Richard James Dempsey

Richard James Dempsey was born February 5th, 1940 in Brooklyn, NY and died peacefully on July 13th, 2021 in Cape Coral, Fl.  Richard graduated from Brooklyn Prep high school in 1958 before attending St Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ.  He began his career working as a Math teacher in Massachusetts and then moved back to Brooklyn and taught in the math department at Brooklyn Tech.  In the summer of 1965, he joined the military to serve his country as an officer in the United States Air Force.   In 1968, Richard achieved the rank of Captain and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Force Commendation Medal for his actions in helping pilots complete their missions and return to base safely, often spending more than 12 hours on duty in front of his radar screen.  Richard served for more than two years overseas during the Vietnam conflict and loved the time that he was able to spend in Thailand.  In February of 1980, Richard was honorably discharged as a Weapons Controller while stationed at Fort Lee, Va.  However, his service to his country did not stop.  He began writing Army training manuals and teaching at the Quartermaster school on base.  Richard served his country either in the military or in civil service for nearly 40 years. While serving his country he also served his community.  As a math major in college, he turned his love for numbers into a successful tax preparation business.  During tax season he would travel to his client's homes, and prepare their return at their kitchen table with a calculator and a pencil.  Because of his personal touch, many of his clients became his friends whom he kept in touch with long after his retirement.   He also served the community as President of the Lions Club in Hopewell, Va as well as being an active member of the Knights of Columbus.   He also opened his home to many people during his lifetime, including Mirza and Riad who were displaced by the Bosnian war in the mid 1990’s. In 2017, Richard and his wife Shirley decided to fully retire and move to Florida full time to be closer to his son and grandchildren. 

Richard was loved by and survived by many including his wife Shirley of 47 years, his son R.J. and wife Meg, his 4 step-daughters, Cheri, Shannon, Shawn, and Carrie, his 12 grandchildren, Preston, Christine, Cameron, Max, Cody, Sydney, Whitney, Rixney, Dustin, Finn, Ciara, and Sophie, and his 7 great grandchildren, Ashton, Oakleigh, Peyton, Leah, Maici, Charlotte, and Nova.  He was known affectionately as “Gramps.” He also leaves behind two nieces, Mary Beth and Susan, and two nephews, Chris and John.  He loved the New York Yankees despite being born in Brooklyn Dodger territory, and passed his love of baseball to his son and his grandson.  Richard was predeceased by his sister Carol and his parents Eileen and Jim.  He led an honorable life, serving his country and those in need.  

A funeral mass will be held Saturday August 14th at 10:30AM at St Andrew’s Catholic Church in Cape Coral, Florida.  The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to the Cape Coral National Little League where plans have been made to have a bench installed in his memory.