TEWKSBURY: Richard A. "Rick" Stoddard, age 50, of Kapolei, Hawaii, formerly of Tewksbury, passed away on Monday, September 7, 2009 in Hawaii.
Born in Lawrence, MA on July 10, 1959, he was the son of the late Robert L. and Barbara (Newcomb) Stoddard.
Richard was raised in Tewksbury and attended Tewksbury schools.
In 1976, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Prior to his honorable discharge from active duty, he was awarded the M-16 Expert Badge and the Sharpshooter Badge.
Richard resided in Tewksbury, MA and Nashua, NH until moving to Hawaii in 2001.
Since moving to Hawaii, Richard has been employed as a chef. Initially, he worked preparing meals for the crews of long line fishing vessels and most recently at an area restaurant.
An accomplished musician, Richard loved playing the acoustic guitar, the 12 string guitar, the harmonica and the piano.
He also had tremendous artistic talent, most notably for his pencil drawings of wildlife , television personalities and Hawaiian culture.
Richard is survived by one sister, Barbara J. Whitney and her husband Harry of Raymond, NH; one brother, Robert J. Stoddard and his wife Teresa of Long Beach, CA; two nephews, Craig Whitney and his wife Beth of Manchester, NH and Kevin Whitney of Raymond, NH.
Relatives and friends will be received Saturday, Sept. 26th, from 10 a.m. -12 p.m., at the Farmer & Dee Funeral Home, 16 Lee St., Tewksbury, followed by a memorial service celebrating his life to be held at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Tewksbury Cemetery.