Richard A. Menard, 66, of Chester, NH, died Thursday May 13, 2021 at Parkland Medical Center in Derry, NH. He was born in Holyoke, MA on August 21, 1954, son of the late Gerard and Ruth (Tweedie) Menard. Rick was born with a serious congenital heart defect. His life was saved with pioneering pediatric heart surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital, with additional surgeries and outstanding follow-up care at Children’s throughout his life. He had been a resident of Chester for over 30 years, where he was the owner and operator of Menard Automotive Sales. Rick was a legend in the Mustang community in New England and beyond. He started his business as a young man in his hometown of Reading, MA and built it through hard work and willingness to take risks.
He is survived by three sisters, Bernice White and her husband Jeff of York, ME, Karen Menard-Surette and her husband Steve of Reading, MA, and Carolyn Menard and her husband Dave Dzombak of Pittsburgh, PA; niece Rachel Dzombak and husband Jeff Lackey; nephews Will Dzombak and Dan Dzombak; and many cousins. He is also survived by a wide network of friends in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, many for three or more decades. Rick felt fortunate to have developed many great friendships through his business. In addition to his automotive business, he also had a passion for the game of golf, and enthusiastically followed the ups and downs of the Patriots, Red Sox and Bruins. The unexpected early success of the 2021 Red Sox brought him happiness in his final weeks.
Calling hours will be held on Tuesday, May 18th from 4 - 7pm at the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., in Derry. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 10:00am at the funeral home. For those in attendance who are not vaccinated, face mask usage and social distancing are recommended. The burial will follow in Great Hill Cemetery, Rt. 121A, Chester, NH. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the BACH Fund, Boston Children’s Heart Foundation, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.