Marion Democratic Town Committee

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To the Editor;

            The Marion Democratic Town Committee responded to the 2020 election by supporting Democratic causes and candidates across the country. The election of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris is a big win for all of us, but their and our work is just beginning.

2021 is an important year both locally and nationally.  We need to fight those states which have bills ready to make voting harder for everyone. This already has happened in Georgia, where mail-in voting, the number of voter boxes, and even supplying water to voters in line have been restricted in recent legislation. Our committee also is working along other states to abolish the electoral college.

            In our own state we have issues with an unfair tax structure that favors millionaires, while low to moderate income families struggle to pay for child care. As a committee, we recently voted to support the “We the People Act,” which will eliminate corporate contributions in elections. Our Facebook page, named “Marion Democratic Town Committee,” shares interesting articles and posts relevant to our Democratic processes.  Please “Like” it to stay up to date.  Please get involved and contact your legislators about issues of importance to you.

 If you would like to join the committee, or just want to get involved, please feel free to contact Sharon Matzek at 508-748-6905 or sharonmatzek@yahoo.com  and we’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Sharon Matzek

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Consultant Gives Plant Solid Marks

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            Any perception that Marion’s wastewater treatment facility is failing is mistaken, according to Kent Nichols Jr., vice president and wastewater practice leader at Reading-based Weston & Sampson, Inc.

            Speaking to the Marion Water & Sewer Commissioners meeting on March 25, Nichols indicated belief that the expensive lagoon cleanup has given the wastewater treatment plant a bad name.

            “Some of the things that get in the news would leave the impression that the Marion wastewater treatment facility … is somehow not up to snuff,” said Nichols. “You have a very advanced wastewater treatment system right now … it’s relatively new, it’s highly functional.”

            Furthermore, Nichols expects that the “very highly treated effluent – it’s a very clean effluent that goes out” produced by the plant will improve as the lagoon is cleaned up.

            Selectman John Waterman asked Nichols to address regionalization in the meeting. Nichols said Weston & Sampson is trying to collect more information and considers a partnership with Mattapoisett or Wareham to be valid, long-term options, but he stressed the quality of Marion’s facility.

            Nichols estimates that Wareham’s wastewater treatment facility, even with its upgrade, is not as modern as Marion’s. Once Marion solves its lagoon situation, Nichols considers the facility to be relatively young and of a completely different technology from Wareham’s.

            Nichols credited the staff at Marion’s plant for its performance, but made it clear the facility does not take a back seat in the region. He suspects those who hear the talk of a partnership with Wareham might assume the neighboring town’s plant is in better condition. Nichols said that is not the case and that the Wareham plant needs many improvements.

            “The plant doesn’t necessarily outperform the Marion plant. It treats more wastewater but not a whole heck of a lot more. The capacity of that plant is about 1.5 million gallons a day, where yours is about .6,” said Nichols.

            Waterman asked if the plant’s capacity could increase, but Nichols said the plant’s technology does not favor a higher capacity and that would be better sought via partnership with a neighboring town.

            In his resiliency report on the Creek Road water pumping station, Nichols displayed maps addressing the threat of increased flood elevations and a facility design that calls for a submersible pumping station with the control room in an elevated building designed for year 2080 flooding conditions.

            Nichols said it is an exciting juncture in the comprehensive plan. Despite slow progress through the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, the task of sifting through many prior reports and observing facilities has culminated in a nearly complete draft of the first four sections of the report.

            Sections will contain information and projections on future conditions including flows and loads and how future environmental conditions might change. The first three sections of the report will produce a statement of need addressing modernization of facilities, the infiltration-inflow (I&I) program, sustainability and resiliency, capacity, and permitting conditions.

            The final design is to be completed in June, which will also kick off a six-month funding application window. Construction contract bidding is to occur in the fall of 2022, to be followed by a one-year construction plan aiming for a December 2023 completion.

            The state’s Coastal Zone Management agency is funding the design, according to Nichols. Potential funding programs for construction include FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure & Communities (BRIC), Coastal Zone Management (CZM), Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP), and State Revolving Fund (SRF).

            March 24 was the second meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee; Nichols said the group talked in more detail about the technical aspects of the system. The target date for the next CAC meeting is May 19.

