Richard Estee
 Richard Estee
 Richard Estee

Obituary of Richard J. Estee

Richard J. Estee, 87 PEABODY – Richard J. Estee, 87, of Peabody passed away peacefully with his family at his side on February 27, 2014. He was the last of 10 children to survive. He was a communicant of St. Anne’s Church in S. Peabody. Richard was born in 1926, son of the late Joseph E. Estee and Marion (Estee) Estee and grew up in Somerville. Richard was part of the greatest generation and as was the custom of that time, he proudly enlisted and served in the Army of the United States in 1944 at the age of 18. He was assigned to Private Battery “C”, 8th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment and was awarded a Sharp Shooter Medal. Richard was always a lanky and lean young man, but while in the Army, he gained some much-needed weight because he enjoyed the plentiful food and always went back for seconds. He was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and was honorably discharged on November 26th, 1944. After discharge, he was given $300 as disbursement pay, and stayed awake and clutched that money tight on the train ride home so no one would steal it. He gave the money to his mother when he arrived home and she bought a new kitchen set for his family of 12. Before joining the Army, Richard left Somerville High School in the 10th grade to take on a variety of jobs to help his family, which included his parents and 9 siblings. In his younger years, Richard enjoyed skiing with friends in North Conway, NH. In 1947, he passed the Civil Service exam and was hired at the age of 21 as a Postal Clerk by the US Postal Service in S. Boston, where he remained for over 40 years until his retirement in 1987. He was awarded many Special Achievement Awards for his notable performance and faithful duty. In 1959, he travelled to Italy to marry his wife, Matilde DeLuca, with whom he had corresponded for 10 months through Matilde’s cousin Edward Penta, who worked with Richard at the Post Office. They were married in Grottaminarda, Italy on October 11, 1959 amongst Matilde’s large extended family. They honeymooned for 2 weeks while there and enjoyed visiting Rome, Venice, and Milan. In 1961, they had a daughter, Tina Maria, and eventually moved from Everett to Peabody where they raised their daughter and enjoyed residing there for over 50 years. On October 11, 2009, they were blessed to have been able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary amongst family at the Hardcover Restaurant. Although a homebody at heart, Richard enjoyed travel and was able to travel with his family back to Italy, and also vacationed in Puerto Rico, London, Montreal, Quebec , and Washington, D.C. He enjoyed being outdoors in the nice weather and working in the yard right up until his brief illness. He also enjoyed shoveling snow and was the first one out to do so. Richard enjoyed playing the lottery, watching the History Channel, and listening to the music of Gianni Morandi, Massimo Ranieri, Andre Rieu, and Andrea Bocelli. But most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his beloved grandchildren Jeffrey and Tanya, whom he cherished more than anything. He loved to have a hot dog and a cocktail on the deck on a sunny summer day. He was quick-witted and enjoyed political discourse and throwing around his little “zingers” at family cookouts and gatherings. It was the simple things in life that he most treasured. Richard is survived by his faithful and beloved wife of 54 years, Matilde (DeLuca) Estee, a daughter, Tina Williams, and her husband Daniel, and their children, Jeffrey and Tanya, as well as many nieces and nephews, including Joseph Estee Jr., whom he was able to spend time with last summer. He was predeceased by his brothers Walter, Robert, Joseph, Albert, Gerald, John and George, and 2 sisters, Virginia Paoletti and Marion O’Reardon. He leaves behind many sisters and brothers-in-law in Italy, as well as a favorite sister-in-law in Peabody, Adele Totilo, and his nieces and nephews Rosemary Ricci and her husband Domenic and their son Anthony; Rita Vecchiarello and her husband Mario, and their daughters, Bianca, DeAnna and Alana; Lisa Camara and her husband John, and their daughters Sabrina and Tayla; Patricia Totilo, Carlo Totilo, and Anthony Totilo who is predeceased. Richard was an honorable, kind-hearted, and generous man who will be deeply missed by his many friends and family, who all had the great pleasure, privilege and honor of knowing him. May Richard rest in peace. His family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, March 5, 2014, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 82 Lynn St., Peabody. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather on Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 9 a.m. at the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Anne’s Church, 140 Lynn St., Peabody. Burial in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Peabody. In lieu of flowers and due to the Lenten season, the family requests that donations be made in Richard’s name to Operation Troop Support, 16 Trinity St., Danvers, Ma 01923 in honor of his military service in the Army. Please visit www.ccbfuneral.com for directions, on-line obituary and memorial guestbook.
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Cemetery Service

Thursday, March 6, 2014Cedar Grove Cemetery100 Rear Cedar Grove AvenuePeabody, MA11:15AM

Funeral

Thursday, March 6, 2014St. Ann Church140 Lynn StreetPeabody, MA10:00AM

Visitation 1

Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home82 Lynn StreetPeabody, MAWednesday, March 5, 20144:00PM7:00PM
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