Richard “Rich” W. DeLuca of Medford passed away on Thursday, February 24th. He was 79. Born and raised in Medford he was the cherished son of the late Antonio and Lucy (D’Agnillo) DeLuca. Rich had a long and productive career as an electrician for Local 103. He established many friendships throughout the years and still kept in touch after his retirement.
Rich was a devoted member of Trinity Evangelical Church, of North Reading. He was an active member of Trinity’s Men’s Ministry, Nursing Home Ministry, Youth Ministry and Drama Ministry. When Rich was not participating at the Trinity Evangelical Church, he would attend services at the Grace Assembly of God in Salem, NH, and St. Paul’s Church, Lexington, MA. Rich loved sharing The Word of God with everyone he met, closing all visits and phone calls with “And remember, Jesus Loves You” and “God Bless You”
Rich enjoyed sharing his acting and singing talents for many Christmas performances and at the Tech Mania summer camp. Rich also took many opportunities over the years to perform on stage. He had a strong desire to be a comedian and loved entertaining folks with his songs, skits, and unique puppet show. Rich successfully raised many donations over the years to his favorite charity Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) “For Jerry Kids” through its annual telethon and a plethora of fundraising performances.
Rich cherished his monthly card game gatherings with his “Guy’s Group” for 50 plus years; dinner outings and treating their wives with the “winning collections” and hunting with his loyal hunting dogs always by his side.When it came to hosting cookouts, Rich was the perfect host. He had a natural green thumb; his back yard was meticulously maintained. It was perfect for bocce ball, corn hole and other backyard fun and fellowship with his many, many friends.
Richard was the beloved husband of Carol (Rennell) DeLuca. Devoted father of Julie (DeLuca) Joseph and her husband John. He was the loving grandfather of Breanna Brock, Andrew Joseph, and Nathan Joseph. He was the caring great-grandfather of Jordin Zimmerman, all of South BloomField, Ohio. He was the dear brother of Anthony DeLuca of Medford, Anna A. Roselli of Nashua, NH and the late Michael and Arthur DeLuca. Rich is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Trinity Evangelical Church, 105 Haverhill Street, North Reading, on Saturday, March 12th, at 11 AM. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours have been respectfully omitted.
In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Rich by making a memorial donation to MDA (mda.org), Trinity Evangelical Church Benevolence Fund, or charity of your choosing in Rich’s honor.