the CT General Assembly for his contributions.
A great athlete, Dick loved nature and the outdoors and was forever near the water in the summer, and when the weather turned cold he could always be found on the slopes at Bromley Mountain where skiing became both a family sport and another great community of friends.
Dick was also a lifelong student and lover of history. He devoured any reading material and was well-versed on an extraordinarily wide range of topics, often to the surprise of someone with a passing question or an uninformed and voiced opinion. He lovingly maintained Church Hill, a historic home and property, had an equal passion for German-engineered cars and tractors, and throughout his life had at least one Golden or Labrador Retriever by his side.
In his final days, he celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by and loved by his family.
Dick is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Barbara, his daughters Lisa Carey-Moore and her husband Justin Moore (Winchester, MA) and Samantha Carey and her husband David Strickler (Washington, DC), his grandchildren Mackenzie and Quincy Moore and Emily Strickler, and his sister and brother in-law Jackie and Jean DuVoisin and their respective families. To see his pride in his children and grandchildren is to know that Dick was an old soul who had a deep appreciation that the world and its history would be shaped by the people who occupy it.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that you honor Dick with a donation to the Washington Ambulance Association whose incredible support and service helped our family so much in these final years.
A wake will be held at a later date.
Washington Ambulance Association: https://www.washingtonct.org/ambulance-association/pages/tax-deductible-donations-to-washington-ambulance
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