Richard G. Leighton

Celebration of Life Announcement

Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life for Richard on January 13th at Noon in the Millbury Federated Church 20 Main Street, Millbury. A time of fellowship and light refreshments to follow the service.

MILLBURY- Richard G. Leighton, 71, passed away peacefully on December 14 at UMASS Hospital with his loving family at his side after a courageous battle with cancer.

Richard leaves his beloved wife of 49 years, Susan (Beales) Leighton; a daughter, Elizabeth Zacek and her husband, Justin of West Yarmouth; a son, Andrew Leighton and his wife, Amanda of Millbury; his four grandchildren Christopher and William Leighton and Nicholas and Caitlyn Zacek; a brother Charles and his wife, Dorothy of Watertown; a brother-in-law Thomas Beales and his wife, Donna of New Jersey; nephews and niece, Steven, John, and Julie Leighton; nephew Garrette Beales; many close and extended family; countless friends and coworkers. Richard was predeceased by his parents Guy and Ruth (Taylor) Leighton; three siblings, Peter, James, and Shelby Leighton.

Richard was born in Natick, Massachusetts and graduated from Natick High School as part of the Class of 1970. He and his family moved to Millbury in 1987 and lived for 36 years in the house he put his blood and sweat into to make a home for them. Richard retired from Eversource Energy in 2019 after his work as a Pipefitter for 37 dedicated years. Prior to working at Eversource, he worked as a mechanic at various garages and dealerships throughout the MetroWest area.

Richard’s greatest accomplishment in his life was his family. His main goal was to provide for his children and see his wife happy. He knew from the moment he met her, on a blind date, she was the one. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her. There wasn't a place he would go without her. A favorite cruise vacation to take with his wife was to Bermuda. They loved it so much they traveled there more than 20 times! He would take his wife out to dinner often because neither of them wanted to cook as they enjoyed their retirement together. Richard loved traveling to the Cape to visit his daughter and her family, strolling along the Cape beaches, and attending the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Time spent watching NASCAR races with his son or watching a Red Sox game always brought him joy. One of his guilty pleasures was to sit next to his wife while watching Hallmark movies with one of the cats, Brady or Remy (lovingly known by Richard as the Flying Monkey) sat on his lap.

Even in retirement Richard loved tinkering on cars in his garage while listening to his jukebox; and it’s only appropriate because one of his biggest passions was music – listening to his records and collecting them. He was a lover of all music, but his favorite was by far Three Dog Night. Anyone who knew Richard knew he could make friends everywhere he went. He loved to tell stories and share his life adventures with others. He was a hard worker, always giving his best in everything he did. His family is a testament to his life. He will always be remembered by his wife, daughter, and son as loving, generous, and kind. They will always be blessed to have called him Honey and Dad.

The family would like to thank the medical staff on 7ICU at UMASS, especially nurse Amy W. who helped them through his final hours.

Family and friends will honor and remember Richard’s life by gathering for a time of visitation on Thursday, December 28th from 5 to 8pm at Mulhane Home for Funerals, 45 N. Main Street in Millbury. Celebration of Life details to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Millbury Lions Foundation, P.O. Box 385, Millbury, MA 01527.

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