Richard W. Goyette Jr. (“Dick”), 83, of North Smithfield, Rhode Island, passed away peacefully on January 17, in North Smithfield.
He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Elizabeth “Betty” (Tanner) Goyette, and by his parents, Richard W. Goyette Sr. and Bertha (Myette) Goyette.
Dick was a longtime resident of Smithfield, having previously lived in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. An engineer by education and a craftsman by nature, he helped found Allmark International in 1989 alongside his wife. The “International” in the company’s name was a nod to his early career as a master stencil maker at International Stencil. In a rare and fitting full-circle moment, Allmark later acquired International Stencil, allowing Dick to return to the craft where his career began.
Extremely gifted with his hands, Dick built his own home and spent countless hours in his workshop creating finely crafted wooden keepsakes for family and friends. These pieces remain cherished reminders of his care, patience, and attention to detail. He was a natural storyteller, especially when explaining how things were made or how they came to be, and those conversations will be fondly remembered by everyone who knew him.
Despite ongoing health challenges, Dick maintained much of his independence through an inventive use of gadgets and solutions that only he could dream up. An avid reader, his favorite form of literature was romance novels, a fact he proudly shared with anyone without a hint of embarrassment. He was rarely without several stacks of books nearby, many of which he read more than once. His keen intellect, curiosity, and dry sense of humor stayed with him right up until the end.
He is survived by his children, Kathleen Kirpas and her husband David, of Gales Ferry, CT; Richard and his wife Ann Marie, of Smithfield, RI; and Michael and his wife Jill, of Smithfield, RI; his grandchildren, Timothy, Thomas, Samuel, Michael, Elizabeth Epperson, Andrew Goyette, and Julianna, Max, and Sean Votolato; and his brother, Robert Goyette and his wife Doris, of Pawtucket, RI.
A Memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday February 3rd at 10am in St. Michael’s Church, 80 Farnum Pike, Smithfield, RI. Interment will follow in Notre Dame Cemetery, Pawtucket. Visitation will be held from 4pm to 7pm on Monday February 2nd in the Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home, Route 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dick’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. www.stjude.org