Bruce Edgar (Buzz) Richmond, age 83, of Meadowlakes, Texas, died peacefully at Kingsland Hills Care Center on October 27, 2022, after a 4-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Bruce was preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Martha Backiel Richmond of Fairfield, CT; his son, Bruce Richmond Jr. of New Haven, CT; his brother, Chet and wife, June Richmond of Waterford, CT; his first wife and mother to his four children, Patricia Pritchard Richmond Pisaretz of East Haven, CT; his parents-in-law, Eddie and Mary Sobotik; and his sisters-in-law, Eddie Sue Gilbert and Janice Watts.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, of 29 years; his three daughters, Pamela A. (William) Hawthorn of Wallingford, CT, Linda S. (Drew Crossman) Richmond of Higganum, CT, and Jennifer L. (David Donnelly) Richmond of Branford, CT; daughter-in-law, Jenifer Blemings of New Haven, CT; grandchildren: Madeline A. (Etienne Ducommun) Marone of Geneva, Switzerland, Shannon (Joseph Woodward-Clinton) Richmond Blemings of Philadelphia, PA, Brendon Pastore of Clearwater, FL, Layla Richmond of Branford, CT, Jessie (Joshua) Duponte, Wallingford, CT, and Emma (Kyle) Hawthorn, Wallingford, CT; great-grandchildren, Max and Molly Duponte; sisters-in-law, Sharon Chude (husband, Charlie) and Debra Sowin; brothers-in-law, Jeff Sobotik, Vaughn Watts; several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews from both the Richmond and Sobotik families.
Bruce was the fourth generation of Richmonds to live in the Pine Creek area of Fairfield. Bruce attended school in Fairfield and graduated in 1956 from Roger Ludlowe High School, where he was Freshman Class President, played football, tennis and basketball and was a member of the Varsity “F” Club and National Honor Society. After graduating, he attended Davidson College, NC on a football scholarship for one year and then transferred to the University of Connecticut. A year later, he enlisted in the army and was stationed in Germany. After an early discharge with honors in 1961, he returned to the University of Connecticut to finish his business degree. He graduated in 1963 with a B.S. in marketing from the University of Connecticut, where he received the honor of being named in the Who’s Who in American Colleges. Hard work was etched in his DNA. As a young boy he had paper routes, dug sand worms to sell to bait shops, caddied at the Country Club of Fairfield and had a lobster pot business to help with expenses while in college. Bruce had a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry for 32 years, taking him to New Jersey, Istanbul, Turkey, Norwalk, CT and New York City. He worked for Merck and Pfizer, then shifted to pharmaceutical advertising with William Douglas McAdams agency and finally with Sudler & Hennessey, where he spent the last 20 years before retiring as Executive Vice President. He had a one-year hiatus during this time to try his hand at entrepreneurship by opening a bakery in Niantic, CT, where he honed his baking skills, which would be much appreciated by family and friends in the coming years.
Upon retirement from Sudler & Hennessey, Bruce and his wife, Carolyn (whom he married in 1993), made their home in Meadowlakes, TX, but spent their summers in the Pine Creek area in Fairfield, CT. Throughout his life and retirement, Bruce loved golfing, fishing, boating and clamming. His love of sports started in early childhood and continued throughout his lifetime. Listed among his favorite teams were the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dallas Cowboys and the UConn Huskies. Although he loved all sports, his favorite time of the year was draft day for his fantasy baseball team, Richmond Rifles. Bruce was a founding member and participated for 42 years in the Pharm League, taking top honors three times.
A man of many talents and interests, Bruce loved working with wood, both carving and turning. He even laid a floor in his Texas home with 3×3 inch Mesquite wooden tiles. He took classes in wood turning, watercolors, computer classes for investment and photography and learned to bead on a small loom. Fascinated by collecting, he organized stamps and money from around the world. His collections included bottle and can openers, vintage toy cars and antique fishing lures. He loved hunting for beach glass (polishing some if not quite ready), seashells and rocks. Bruce always shared his treasures with everyone. His last collecting activity centered around his grandchildren as he collected state quarters and President dollars and then had the uncirculated ones rated and encapsulated as an investment for them.
Bruce loved to travel and was able to see many parts of the world, but the best times were always with family – annual Hilton Head trips and trips to the “country” (Frenstat, TX) with Carolyn’s family.
To say Bruce loved conversation and meeting people would be an under-statement, as family and friends were recipients of his many hours of storytelling.
The family would like to thank the staff at Kingsland Hills Care Center in Kingsland, TX and the New Century Hospice for their loving care of Bruce.
Bruce and Carolyn were members of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Horseshoe Bay, TX. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to the Alzheimer Association at https://act.alz.org/donate or 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17 Chicago, IL 60601, or any charity of your choosing.
Friends are invited to attend the funeral on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at the Fairfield Funeral Home of Edmund W. Dougiello, 36 South Pine Creek Road, with visitation beginning at 9 am. Service will begin at the funeral home at 10:45, followed by committal services with military honors at Oaklawn Cemetery in Fairfield.