Richard LaRue Mourey

He is survived by his most beloved wife of 65 years, Mary J. (Scollo) Mourey; his children, Richard R. Mourey and his wife Theresa of Elkhorn, NE; Michelle J. Austin and her husband Gordon of Burke, VA; and Lynn A. Mourey and her husband Steven Greenspan of Goshen, KY; as well as his cherished grandchildren, Alexandra, Madylyn, Richard John “RJ”, Kyra, Kayleen and Cameron; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Charles L. Mourey of Plainville, and his niece Sandee Mourey of Arizona.

Dick was born February 9, 1930 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to the late Charles R. and Sybil (Swearingin) Mourey and was a 1947 graduate of Bulkeley High School in Hartford. He married his high school sweetheart, Mary Jane, on October 13, 1956.

Dick was a voracious reader and exceptional writer with a passion for science, especially aerospace engineering and history, especially the history of WWII. He served as a Communications Specialist in the Army Reserve for 8 years enlisting in 1950 and was honorably discharged in 1958.

He began his career in the 1950’s as a reporter at The Hartford Courant. While there, he created the position of Aviation Editor and covered the state’s large aviation industry through his weekly Aerospace column. He became the paper’s science and medical writer and had other general assignments including the police and fire beat. As Aviation Editor, on June 27, 1958 he reported live to WTIC from one of the U.S. Air Force KC-135 jet tankers making a transatlantic flight from Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, MA to London, England in an attempt to establish a new overseas speed record for the aircraft.

Notably, he covered the historic fire that destroyed the Cathedral of St. Joseph on New Year’s Eve, 1956. A high point in his career as a science writer was when he had the opportunity to spend two days at MIT with the young biologists, Watson and Crick, who discovered the DNA molecule and a day at Harvard with Charles Draper, the father of inertial navigation systems, whose discoveries revolutionized air and sea navigation.

Dick then served as Director and VP of Investor and Public Relations at Echlin Manufacturing in Branford, CT, handling all financial press activities, including communications to Wall Street, and the company’s annual reports. There he worked with an inventor of the magnetic technology that became a groundbreaking technology in access control systems (the Weigand effect). He went on to establish his own marketing communications agency, TechComm in the 1980’s, focusing on high-tech clients specializing in the security industry (and, he would share he “had a ball”). During this time, he was a member of the Business Press Association’s Compatibility Committee, setting the standards for the trade publications in the security industry.

He was also a member of a number of professional associations, including the American Helicopter Society, Public Relations Society of America, the Aviation and Space Writer’s Association and Ad Club of Hartford and New Haven.

In addition to his long and varied career, Dick actively served his local community for over 60 years in many capacities including the Town of East Hartford Charter Commission where he was also a former Chairman, Town of East Hartford Board of Assessment Appeals, Town of East Hartford Board of Finance, and the Exchange Club of East Hartford, and a Justice of the Peace in East Hartford. He was also an active member of the Republican Town Committee for over 60 years where he was the Chairman for five years, and in 1997, Dick was the Republican Mayoral candidate for the Town of East Hartford.

On the state level, Dick handled press relations for the Republican State Central Committee for many years, the State of Connecticut General Assembly House Republicans, the House Minority Leader (one term) and managed press publications and relations for George H.W. Bush’s primary campaign in Connecticut.

Dick was an avid skier and a former member of the Springfield Ski Club. He also liked golfing, model airplanes, reading, and history. He was a loyal fan of the UConn Women’s Basketball Team (he watched every game and seriously he could recite the stats of all the players) and the NY Giants football team.

Of all of Dick’s accomplishments, he counted his greatest to be his cherished family and spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren to be among his fondest moments.

Honoring Dick’s wishes, private funeral service and burial will be held at the convenience of the family. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers and services, memorial donations in Richard L. Mourey’s name may be made to the following charities: Children’s National Hospital (NICU), 111 Michigan Avenue NW,

Washington, DC 20010 https://giving.childrensnational.org, or to the First Congregational Church of East Hartford, 837 Main Street, East Hartford, CT 06108 https://www.churchcorners.org. The D’Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford has been entrusted with the care of the funeral arrangements. For on-line expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopoeh.com.