            “We’re getting to the very sensitive part here where we have to start making long-term decisions, and obviously one of the challenges that we have in Marion is that you’ve already got a fairly good investment in your system, so we’re trying to make sure that anything that requires further capital investment will actually be able to be done in an affordable way,” said Nichols.

            In her Water and Sewer updates, Marion DPW Engineer Meghan Davis reported on the Mary’s Pond well field rehabilitation.

            Davis said that some interior and exterior work remains; the end of April is the anticipated completion date. She explained that water from Mary’s Pond well goes to the East and West station site before it goes into distribution. When the chemical feed building is finished, Mary’s Pond water will be activated and work together with the East and West distributions. The construction start-up date for the chemical feed building is July 7, with early winter 2022 as the target to get all three wells up and running.

            The engineering firm Tata & Howard is designing and developing Standard Operating Procedures for the Water and Sewer Departments. The focus is for training in an emergency event that makes regular personnel unavailable.

            National Water Main Cleaning Company is treating Marion’s main road wastewater infiltration and inflow. The town has invested $190,000 in the I/I work. Year Two work is almost complete with an estimated completion date of April 9. There will be a Year Three investigation by National Water Main.

            Davis began by updating the commissioners on the 2021 Fire Hydrant Replacement Program. Three hydrants are being relocated to 17 Dexter Road, 361 Front Street, and 639 Front Street; all three hydrants require insertion valves at $6,000 apiece. The low bid was won by Harwich-based N&M Excavating at $39,300, money that was allocated in 2020. Construction is scheduled to begin in April.

            The Mill Street Water Replacement Project is nearly complete, according to Davis. Remaining work to be done next month includes the required mill and overlay and the removal of old fire hydrants that have been replaced.

            The next meeting of the Marion Water & Sewer Commissioners is scheduled for Thursday, June 24, at 4:00 pm. The members are the town’s three selectmen, so the Board of Selectmen could become the platform for Water & Sewer decisions.

Marion Water & Sewer Commissioners

By Mick Colageo

Elevation Essential to Neck Access

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            Mattapoisett Neck residents are eventually going to have to move up, so they don’t have to move out.

            Flooding, not only from coastal storms of historic magnitude but a science-based projection of rising tides under sunny skies, threatens access to the approximately 250 residents of the neck at increasing levels in this century, according to a study presented on March 24.

            Mean Higher High Water (MHHW), otherwise known as sunny-day flooding, will by 2030 bring the expectation of 3.4 feet. This is not the result of a coastal storm. By 2050, 4.7 feet will be expected at high tide and, by 2070, 6.5 feet.

            “By 2070, it might not be feasible to plan your way out of harm’s way,” said Woods Hole Group Inc. coastal scientist Adam Finkle, estimating up to 20 feet of depth of water in low-lying areas. While Mattapoisett Neck Road, he said, remains relatively resilient to sunny-day, sea-level rise past the year 2050, the road could see up to 3 feet of water during storm in the year 2070.

            “What our data told us is that it’s going to be really hard to plan in this location for the big one,” said Finkle. “It’s going to be really hard to have a dry road during a storm event.”

            In the second of three stakeholder meetings via Zoom, Fuss & O’Neill project manager Eileen Gunn led participants through a program involving presenters Dean Audet on water resiliency, and geo-scientists Finkle, Andrea Judge, and Joe Famely.

            Made possible by a $74,981 reimbursable grant awarded last fall by Coastal Zone Management for the purpose of formulating a long-term answer to the flood risk along Mattapoisett Neck Road’s north and south causeways and the land in between, the Mattapoisett Neck Road Flood Resilience Project will, with a 25-percent financing match from the town, arrive at a final design by June 30.

            The Town of Marion is similarly addressing future flood concerns with a proposal to reinvent its Creek Road pumping station. Marion’s plan would submerse a specially-designed pump to operate underwater, while a new control room would be constructed at an elevation that cannot be threatened.

            Mattapoisett Neck Road is the only access to and from the peninsula for residents, and according to the study, the tipping point for catastrophic flooding there is projected sometime between 2050 and 2070.

            A vulnerability assessment discussed the role of the culvert – there are two at the north end of the Mattapoisett Neck Road causeway and one at the southern end of the causeway at Molly’s Cove – and shared conceptual designs asking for feedback while anticipating a public meeting on Tuesday, April 13. The timeline extends to a final stakeholders meeting in May, followed by public meetings.

