Richard Norton Sr.

Richard F. Norton Sr. died peacefully late Monday night after a brief illness and a long and eventful life. He was 90.

Born in Boston, Richard, known by many as "Dick Norton" and others as Richie, grew up in Dorchester's Neponset neighborhood, the youngest of eight children.  He would go on to have five children of his own and a 64-year marriage with his wife Mary, who is from Somerville.

Richard attended St. Ann's grammar school and Cathedral High School. He loved sports - he later taught his kids how to skate and swim - and after high school the Boston Red Sox gave the rangy right-handed pitcher a look before he was drafted into the U.S. Army and left the U.S. to serve in the Korean War.

When he returned from overseas, Richard began attending Boston College nights and earned his degree over six years. He met Mary at United Shoe on Federal Street in Boston, where they both worked. They married in 1958 in West Roxbury.

In 1970, the Nortons picked up their young family and moved from Dorchester to North Weymouth, where Richard and Mary would live for 52 years. He worked as an export manager in Quincy, a job he didn't like much but one he stuck with in order to keep the family bills paid.  

Fortunately, Alcoholics Anonymous became a major part of Richard's life, helping him to overcome addiction and lead a better life, and becoming a platform for him to start helping others. The program was a central part of his life, which was enriched by the friends he made at meetings and commitments.

Richard was a regular parishioner at St. Jerome Church, where he also taught CCD and served as a lector and daily communicant. He was also active in the Knights of Columbus.  

An avid walker, Richard chose for much of his adult life to either use public transportation or just go places on foot. For years, he attended Daily Mass with his good friend Ambrose "Amy" Barrett. Afterwards, they often walked around Webb Park in Weymouth and then enjoyed coffee together at McDonald's. 

Eventually he broke down and got his license. Being a passenger in his car, or Amy's, was a real experience, and a source of endless comedy over the years. 

He loved watching sports on TV, and often called into sports radio talk shows afterwards to share his insights. And when he set up to watch a big game, it was a spectacle. He'd get down on one knee close to the TV, a bowl of chips on one side and a two-liter bottle of soda on the other. 

Richard had a tremendous appetite, and a sweet tooth that was never satisfied. Up until his last day, he would plop a Hershey's Kiss in his mouth right before bedtime or even in the middle of the night. He loved ice cream, and kept an abundant supply of it so that he would never run out, and he always kept an unreasonably large stash of hard candy, a box of lollipops and a supply of five-dollar bills handy to give to his grandchildren when they visited.  

In the neighborhood, Richard was known as a fierce shoveler and would clear every inch of his driveway and walkway no matter how many rounds of snow old man winter handed out.  The same was true for lawn care.  And he didn't garden like other people.  Richard loved growing tomato plants and vegetables, and then giving much of his bounty away, and was famous for getting down on his hands and knees and really digging into the earth to make sure the conditions were just the way he wanted them.

Like so many people coursing through life, Richard loved his family and friends, and they were at the core of his time on earth.  He loved, and was loved.  

Richard is survived by his wife Mary, his children Linda, Caroline, Richard Jr. and Michael, and by his grandchildren. He is predeceased by son Joseph and his siblings: John, Tom, Rita, Mary, Jim, Millie, and Joe.  

A Funeral Mass is planned for 10:00 a.m. Saturday, November 12, 2022 at St. Jerome Church, 632 Bridge St. North Weymouth, MA 02191, followed by a gathering for family and friends in the church hall. Burial is private. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jerome Parish, 632 Bridge St., Weymouth, MA, 02191.

Funeral arrangements are under the care of Hamel-Lydon Chapel.