Mr. Richard "Dick" Henry Homewood, a resident of Lawrence, formerly of Andover, passed away at his home on Friday, January 7, 2022. He was 94 years old.
Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on September 16, 1927, he was the beloved son of the late Henry and Rose (Lusignan) Homewood. He graduated from St. Bernard’s High School in Fitchburg with Special Honor in 1945.
Richard was a U.S. Navy veteran, entering the military at NTC, Great Lakes, Illinois and receiving his honorable discharge from Boston. He was awarded the WWII Victory Medal for his exemplary service. Prior to entering the Navy, he had applied and been named an alternate at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Following his military career, Richard earned his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1950 where he was named to the Dean’s List 3 of his 4 years there. He was subsequently awarded a full scholarship to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA where he earned his Master’s degree in Civil Engineering a year later.
He was employed as an Aeronautical Engineer with AVCO/ Textron in Wilmington, MA from 1958 to 1973 and again later from 1979 until his retirement in 1987. While there, Richard worked on numerous projects including the design of the MX Peacekeeper missile and was granted several Top Secret security clearances by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Over the course of his career in engineering he also worked on the design of the original Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, as well as numerous bridges and overpasses along Route 2 in central Massachusetts. He later worked as a consultant on the security system for Air Force 2 and as a security consultant for Foxboro Stadium during the 1994 World Cup (soccer).
He was a member of the Society for Experimental Stress Analysis (SESA) for over 30 years and served as Treasurer of the organization from 1970 to 1981. He was also a member of the Andover Lions Club from 1965-1978 and served as President from 1973-1974.
In his spare time, Richard enjoyed watching, playing, and generally being involved in sports. He enjoyed golfing, skiing, playing handball and flying. He earned his Pilot’s License in 1953 and was later a member of the Yankee Pilots Inc. flying club for over 30 years, serving as Treasurer for over a decade.
He was heavily involved with Andover Little League – coaching teams in parts of 4 decades between the 1950’s and 1990’s and later served as the Head of Umpiring for the town’s ‘Major League’ (10-12 year olds) in the late 90’s and 2000’s.
Richard was a die-hard Andover High School sports fan. He worked the 1st down chains for Andover High football in the late 1990’s and 2000’s and attended hundreds of AHS baseball, softball, football, and basketball games over the years.
He was also an avid fan of the Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics & Bruins, as well as UMass, Boston College and Notre Dame athletics. Richard will be dearly missed.
He is survived by his 3 loving sons: Richard C. and his wife Barbara of Lawrence, Kevin C. and his wife Lee of Silver Spring, MD, Michael B. and his girlfriend Maria of Lawrence and Michael’s mother Judith of Andover.
Richard had 3 Grandchildren: Theresa Blackman of Merrimac, MA, Amy Jones of Columbia, MD and Scott Homewood of Aspen Hill, MD; and 3 Great Grandchildren: Benjamin, Elliot and Conrad Jones of Columbia, MD.
A Memorial Service will be held later this summer at the Burke-Magliozzi Funeral Home, 390 North Main Street, Andover.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jennifer Sweatman Memorial Fund, 101 Highland St., Townsend, MA 01469.