Richard F. Parent Sr., of Wilmington passed away Saturday, July 23rd, at the age of 85, following a lengthy illness. He was the beloved husband of the late Jean D. (O'Brien) who passed away in March of 2005. Born in Boston he was the son of the late Nelson and Katherine (Coleman) Parent.
Raised and educated in Somerville, Richard moved to Wilmington more than 56 years ago. He honorably served in the United States Navy during WWII from 1943 to 1946. After his honorable discharge from the Navy he began his career as a mechanic in the machining industry. He worked for many years with Itek Corporation in Bedford. Mostly devoted to his loving family he enjoyed coin-collecting, crossword puzzles, playing pool and cards with his friends and family, and he also enjoyed fishing. Richard loved to be around people and enjoyed sharing stories of years gone by. Richard was a member of the Tewksbury/Wilmington Elks, a life member of the Billerica V.F.W. Post 8819 and in more recent years was very active at the Wilmington Senior Center where he had many wonderful friends and will be greatly missed.
In addition to his late wife and parents, Richard is preceded in death by his son-in-laws, Harold Kimball and Bruce Moore. He is survived by his children, Jean Kimball of FL, Donna Lang and her husband William of FL, Gail Moore and Richard F. Parent Jr. both of Wilmington, David Parent and his wife Pauline of Merrimack, NH. He is further survived by eleven loving grandchildren and eight loving great grandchildren.
A funeral service for Richard will be conducted in the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 374 Main St. Wilmington, on Friday, July 30th; at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Visiting hours in the Dello Russo Funeral Home will be held Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. Services will conclude with military honors and burial at Wildwood Cemetery, Wilmington. It has been requested that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Richard's memory to the Local Heroes Inc., P.O. Box 536, Wilmington, MA 01887