            Soon-to-retire Highway Surveyor Barry Denham pointed to the Molly’s Cove culvert, saying it is filled with numerous sinkholes and expressed concern that saltmarsh-area water trying to get back to the ocean might accelerate the culvert’s deterioration.

            Addressing the culverts in the area, Audet said the ponding water stressing out the marsh vegetation is not due to the culverts. “The water atop that surface can’t get out to the culverts,” he said, explaining that larger culverts would not help with high tide and might compound the stress eroding the creeks and exacerbate the ponding problem.

            Mattapoisett resident Mike Huguenin, who is involved in the saltmarsh program with the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program run by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, cited three rain events between December 7 and January 10, asking if the current situation is indicative of average tide.

            “We watch the water velocity on these culverts, moving really fast and see scouring,” said Huguenin, wondering if larger culverts that should reduce water velocity would add benefit.

            Audet said that, when water levels in the Brandt Cove get above 2 or 3 feet, they will flood the marsh, regardless of the size of the culvert, and then drain out to Brandt Cove, as well as out of the culvert.

            The statewide expansion on the Boston Harbor Flood Risk Model is based on the governor’s executive order (No. 569) integrating climate change to assessments on flood risk. The state Department of Transportation uses the Massachusetts Coast Flood Risk Model as its standard for assessing coastal assets.

            The model was presented with three sets of figures, one addressing sea-level rise (high tide levels over course of time), a second addressing coastal flood exceedance probability and its impact based on 6 inches of water disabling public vehicles and 18 inches disabling emergency vehicles, and the third looking at the probability of inundation and the point of elevation where water would reach.

            Huguenin asked about “joint probabilities,” identifying sea-level rise as well as storm conditions as climate change progresses and how the levels step up in time as a result. He was told that present surface elevations for a 100-year storm would be 10.7 feet of water.

            Road-raising alternatives were discussed with four options, settling on a plan that will allow continued use of Mattapoisett Neck Road by vehicles.

            “We can’t fill in a wetland, so we’re limited in how high we can raise the road,” said Judge, adding that the Woods Hole Group is involved in nature-based solutions to provide a transition and embankment.

            Resident David Behenna suggested measuring the traffic counts in both winter and summer months at a point south of Town Landing and before the northern-most culvert. He also asked if it would be possible to utilize the Old Mattapoisett Road right-of-way while the culvert is under construction.

            Audet said that with precast sections, “This is a pretty quick installation,” estimating a week for work on one side of Mattapoisett Neck Road, then a switch to the other side of the road. “You wouldn’t want to have people walking through there. There might be a couple of weeks where you can’t walk or ride your bike through there.”

            The third of three public access stakeholders’ meetings will be held on May 19 at 6:00 pm.

By Mick Colageo

Maestro Dinur Performs with South Coast Chamber Music Series

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The South Coast Chamber Music Series (SCCMS) presents “Doubles and Triples,” on April 10, virtually. Get ready for a few fastballs and a pair of homeruns!

            Due to overwhelming demand following their recent Holiday Pops appearance, NBSO Music Director Yaniv Dinur joins SCCMS Artistic Director Janice Weber for two keyboard classics, Schubert’s ineffable F Minor Fantasy, and the goofy, groovy Gouvy Sonata in C Major. Maestro Dinur then returns alone to the piano bench for the brooding and majestic Brahms Trio No. 3 in C Minor with NBSO Concertmaster Jesse Holstein, violin, and NBSO Principal cello Leo Eguchi.

            The concert release date is Saturday, April 10, 4:00 pm, and ticket purchasers can watch the concert any time (and as many times as) they like for 30 days. Tickets are $20 per household and available at www.nbsymphony.org/chamber-series-2020-2021/. All ticketed patrons will receive an email on the day of the concert containing instructions and a private link for access on YouTube.

            The NBSO is a professional orchestra that annually presents a concert series of classical and pops music as well as an outstanding chamber music series. In addition, the NBSO’s innovative and nationally recognized educational programs reach thousands of students each year in local schools and through open access online. The NBSO is dedicated to building a community of music in the South Coast. Visit www.nbsymphony.org today.

Sippican Historical Society

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Marion (Old Rochester) is one of the oldest towns in the United States, and the Sippican Historical Society maintains an extensive collection of documentation on its historic buildings. In 1998, the Sippican Historical Society commissioned an architectural survey of Marion’s historic homes and buildings. Over 100 were cataloged and photographed. SHS will feature one building a week so that the residents of Marion can understand more about its unique historical architecture.

