Richard Owen Walsh

SALISBURY —Richard Owen Walsh,  76, of Arapahoe, N.C., and a former Salisbury resident, died Dec. 10, 2008, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. He was the beloved husband of Patricia (Dell) Walsh.

Born Oct. 31, 1932, in Fairfield, Conn., he was the son of Helen and Robert Walsh. Richard attended Fairfield public schools before graduating from Fairfield Prep in 1950. He earned a degree in pharmacy from the University of Connecticut in 1956, after which he was employed at several pharmacies in southern Connecticut. Eventually he purchased the Medical Center Pharmacy in Fairfield Center.

In 1973, Richard purchased the Apothecary Shop in Lakeville, which was one of the last independent pharmacies in the state. Under Richard’s management, the store retained much of the charm and personalized service of a classic village drugstore. It had its original soda fountain, where locals gathered to chat while enjoying delicious ice cream treats and other fountain specialties. On Sunday mornings, the store was almost a “must stop� for area residents to buy newspapers and sundries. Richard closed the shop in 1992.

A gregarious “people person� with a curious intellect, Richard made many friends in Lakeville and during the relatively short time he spent in Arapahoe. He was a passionate Democrat who, though burdened by illness, proudly voted for President-elect Barack Obama on Nov. 4.

He had a wry sense of humor that never crossed the line to cruelty. An inveterate putterer, Richard loved working with his hands and eagerly tackled any and all fix-it problems that popped up around the house; more often than not, he succeeded in whatever task he tackled. In his leisure time, he loved nothing more than playing games and going on little adventures with his grandchildren.

Richard served as Democratic registrar of voters for the town of Salisbury  and also served on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals. He was a member of The Bissell Fund, a local charity that helps pay the medical bills of uninsured residents. It was Richard who inspired the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce’s annual tradition of honoring outstanding local citizens by lining Route 44 from Salisbury to Lakeville with Christmas trees sponsored by area residents.

For many years, he volunteered at Salisbury Central School, and he received the “Connecticut Treasureâ€� award from the state for his  exemplary volunteer work.

On his retirement, Richard and Patricia, known as “Trish,� moved to a home in Lakeville on land that once had been the site of a grist mill, and then to Arapahoe where they bought a retirement home on the Neuse River.

In addition to his wife, Richard is survived by four devoted children, Deborah W. Rathbun and her husband, Robert, of Sharon, Barbara W. Hostetter and her husband, Amos, of Boston, Mass., Richard Timothy Walsh of Marblehead, Mass., and Jonathan D. Walsh of Providence, R.I. He dearly loved his nine grandchildren, Bennett and Sam Rathbun, Caroline, Elizabeth and Tripp Hostetter, Nicholas and Antoine Walsh and Hunter and Annabelle Walsh. He is also survived by two brothers, Robert L. Walsh of Guilford, Conn., and Charles H. Walsh of Stratford, Conn.

He was predeceased by a sister, Barbara Walsh O’Connor.

Services were held Saturday, Dec. 13, at 10 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church in Lakeville. Local arrangements are in the care of the Kenny Funeral Home in Sharon. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to The Bissell Fund, PO Box 230, Salisbury, CT 06068.