Richard Charles Benanti joined his ancestors on December 31, 2023. He was born in Lawrence, MA on February 22, 1957. Rick loved his family and was many things to many people.
He was a brother to Joseph and Skip (Salvatore deceased) and widower to Michelle (Smith). He was father to Cheryl, Jessica and Marissa, and grandfather to James.
Rick possessed a charismatic personality, born with the sparkle in his eyes, and was a friend to everyone he met. He loved fishing and crafting beaded jewelry. He dabbled in fixing computers and would often compare notes with his brother on solutions. He was a seventh dan blackbelt in karate and was known for his dance moves, he would have lines of ladies waiting to be his partner. Rick loved Halloween and face paint, and his eerie whistling in the background would make the night scarier. Many wouldn’t know this side of him as this was prior to 2003 when he suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury in a car accident and died the first time.
He suffered from the effects of TBI, and apart from his physical injuries and challenges, he also lost a lot of memories. What remained was his gift of memorizing/repeating strings of numbers; some say a numbers savant. Up until his last days, he would easily take on any opponent in chess, and never lost. He was always an advocate for the underdog; he was most recently elected President at his care facility by the residents, to speak on their behalf to the staff. Over the last year his phone calls became more upbeat and positive, and this memory is among the better days family and friends can take with us.
We would like to thank the staff at Saugus Rehab & Nursing Facility, and Denise and the nurses from Compassion Care Hospice.
Please make donations to Amedysis Foundation 3854 American Way, Suite A Baton Rouge, LA 70816 or to the charity of your choice.
Services will be private as requested by the family.