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Memorial Keepers (1)
Beers and Story - Belchertown
Richard M. Thayer
November 5th, 1922 - December 3rd, 2016
"Hadley, MA - Richard M. Thayer, Sr., 94, of Hockanum Road died Saturday at Cooley Dickinson Hospital surrounded by his loving family. Born in Hadley, November 5, 1922, he was the son of the late Richard P. and Ruth (Finch) Thayer. Mr. Thayer graduated from Hopkins Academy in 1939 and went on to receive a degree in Animal Husbandry from Massachusetts Agricultural College. He then worked on the family farm until 1965, when he began working at Hardigg Industries in South Deerfield. He retired in 1984. Being an only child himself, Mr. Thayer's large family was a source of great joy to him. He delighted in cooking Saturday morning breakfast for family, a tradition that his late wife started nearly 30 years ago. A deeply spiritual man, he had been an active member of the First Congregational Church of Hadley since 1939. He was also deeply committed to his lifelong home and served on the Hockanum Villagers' Association, which sought to preserve the one-room schoolhouse that he attended as a child. A cross country journey at the age of 16 inspired an early love of travel which continued throughout his long life. He loved to share stories about the places that he visited and took great pride in the photographs of his adventures. He also loved playing cards and was a member of two weekly cribbage games at local senior centers. Earlier this year, he received a once in a lifetime hand, earning a perfect score of 29! He is predeceased by Florence (Mellen) Thayer, his beloved wife who died in 1998. They were married for 51 years.He leaves four sons, Walter D. Thayer and his wife Betty of Hadley, Thomas H. Thayer and his wife Nina of Greenfield, Bruce A. Thayer and his wife Gail of Palm Harbor, FL, and Richard M. Thayer, Jr. and his wife Mary of Hadley; a sister-in-law, Nancy A. Strange of Hadley; eight grandchildren, Joshua, Jessica, Jeremy, Aaron, Randi, Brendan, Daniel, and Douglas; two great-granddaughters; one great-grandchild-to-be, whom he was delighted to learn about days before his passing; several nieces and nephews; and a lifelong friend, Sylvia Moore of Hadley.Calling hours will be on Wednesday from 2:00-4:00 PM and 6:00-8:00 PM at the Beers & Story Funeral Home in South Hadley. The funeral will be held at 10:00 AM Thursday morning at the First Congregational Church of Hadley. Burial will be in Hockanum Cemetery in Hadley immediately following. Memorial gifts may be made to the First Congregational Church of Hadley for the Florence Mellen Thayer Service Award, c/o, 102 Middle St., Hadley, MA 01035 or to the International Myeloma Foundation, 12650 Riverside Dr., North Hollywood, CA 91607. "
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Beers and Story - Belchertown
Beers and Story has proudly served our Western Mass community since the early 1900s, when Bert Beers first opened our doors. Three generations later, we are still committed to helping families in Belchertown plan funeral and cremation services to help honor their loved ones. We provide compassionate and professional care to every family that walks through our doors. You can count on us to take care of you....
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