Richard D. Symmes was a kind, friendly, and modest son, brother, uncle, and friend. He passed away on March 21, 2021 at Baystate Medical Center.
Born on December 20, 1950 to the late Robert and Mary (Pond) Symmes, Richard was the eldest of three children. A lifelong resident of East Longmeadow, Richard lived a quiet and humble life. He was a lover of anything in print and traveled the world through the portals of books of all genres and multiple daily newspapers. He was an adventurous eater, a lover of Christmas, a great listener, and an even better talker. He loved to share a story about a family memory or his thoughts about a recent article that he read at any given opportunity. His quirky sense of humor, creative gift-giving, love of suspenders, and polite and generous spirit will be dearly missed by those that knew him.
Richard leaves behind his sisters Jeanne Stewart of Enfield, CT and Betsy Harms and her husband, Paul, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky. In addition, he will be missed by his five nieces and nephews: David, Laurel, Grace, Katelyn, and Jonathan, their spouses, and twelve great-nieces and nephews: Alison, Madeline, Caiden, Isabel, Audrey, Ryan, Clara, Michael, Emmett, Lena, Ryker, and Jackson.
The family will be gathering privately to celebrate and remember Richard. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Richard’s name to the East Longmeadow Public Library.
Tazzini Funeral Home was entrusted with Richard’s care.