NATICK: Richard T. “Dick” DiBona, 83, formerly of Wayland passed away peacefully on August 1, 2016 after a period of declining health.
He was born in Quincy on May 10, 1933 the son of the late Columbus DiBona and Teresa (Leva) DiBona. He was the husband of the late Emma C. (Vitulano) DiBona who died on November 20, 1993.
Dick is survived by his children Doreen A. DiBona of Boynton Beach, FL; Diane C. DiBona-Sajdak of Norfolk and David R. DiBona of Wayland. Beloved grandfather of Lindsey Waggoner of Norwalk, CT; Brittany and Emiley Blomberg of Boca Raton, FL; Danielle Maher of Boynton Beach, FL; Katherine, Nicholas and Andrew Sajdak of Norfolk and Michael and Alexander DiBona of Wayland. He was predeceased in death by his older brother Robert DiBona of Webster, NY in 2003.
Dick was raised in Quincy and attended Boston College High School in Dorchester. He received his BS in Engineering Management from M.I.T. in 1955. He went on to work for the Ford Motor Company in Detroit before returning to Massachusetts after the sudden death of his father in 1957.
He started his career at M/A – Com, then Microwave Associates, in 1958 as a Sales Engineering Manager and attended the M.I.T. Sloan School Executive Management Program in 1979. Dick quickly moved up the management ranks and was promoted to President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of M/A – Com in 1983. After suffering a debilitating stroke in 1986, he retired from M/A-Com, however continued consulting in the Microwave Semiconductor field and was on the board of Theta-J, CP-Clair and MDT.
Despite the stroke which left him paralyzed on his right side, Dick was able, through his determination, to resume driving a modified car and led a fully independent life for over 30 years. He was an ardent Red Sox fan who rarely missed a televised game. He enjoyed watching all the Boston sports teams as they each celebrated championship wins in recent years. He valued the many months he spent on Cape Cod in the family house he had built in Harwichport in 1969. He was a shrewd and decisive Scrabble player who could still play competitively until the last month of his life. He will be remembered by those who knew him in all areas of his life as a kind, thoughtful man with a quick sense of humor.
Visitations will be held on Friday, August 5, 2016 from 5:00 to 8:00 at the John C. Bryant Funeral Home, 56 Pemberton Road (Off Rte 30), Wayland.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 11:30 am at the funeral home. Interment will follow in the DiBona family lot in Blue Hills Cemetery in Braintree.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Dick’s memory may be sent to the American Heart Association, PO BOX 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005.