Richard “Dick” Arthur

Richard “Dick” Arthur, 85, of Marion, MA, died peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on September 29, 2018 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s.

He was born on April 16, 1933 in Newburyport, MA to Irving S. Arthur and Edith C. (McDaniel) Arthur. He is survived by his wife, Sally Fallon, and his daughters, Jeanne Arthur and her husband Ted Ackley, Chris Arthur and her husband Trey Klein, and his sons Richard Arthur and his wife Stephanie Cooper, Brian Arthur and his wife Lynn, Stephen Arthur and his wife Elena and 12 grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by Sally Fallon’s sons Andy Fallon and his wife Kim, Bill Fallon and his wife Jennifer Shaffer, daughters Betsy Fallon and her husband Mike Waters and Molly Bernstein and her husband Kevin and nine grandchildren. He is survived by his brother Robert Arthur and was predeceased by his first wife Helen, their son Jonathan Arthur, granddaughter Emily Arthur, and sisters Muriel Dow and Alyce Arthur.

Dick Arthur was a man of tremendous energy, enthusiasm and a desire to keep learning new things and experiencing life to its fullest. Father, husband, friend, scout leader, duck hunter, wood carver, painter, writer, jewelry maker, skier, traveler, tuna fisherman, chef, gardener, photographer, naturalist and volunteer are just a few of the many dimensions that so many of us experienced with him, whether as someone who participated alongside him or who enjoyed the stories of his many adventure’s ups and downs, often hilarious in their retelling. The breadth of his hobbies is unmatched by the depth of his relationships. His outsized charisma combined with his incredible ability to connect with people, listen and understand a range of perspectives brought people joy and feelings of endearing friendship. Dick Arthur was a man who commanded a room, provided leadership and creativity in all things, and then rolled up his sleeves and dove in to do the hardest part of any job to be done. His love of people, his devotion to his family, and his dedication to his friends made him the center of all of our lives. While he is an impossible act to follow, he has inspired us all to lift our spirits and carry his torch to engage life to its fullest, love and respect all people, and connect to missions greater than ourselves.

Dick had a long and successful career in business. A native of Massachusetts, he was educated at Merrimack College and Penn State University.  He was the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of The Sippican Corporation. Dick joined the company as an engineer in 1964.

Dick served on the Boards of Neil Brown Instrumentation Systems, Datamarine, BayBanks S.E., Horizon Marine, LifeStream, Community Nurse Home Care, SeaWave, Horizon Capital and the Naval Submarine League. He served on the Board of the Moby Dick Council Boy Scouts of America, the Massachusetts High Tech Council, and the Society for Human Advancement through Rehabilitation Engineering. Dick served on the Visiting Committee of the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and as a member of the Advisory Committee of The Applied Research Laboratory of the University of Washington. Dick served as a Trustee of the Bird Johnson Company for many years, as a member of the Corporation of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and on the Board of Western Newly Independent States Enterprise Fund.

The family wishes to express our sincere gratitude to the many caregivers who lovingly supported Dick the past 18 months.

Visitation will be held on Friday, October 5, 2018 from 4 pm to 8 pm at Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. There will be a private mass at St. Rita Church followed by interment at Evergreen Cemetery.

A memorial service will be held at Wickenden Chapel at Tabor Academy at 86 Spring Street, Marion, MA on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at 10 am, with a reception following at Hoyt Hall at Tabor Academy. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Community Nurse Home Care, and the Alzheimer’s Association. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

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