Richard H King

Richard "Dick" Hood King, 92, passed away peacefully on September 13, 2026, surrounded by his family.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 24, 1934, Dick was the fourth son of Gilbert and Frances (Hood) King. Raised in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, he attended local independent schools before enrolling at Phillips Exeter Academy in 1947, graduating in 1951. He went on to Harvard College, where he was an active member of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corp and The Owl Club. He concentrated in Economics and earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1955. Following graduation, Dick served two years in the United States Navy aboard the destroyer USS Cushing (DD-797), homeported out of Long Beach, California. Upon completing his military service, he joined Avon Sole Company before earning his Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1961.

On July 25, 1959, Dick married the love of his life, Reta Schoonmaker, at the Church of the Messiah in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. His career in corporate finance began at Hitchiner Manufacturing Co. in Milford, New Hampshire, before moving to Connecticut in 1968, where he initially lived in Madison before settling in Glastonbury in 1972. He served in financial executive roles at Smyth Manufacturing Co. and Progressive Trade Corp. before joining The Hartford Courant Co. in 1973. During his distinguished tenure at the Courant, he served as Controller and Treasurer before retiring as Vice President of Administration in 1996. Following his retirement, he served for eight years as the Executive Director of the Connecticut Daily Newspaper Association.

Dick was always seeking to “put in more than I take out.” In some ways, he meant that literally; he had an “O negative” blood type, which made him a universal blood donor, and over his life he donated 120 pints of blood. He served in leadership and board roles for numerous organizations, including as Chairman of the Connecticut Audubon Society, President of the Connecticut Prison Association, the Connecticut Daily Press Association, and the Hartford Chapter of the Financial Executives Institute, Commodore of the Chapoquoit Yacht Club, and Treasurer of the Falmouth Historical Society and Penikese Island School. He also served on the boards of Camp Courant, the Hartford Courant Foundation, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Better Business Bureau of Hartford, and the Glastonbury Chamber of Commerce, and enjoyed volunteering at the Maine Maritime Museum. A lifelong Episcopalian, he held officer and vestry positions in parishes across Milford, NH; Madison, CT; Glastonbury, CT; Woods Hole, MA; and Bath, ME.

An avid sailor who loved life on the water, Dick and Reta retired to their home on West Falmouth Harbor, Massachusetts, in 1998. They spent countless joyful hours on the water aboard their Sabre 28 ketch, Barseeker, and various powerboats, and traveled extensively across the country and abroad on birding adventures. Dick and Reta moved to Highland Green in Topsham, Maine, in 2013, and to the Briarwood Community in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2025.

Dick is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Reta; his children, D. Whitney King and his wife Jan, Richard "Rick" H. King Jr. and his husband Peter Erbland, and Nanci Shepardson and her husband Michael; six grandchildren and their spouses, Sarah King (Michael Zimmer), Carin Malley (Brian Malley), Annie King (Andrew Hunter), Lucy King (John Savino), Sally Shepardson-Fungarino (Eduardo Fungarino), and Susie Shepardson (Cody Davis); his seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Holden, Massachusetts at 11:00 on Saturday, October 3, 2026. A live stream of the service will be available at: https://www.facebook.com/stfrancisholden/live_videos/

Memorial donations may be made to the Falmouth Historical Society, Connecticut Audubon, Maine Maritime, the charity of your choice, or donate blood.