- Date Of Birth: August 11, 1936
- Date Of Death: July 4, 2022
- State: Massachusetts
Richard Allen Small met the love of his life on a gently rocking dock while swimming one warm summer day at Hampton ponds in Westfield, MA in 1957. He had recently joined the United States Air Force and the girl of his dreams was in nurses training at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital School of Nursing. Richard and Roberta May Carrington were married three months later. They spent almost 65 unbelievable years together.
Eclectic in his interests and talents, Rich was a Scout leader when his children were young, a woodworker, custom doll house maker, fine artist painter, truck and vehicle enthusiast, competitive shooter, and later in life, golf enthusiast. When he took up a new hobby it was all or nothing, resulting in a basement full of truck pull and marksman accolades, along with golf highlights when teamed up with his grandchildren in league play or tournaments.
Until his very last day, he was thankful for his wife’s tender loving care, and would boast to anyone that would listen about how amazing his five children were (to their utmost embarrassment). If you were there long enough, he would start telling you about how incredible each and every one of his fifteen grandchildren were. In addition to his wife Roberta of 64 years, he leaves his sister, Donna Wiswall, children, Richard A. Small Jr. and wife Susannah of Chester, Dale E. Small and wife Barbara of Huntington, Robin L. Grimes and husband Gary of Ludlow, Audrey F. Antosz and husband David of Westhampton, and Laurie A. Small of Huntington and her fiancée Scott Martell, and many close nephews and nieces.
Our sincere thanks to the VA Central Western MA Healthcare in Leeds, MA for their years of dedicated care and thank you to the caring nurses and staff at Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Holyoke Medical Center, especially the compassion of his nurses in his final days.
