Richard Louis Degaetano

Richard Louis DeGaetano, beloved husband, stepfather, and grandpa, died in Lexington, SC on February 23, 2023 after a valiant and hard fought battle with MDS and heart disease. Born a scrappy kid in the Bronx to Louis and Catherine DeGaetano, Richie D (as many of his friends knew him) found success on Wall Street. Richard also served in the Army National Guard. After retirement Richard moved to Florida, where he met his “Daphne girl”, the love of his life. Richard and Daphne later moved to South Carolina to enjoy their retirement years and spend more time with their grandkids.

Richard lived life to the fullest, always willing to splurge on something, especially if it was for someone else’s enjoyment. He found his joy in the joy of others. He discovered something late in life that he had never had and maybe didn’t realize he wanted and needed - kids and grandkids. His favorite place was seated around a dinner table surrounded by family or friends with good food on his plate, a glass of wine in his hand, and laughter in the air.

Richard leaves behind his wife Daphne and dog Sparky; step-daughter Shannon and her husband T.J. Geary and granddaughters, Emma and Sophia; step-daughter Ashley and her husband Billy Kish and grandsons Will, Cole, and Connor; mother-in-law Patricia Harrison; sister-in-law Lynne and her husband Bill McCandless; nephew Matthew McCandless; niece Sarah McCandless; brother-in-law Greg Harrison and partner Gail Herold; family friends Tony and Renita Geary, Greg and Karen Penn, and Bill and Jenny Kish; and life-long best friends Jimmy Hayes, Tony Sutera, Ted Presti, and Vinny Mizzilli.

A drop-in memorial visitation will be held at Dunbar Funeral Home at 7600 Woodrow St. Irmo, SC 29063 on Wednesday March 1, 2023 from 5-7pm. Flowers may be sent to the funeral home, but the family would ask for people to consider making a donation to the MDS Foundation (www.mds-foundation.org) or the American Heart Association (www.heart.org) in lieu of flowers.

The family would like to thank Dr. Robert Collins and Savannah Roof, PA-C with South Carolina Oncology Associates; Dr. Loren Morgan with the Medical University of South Carolina; the staff at Lexington Medical Center Transfusion Services; and physicians and nurses at the Lexington Medical Center Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit for the high quality, compassionate care provided to Richard.