Joseph Richard

Joseph Richard, 89, of Denver passed away on March 29, 2022.

Joseph Richard was born in 1932 in Brookline, MA, the only child of Sam and Bertha Richard. He had the good fortune to have a loving extended family in the area, including his adored aunts Rose and Jen, and his uncle Jack. He attended Tufts College for two years and then transferred to the University of Chicago, where he received his undergraduate degree in Mathematics in 1953 and his MD from the School of Medicine in 1957 (with honors). It was emblematic of his intrinsically humanist personality and outlook that while his chosen field was math/science, his greatest satisfaction while at university was an A grade (the only one given) in Norman Maclean’s renowned Shakespeare survey course.

It was there, at the University of Chicago, that he met and fell in love with Naomi Noble, who would be his wife of 65 years.  He and Naomi, both deeply connected to the U. of C. and their educational and personal experiences in Chicago, married there in 1957, and then moved to New York while Joe served his medical internship and residency.  Answering an invitation-that-could-not-be-refused, they then relocated to Valdosta, Georgia, where Joe served from 1959 to 1961 as a Captain and physician in the United States Air Force.  He and Naomi then moved to the Bronx, New York, near his  loving in-laws Shlomo and Nina Noble, and two years later moved again, this time a bit north to Yorktown Heights, NY.

In Yorktown they found a home that delighted them for the next 44 years, and where they raised their two children, Mark (1958) and Jonathan (1961).  They made their home a place of welcome across generations, hosting  innumerable dinner parties as well as maintaining an open door for Mark and Jon’s friends, whose frequent visits ranged from spontaneous drop-ins to months-long stays. Across the decades, they delighted in sitting on their back porch, reading, chatting, and watching for the occasional family of deer to pass through the woods adjacent to the house.

Joe achieved board certifications in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology, and practiced in Westchester County for 44 years, with unstinting seriousness of purpose and unflagging devotion to his patients. At the same time, he made a conscious commitment to avoid the excessive work hours that were common in his field, in order to be a present and active husband and father.  As a result, his children are eternally grateful for having been able to count on his loving presence at home on evenings and weekends, his availability and enthusiasm for reading bedtime stories, and weekend adventures that included Dad-led hikes, bicycle rides, and trips to Manhattan to sample the city’s cultural and culinary offerings.

Joe was an early adopter of running for pleasure and fitness, and spent thousands of happy hours jogging in the parks and trails nearby the family home. He was proud to have completed the New York City Marathon, and delighted to do it only once. He had a deep and enduring interest in the philosophy and practice of Therevada Buddhism, and one of the great challenges and joys of his life was his repeated participation in silent meditation retreats at the Insight Meditation Center of Barre, MA.

He gave unfailing love and support to his sons, and he did not seek imitation or flattery. He encouraged them to pursue their own interests and paths, and he celebrated their successes, and also commiserated, with kindness, wisdom and a nurturing sense of perspective when they faced setbacks and frustrations.

Joe was serious and purposeful, but also gentle, easy-going, and capable of almost child-like delight in simple pleasures: a funny cartoon, a good cup of coffee (he believed his own special brew, made in an ancient percolator, to be the best option), a well-made margarita, a drive in the Rocky Mountain foothills, a cute animal video on YouTube, some classical music, a well-staged Shakespeare play. Annual visits to the Stratford, Ontario Shakespeare festival were a treasured tradition for over two decades.  He had an abiding fascination for the Godfather films, which he savored and analyzed as another form of Shakespearean-like tragic drama. While his appreciation for high culture was deep and genuine, his sober, quiet affect belied a lasting enthusiasm for the anarchic comedy of childhood radio and movie favorites like Jack Benny, Fred Allen, Edger Bergen, Spike Jones, the Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields. This was extended in adulthood to likes of “Beyond the Fringe,” Monty Python, Fawlty Towers, and even Benny Hill (a comedy bridge too far, in Naomi’s eyes),  He also enjoyed  televised Olympics and, rather unexpectedly, women’s MMA.

He loved music, in particular the leading lights of the 50s folk movement (such as Pete Seeger, The Weavers, and Joan Baez), classical music where he favored Bach (especially as played by Glenn Gould), Schubert, Mozart and in his later years the chamber music of Shostoakovich. He had a special fondness for the piano music of Scott Joplin and Gershwin. It was his particular delight after the advent of YouTube to seek out unfamiliar performers and performances and share them.

He was an avid lifelong amateur photographer and an energetic autodidact, acquiring one of the earliest available home computers, listening to a wide range of courses from The Teaching Company whenever he was in the car (from history to music to economics) and mastering Photoshop so as to improve his own photographs pixel by pixel.

For the last 13 years of his life, he and Naomi lived in Denver, in proximity to son Jon and son-in-law Mike. He was thrilled with the relative ease of condo living and the charms of the Colorado climate, and while still sufficiently  vigorous, he loved to roam Denver neighborhoods photographing street scenes and local architecture. He remained open and curious throughout his lifetime, always eager to try a new restaurant or take a  new drive. Even well into his eighties, he allowed himself to be amused by the cheerful, dress-up spectacle of a Comic-Con, because he liked seeing other people having fun and being happy.

When his car was stolen from him by an armed assailant, he was, characteristically, less distressed by the trauma of the theft, and more saddened by the drug-fueled agitation that appeared to have driven the perpetrator.

Joe was predeceased by his beloved wife, Naomi, who died peacefully two weeks before he did. He is survived by son Mark, daughter-in-law Kelly, and grandson Benjamin of Chicago; and by son Jon and son-in-law Michael Filkoski, of Denver, as well as the extended Filkoski tribe and many friends in Denver and across the country.  We will hold his memory in our hearts for the rest of our lives, and will seek to live up to his example.

The family is grateful to the skillful and compassionate professionals of Advanced Health Care of Aurora Rehabilitation and Hospice, who cared gently and brilliantly for Dad during his final month.

It is emblematic of Joe’s character that, during his final weeks, as he lay in bed with his sons and son-in-law sitting by his side, he reminisced about the happy times in his life, and his most frequent refrain was, “I am just so grateful for all of it!”

Memorial contributions may be directed to University of Chicago or to Amnesty International.

Please share memories of Joseph and condolences with his family by signing the Tribute Wall above.