Richard James Whitehead, Sr., 73, passed away at home, October 14, 2019,surrounded by his loving family. Born in W. Springfield, in 1945, he was the son of the late Ernest B. & Marion F. (Washington) Whitehead, Sr. A graduate of W. Springfield High School, Richard went on to receive his Master’s in Criminal Justice and spent 34 years on the Springfield Police Department, retiring as a Sergeant in 2003. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War having served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1971 aboard both the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt & the USS Forrestal.
Richard will be dearly missed by his loving wife of 53 years, MaryJane (Samoilo), his 2 sons, Richard Jr. (Suzanne) of Southington, CT, and Brian (Alyssa) of W. Springfield;along with grandsons Joshua Navarro, Tyler DeGray, Connor & Ryan Whitehead; brother Alan (Anna) of W. Springfield; and sister-in-law Christine Whitehead of Agawam. Sadly, Richard was pre-deceased by his daughter Debra Ann Navarro &brother Ernest Jr. Friends & family are invited to Tazzini Funeral Home, 22 Locust St. in Springfield, Thursday, October 17 from 4-7 p.m. His burial, with full military honors, will be Friday at MA Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, meeting there for a 2 p.m. service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Richard’s name may be made to: Hope for the Warriors, 8003 Forbes Place, Ste. 201, Springfield, VA 22151. Please visit www.TazziniFuneralHome.com to sign Richard's guestbook.