Obituary of Richard W. French, Jr.

Richard (Rick) W. French Jr., 68, of South Glastonbury and Venice, FL, passed away peacefully at his home in South Glastonbury on October 26, 2017. Rick was the beloved husband of Cheryl (Bengston) French for 43 wonderful years. Rick was born in Hartford on March 22, 1949, to the late Richard and Nora French of South Glastonbury.  He was a proud, lifelong resident of South Glastonbury.   A 1968 graduate of Glastonbury High School, Rick was a member of the CT Army National Guard and was employed for 30 years retiring from the Town of Glastonbury as a Supervisor in the Highway Dept. In the 80’s, Rick started CT Line and Sign, a commercial line painting business.  He was a member of the Glastonbury Lion’s Club for many years and also served proudly as a Fire Commissioner in the Glastonbury Fire Department for the last 19 years.An avid golfer, Rick thoroughly enjoyed his winters in Venice, FL.  He was always ready to tee up for a round anytime, anywhere.  He loved spending days on the FL gulf beaches, searching at the water’s edge for sharks teeth and watching the beautiful sunsets.  Rick made many memorable trips overseas especially to one of his favorite places, Ireland. He had an engaging personality, love for life and new adventures and a wonderful sense of humor, always enjoying a good laugh.  He was always upbeat and positive with unending energy and motivation to “get the job done ”.  Rick loved sharing stories, that only he could tell, in his way, with everyone. He will be sorely missed by so many. In addition to his wife Cheryl, Rick leaves his brothers, Tom and his wife Candle French of Glastonbury and Bob French of Coventry; his brother-in-law Chuck Bengston of East Hartford, his nephews and nieces, Paul Bengston and his wife Maggie of Golden, CO and their daughters Jane and Anna, Jason Rich and his family of Atlanta, GA, Christopher French of Glastonbury and Sarah French of Spring Hill, TN.

Calling hours will be Wednesday, November 1 from 4:00 - 8:00 pm at the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury, CT. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, November 2 at St. Paul Church, 2577 Main St., Glastonbury, CT.  Please go directly to the church. Burial will follow at St. Augustine Cemetery, Hopewell Rd., South Glastonbury, CT. If you wish, donations can be made in Rick’s memory to the Town of Glastonbury- Fire Department, 2155 Main St., Glastonbury, CT 06033, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284(www.dana-farber.org/gift) or the Protectors of Animals, 144 Main Street, East Hartford, CT 06118. For online condolences please www.mulryanfh.com.