            The “Old Parsonage” at 113 Front Street was built in 1813 by Captain John Pitcher, brother of Elizabeth Pitcher Taber. The side of the building that faces Front Street is actually the back of the original dwelling, which until recently served as St. Rita Church’s rectory. Across the street from Capt. Pitcher’s home was a large pasture where his sheep and cows grazed. He used to hang a ship’s bell from the branch of an oak tree and ring it every evening at 9:00 pm as a curfew bell. The bell is now located in the Marion Natural History Museum. When Capt. Pitcher died, he left his house to the Congregational Church, which used it as a parsonage for many years.

Retirements Could Leverage Position Upgrades

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            On March 24, the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen opened the Spring 2021 Annual Town Meeting Warrant, which will remain open until April 5 at 4:00 pm. The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday, May 10; more details to follow.

            After finalizing that piece of business, the board moved on to reports from Town Administrator Mike Lorenco concerning the FY22 budget.

            Lorenco said that earlier school budget drafts had “come down.” The current total for education stands at $14,125,553. He also stated that both the Police Department and Fire Department had cut their budget requests. The Police Department budget was cut by some $50,000 representing a cruiser, while the Fire Department cut $45,000 in its salary line.

            Lorenco reported that, for municipal department heads, merit raises were proposed versus standardized annual raises.

            Regarding the previously discussed retirement of Conservation Agent Liz Leidhold, Lorenco said the board still needed to determine if the position should be more fully-funded versus part-time. He said that the agent regularly has to work overtime to keep up with the vigorous pace that the position demands, and that overtime pay is allocated to the Building Department.

            Lorenco also said that the position vacated by the retirement of Melody Pacheco needs to be upgraded and that he is working on a job description that would better suit the demands of an assistant or project manager to the town administrator.

            On a bright note, Lorenco said that the town has been able to fund approximately $4 million of its $9 million in Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) liability. He noted that in recent years the town has elected to set aside up to $240,000 in free cash to the fund. He suggested that for FY22, that sum could be reduced to $150,000, giving leeway to redeploy the difference in another direction.

            “We’ve reached a good match,” said Lorenco. “Maybe we could move around the funds for something like a new fire truck.”

            Moving on to items listed on the Capital Planning spreadsheet, Lorenco said the total of all capital items is $327,000. He then began discussing roadway projects. Currently listed for this category is $250,000 on the Capital Plan.

            In recent discussion with VHB, the project consulting firm handling design and engineering for the town’s Village Streets Improvement Project, Lorenco said the firm needs another $175,000 that had been previously approved in order to reach the 75-percent, shovel-ready design target. Thus far, $250,000 has been approved for the consultants to reach the 25-percent mark required before the town can move up the TIP ladder in FY22. Currently, the project rests on the state’s Transportation Improvement Project list for 2023.

            Improvements to Pearl Street were reviewed, with Lorenco indicating that the Water and Sewer Departments are ready but waiting for the green light as those engineering plans need completion. But the good news here, he stated, was that, due to savings realized by the Water and Sewer Departments on other projects, money is in-hand for that portion of the job.

            The board and town administrator also discussed Phase 1 of renovation and improvements to the Highway Department Building. Lorenco said that this phase would encompass drainage, water, and other infrastructural needs, and that $300,000 was already available from a previously approved Town Meeting article.

            Lorenco also said that he anticipates two petition articles for the warrant, one for the paving of Tinkham Lane. Anyone interested to having an article printed in the warrant is advised to contact the Town Clerk’s Office.

            The issue of high indirect costs assessed to the Transfer Station was raised by Selectman Jordan Collyer, who pondered, “Why are there indirect costs of $60,000 on a $90,000 operation with no full-time staff?” Lorenco said he would not wager a guess but would discuss it with the town account. Collyer said the operation has been receiving $50,000 in subsidy for several years to break even and wanted a clear line of sight in this matter. Lorenco said it was likely due to a portion of the Board of Health agent’s salary being allocated to the department.

            Selectman Paul Silva said he has the same concerns regarding the Waterfront Enterprise Fund. Lorenco said that, in part, that is due to the harbormaster’s retirement obligations that the town is required to fund.

