Richard Victor Rechisky

COURTESY
CLAREMONT and SUNAPEE — On early Sunday, October 21, 2018, Richard “Dick” Victor Rechisky, 74, passed away peacefully with family at his side. His passage was due to complications associated with a spinal cord injury.

Dick was born on February 2, 1944, in Keene to Milton and Doris (LaCasse) Rechisky. He spent many memorable summers on Crescent Lake with his parents and three brothers. He initially attended Stevens High School in Claremont, but graduated from Hanover High in 1963. He moved out west (to Oregon and Washington) until he was drafted during the Vietnam War. He reported for duty at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 1965, where he trained with the Special Forces in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army and proudly earned his green beret. He was accepted into Officer Candidate School but became an instructor at West Point Military Academy. He was honorably discharged in September 1967, and on Dec. 2 of the same year he married Sandra Lee McGilvray of Stony Point, New York. They were together for 16 years and raised two daughters, Tracy and Erin.

After several years in electronics sales, Dick founded Pioneer Air Cleaner Corporation (later renamed Pollution Research) in 1983 in Newport. He was the CEO and president until he retired at age 61. He was proud that his daughter and vice president of the company, Tracy, took over the business from him in 2005.

Dick enjoyed the sunshine and spent much of his time on his boat on Lake Sunapee. When he wasn’t on the lake, he could usually be found watching sports or nature documentaries. He also spent several years in Marco Island and Naples, Florida, but eventually returned to his home state.

Dick was preceded in death by his father, Milton, his mother, Doris, and his former partner, Arline Williams. He is survived by his daughter Tracy, her husband Michael Nangeroni and their two sons, Matthew and Eric, all of Sunapee; his daughter Erin, her husband Ian McCulloch and their two sons, Callum and Alec, all of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada; Arline’s son, Damien of Reno, Nevada; his former wife Sandra; his brothers Ron (and Nancy of New London), John (and Ann of Charlestown), Michael (and Barbara of Sunapee); his stepmother Margaret (LaPorte of Charlestown); and stepsiblings, Sandra, Braton Jr., and Regina; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.

Dick was known for his entrepreneurial spirit, and for his generosity and quirky sense of humor. He took much pride in his daughters’ and grandsons’ accomplishments. He will be missed by all that knew him. Please join his family at Roy Funeral Home (93 Sullivan Street, Claremont) for visiting hours beginning at 1 p.m., and a memorial service beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018. Flowers can be sent to Roy Funeral Home, or donations can be dedicated in Dick’s memory to one of his favorite charities, St. Jude Children’s Hospital (www.stjude.org/give.html).