Obituary of Richard Horsfield
Richard Y Horsfield, P.E., 90, of Dayville, died peacefully Saturday, March 2, 2019, at his home with his beloved wife of 63 years, Nancy, by his side.
Born and raised in New Jersey, he was the son of the late Fred and Hazel (Yost) Horsfield. In his youth he maintained a plethora of unusual part time jobs, which not only taught him skills he would use for a lifetime, but also provided the basis of stories with which he regaled his children and grandchildren for years. After serving in the Army during WWII, Dick earned his Bachelor’s Degree from NYU where he served as president of his fraternity, Kappa Sigma. He then spent his entire career as a civil engineer in steel fabrication, lastly for Thames Valley Steel Co.
A family man first, Dick was a very active member of Wapping Community Church in South Windsor where he and Nancy raised their four children. During this time he was also a Boy Scout leader. After moving to Alexander’s Lake in Dayville in 1988, he continued his church involvement at The First Congregational Church of Woodstock where he remained a dedicated member for the remainder of his life. Dick was also a Community Kitchen worker for over 20 years and a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.
An all-around handy man, Dick was willing to fix, design, or build anything for anyone. His favorite past times over the years also included travel, family camping trips, biking, and sailing at Alexander’s Lake. He was an avid reader, daily cross word puzzle fan, and lover of movies old and new.
His greatest pleasure was found, however, surrounded by family, friends, and his granddogs, and you could find him every Friday morning at Main Street Grille in Putnam with his fellow ROMEOs. He was best known for his quiet, kind, and generous spirit.
Dick is survived by his wife Nancy (Swanson) Horsfield, and their four children - Scott Horsfield and wife Lisa, of Tolland, CT and children Lauren and Eric (Michelle); Sharon Kelley and husband G. Michael, of Warwick, RI and children Thomas (Augustine), G Matthew (Ashley), and Jonathan (Juliette); Cynthia Topliff and husband Walter, of Pomfret, CT and children Melissa, Eric and Colleen; Jennifer Mines of Ridgefield, CT and children Timothy, Andrew, Daniel and Benjamin; and great grandchildren Jonah and Elijah Kelley.
A memorial service will be held on March 30, 2019 at 2:00pm at The First Congregational Church of Woodstock, 543 Route 169, Woodstock, CT. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to his church or to Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern CT.