            Lorenco rounded out his budget and Town Meeting warrant comments by adding that there will be two zoning bylaw articles. One article will address zoning updates to FEMA flood plain mapping, while the second is a new bylaw governing the construction of solar arrays. A public hearing will be held by the Planning Board to vet the bylaw changes on Monday, April 5, at 7:00 pm.

            A dog and cat rabies clinic will be held on Sunday, April 18, between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon at the fire station. All cats must be crated, and all dogs leashed during the clinic. There is a $15 fee.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen

By Marilou Newell

Jocelyne M. Tapper

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Jocelyne M. Tapper, 83. Jocelyne used to say that she “opened and closed” a great many eyes in her career as both a maternity nurse and a nursing home supervisor. She cared, lovingly, for those on both ends of the spectrum of life, from birth to death. 

            After receiving her nursing degree from St. Anne’s Nursing School in Fall River, MA, Jocelyne began her career by helping birth countless babies at Wesson Women’s Hospital in Springfield. She also worked for many years in the maternity ward of St. Luke’s in New Bedford, comforting laboring Moms and welcoming beautiful new babies into the world. 

            Later working at Our Lady’s Haven in Fairhaven and Sippican Healthcare in Marion, Jocelyne was particularly devoted to maintaining the dignity of the elderly residents in her care. 

            Returning to Our Lady’s Haven as a resident several years ago, Jocelyne was cared for by many of the nurses and aides with whom she had worked for almost 30 years. They attended her lovingly and compassionately—especially in her final days, returning the gift of end-of-life care that Jocelyne had so generously and graciously bestowed on so many in her nursing career. 

            Passing on March 30, 2021 at the age of 83, Jocelyne will, from her joy-filled heavenly vantage, now watch over those who remain, including her twin “boys” Mark and John Tapper of Vermont and their wives Susannah and Sarah; her daughters Michele Tapper-Racine and her husband Richard of Fairhaven and Evelyn Davilla of Waterford, Connecticut. Jocelyne is predeceased by her son, Matthew Tapper. Jocelyne’s sister, Suzanne Walter and her husband Robert of Virginia will miss the frequent visits to the Southcoast to spend time with Jocelyne in her beloved village of Mattapoisett. 

            Jocelyne is now guardian angel to her nine grandchildren, their spouses, and partners and her eight great-grandchildren. 

            Proud of her family ties to the Letendre and Payette clans, Jocelyne leaves behind many cousins with whom she shared some amazing adventures, numerous nieces, and nephews, and so many beloved friends. 

            In remembrance of Jocelyne’s spirit, be sure to spend that extra time rocking and singing to those babies, be sure to hold an elderly hand, and offer peace and comfort to those who may be alone. 

            The Liturgy of the Word and Final Commendation will be held on Thursday April 1, 2021 at 10 AM at Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 121 Mt. Pleasant St., New Bedford. The service will also be live-streamed at www.whalingcitycatholics.org. for those unable to attend in person. Burial will follow in Notre Dame Cemetery, Fall River. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday March 31, 2021 from 5-7 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett. Due to the current pandemic, you must wear a mask and practice social distancing. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com. 

Donald J. DuBois

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Donald J. DuBois, 86, of Rochester, formerly of Newton, died Sunday, March 28, 2021 peacefully at his home surrounded by family and friends. He was the husband of Frances B. (Bucelwicz) DuBois.

            Born in Watertown, he was the son of the late Eugene and Anna (Kidik) DuBois. Raised in Newton, Don worked with his brothers at DuBois Corporation in Newton. A longtime summer resident of Briarwood in Wareham, he moved to Rochester 17 years ago.

            Mr. DuBois also a U.S. Army veteran.  He enjoyed fishing, lobstering and scalloping.

            He is survived by his wife, Frances; his children, Donald J. DuBois, Jr. and his fiancé Linda Koliscz of Fairhaven, Douglas DuBois and his wife Kamryn of Millis, and Donna DuBois of Newton; his brothers, Eugene DuBois of FL, and Frederick DuBois of Norfolk; six grandchildren, Brielle Chase, Addison DuBois, Sheridan DuBois, Olivia DuBois, Maxwell DuBois and Jordyn Turin; and 2 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his sister, the late Lorraine Howard.

