Obituary of Richard Earl DeFilippo
Richard “Dick” Earl DeFilippo, 88, of West Peabody, died early Thursday morning, October 17, 2019 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers. He was the husband of Nancy R. (Peters) De Filippo with whom he shared 61 years of marriage.
He was born in Chelsea, MA on May 21, 1931, the son of the late Dominic J. and Florence (Higginbotham) DeFilippo/ Arvanian and was raised there and graduated from Revere High School in 1949.
He then entered the US Navy in 1949 and served in the Korean War aboard the USS Fletcher before his discharge in 1953.
Dick had been a computer systems analyst and telecommunication specialist with the New England Telephone later Verizon for 36 years prior to his retirement in 1991.
Dick was an avid reader and enjoyed reading history and also read his bible daily. He had a love of his dogs and in earlier years would jog five miles with his Border Collie. He had been active as a man of faithand loved to sing and was first a member of the First Baptist Church in Revere and when he moved to Peabody became a deacon and choir member of the West Church.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy DeFilippo of Peabody, his children and spouses, Richard E. Jr. and Laura DeFilippo of Audubon, New Jersey, Robert E. and Kathleen DeFilippo of Mechanicsburg, PA and Paula J. and Robert Gaehring of Hadden Heights, New Jersey, a brother and sister-in-law, Donald C. and Jean DeFilippo of Lancaster, VA, two sisters, Ann Lorraine Arvanian of Oakland, CA and Ruth A. (Arvanian) and Bob Bowler of Bedford, NH, his nine precious grandchildren, Mia Nicole Van Proosdy and her husband Isaac; Aaron R. DeFilippo, Timothy P. Gaehring, Mason D. and his wife Brook DeFilippo, Caleb Paul, Marco James, Peter R, Luke Douglas and Maxwell Joseph De Filippo and his great grandchildren Zion and Soren Van Proosdy and many nieces and nephews.
A Visitation will be held on Friday, October 18, 2019 from 5:00 until 8:00PM at the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody, facility. His Funeral Service will be held on Saturday at 10:00 AM at the West Church, 27 Johnson St., Peabody MA with Rev. Rick McDonnell officiating. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery Everett, MA. Expressions of sympathy may be made to Room for Luke, 434 Maple Avenue, Audubon, NJ. 08106 in his memory. For directions and guest book, visit www.ccbfuneral.com