            A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Mon., April 5, 2021 at St. Patrick’s Church, High St., Wareham at 11:30 am. Interment will follow in Mass. National Cemetery, Bourne. Visiting hours have been omitted.

            Donations in his memory may be made to the Rochester Council on Aging, 67 Dexter Ln., Rochester, MA 02770. Arrangements by Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, Wareham. For directions and on-line guestbook visit: www.ccgfuneralhome.com

Snipatuit Solar Project Will Wait

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The Rochester Planning Board was greeted at its March 23 meeting with a request from applicant Snipatuit Road Solar, LLC to continue its public hearing to further formulate a response to the town’s peer review.

            A brief discussion by board members referenced the town’s request that the access road be widen to 16 feet and Snipatuit Road Solar’s ongoing task to accomplish that.

            The applicant proposes an approximately 4.8-megawatt DC, ground-mounted solar array off of Snipatuit Road within a residential/agricultural district, within the Mattapoisett River Valley Watershed partially within a groundwater-protection district and the flood-plain overlay district. The property owners are Lisa Holden, trustee, Rochester Realty Trust and Aquidneck Nominee Trust, et al., and Kevin and Cassandra Cassidy.

            Continued from March 10, the March 23 public hearing was continued to Monday, April 13, at 7:00 pm.

            Town Planner Steve Starrett told the board there is a pre-construction meeting scheduled for this week on the Eldridge Bog and a review on a nearby bog in a similar situation. The Board of Health, reported Starrett, is waiting on 53G escrow funds, to which it was suggested the Board of Health remains empowered by its leverage on approval of the project’s septic system.

            The Planning Board discussed a long list of 53G escrow accounts funded by applicants that the board draws upon to pay peer-review fees and associated expenses. Over a dozen applicants were mentioned, some to be released from their escrow accounts (the money sent back to the applicant), and some to be further examined via site visits that Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson plans to arrange.

            In other business, the Planning Board voted to approve invoices from Field Engineering in the amounts of $750 and $375 for its peer-review work on the respective Cushman Road Solar and Village at Plumb Corner projects.

            The next meeting of the Rochester Planning Board is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, at 7:00 pm.

Rochester Planning Board

By Mick Colageo

Richard Lewis Prouty

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Richard Lewis Prouty died peacefully on March 24, 2021 following a brief illness lovingly surrounded by his family and his wife, Kim.

            Richard was born in Springfield, MA on February 2, 1976 and moved to Mattapoisett with his family in 1981. He attended Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Old Rochester Regional High School, Castleton University in Castleton, VT graduating with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Music. He attended Berklee School of Music before graduating from the Institute of Health Professions, Boston, with a Master of Science in Nursing. He worked for several years as a Nurse Practitioner giving specialized care working with neurosurgeons and orthopedic hand surgeons. His work with his patients was personal and deeply caring. He also was a partial owner of The Speedwell Tavern in Plymouth, MA.

            Richard was a gifted musician and held a lifelong passion for music in many forms. A member of the local Loose Cannon Orchestra, he excelled in jazz organ and piano and was always willing to create and share his music with others.

            He was an avid adventurer whether it was traveling cross country from skate park to skate park while also exploring the wilderness, or captaining the mighty “Beagle” offshore in search of tuna and mahi-mahi. He also won the North Atlantic Shark Tournament in 2014 with a group of great friends. Richard was a lover of all animals great and small throughout his life.

            A skateboarder, a remote car racer, an artist and framer, a photographer. He selflessly built a skateboard park for all to enjoy in New Bedford. His kindness and joy in life was never ending. We are all the richer for knowing and loving him. As a dear friend says, “The world will never recover from his loss”.

            Richard is survived by his wife, Kim, his parents, Lewis and Jennifer Prouty; his sister Hilary Vineyard and her husband Sam and their son, Oliver; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Caroline and Justin Manzone, and their children, Pepper and Tucker; and many cousins, aunts and uncles, and close friends.

            In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Fairhaven Animal Shelter or the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

            His memorial visitation will be held Tuesday, April 6th from 4-8 pm at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Mattapoisett.

            Please be advised that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are strict guidelines that must be adhered to for the safety of everyone. You MUST wear a mask to be allowed entry to the services. Please practice social distancing and avoid any close contact. Guests will be permitted to pay their respects and depart to allow the next guests to enter. Capacity at the funeral home will be limited so there could be wait times outside the funeral home.