Richard Corey Mindess

Dr. Richard Corey Mindess passed away on July 1, 2022, at the age of 67, after a long battle with leukemia.He is survived by his adoring wife Tracy of 44 years; daughters, Danielle Mindess and Katie Badger and their spouses, Robert Cohen and Daniel Badger; grandchildren Cassidy Mindess-Cohen, Margot Mindess-Cohen, Sidney Badger, and Thea Badger; mother, Mary Mindess; sister, Karen Waldstein and her husband Thomas; and many nieces and nephews.

Rick was born to David and Mary Mindess on December 30, 1954 in Boston, MA. He grew up in Ashland, MA, where he spent every spare minute playing sports. He attended Ashland High School, where he excelled at baseball and basketball — he and his teammates made it to the state basketball finals and played at the Boston Garden — and made deep lifelong friendships. He attended Boston University’s six-year medical program, where he met some of the most important people in his life, including his future wife, Tracy Sugarman, while waiting in line for milk at the BU cafeteria.

He chose to specialize in orthopedic surgery, an area of medicine that suited him perfectly. He loved helping athletes heal and return to running, throwing, jumping, and tackling. He began his practice at Seacoast Orthopedic Associates in Newburyport, MA, where he gained a dedicated following of patients through his attentiveness, humor, compassion, and competence as a physician. In the 1980s, Dr. Mindess served as a team physician and treated countless athletes while building the Anna Jaques Hospital community sports medicine program. He was known to take patients to the hospital parking lot during appointments to properly assess running gaits, and regularly stayed at the office until 11 p.m. to squeeze in every last person who sought his care. Always looking to improve healthcare systems in his community, Rick lent his creativity and passion to many committees and associations, and served as a longstanding and dedicated member of the Massachusetts Medical Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In 2008, he temporarily left medicine to assume the role of Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of the Lower Merrimack Valley Physician Hospital Organization and the Whittier Independent Practice Association in Newburyport. In that role, he took on the mammoth task of converting Anna Jaques Hospital and its medical community to electronic medical records. He went on to spend the final years of his career treating patients at Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, MA.

Rick was an avid consumer and creator of fun and laughter. His likes and dislikes centered around activities, people, and content that made him and those around him happy. He loved playing sports, and was happiest on a court, field, or course. He enjoyed dancing and loud, upbeat music, especially any song with a good crescendo. His favorite was Ike and Tina Turner’s version of Proud Mary. Women lined up at parties to dance with him, putting their own orthopedic health very much at risk, as he was known for wild twirling and tossing people into the air. He didn’t much care for movies, except the Beverly Hills Cop series, Naked Gun, Naked Gun 2 1/2, Naked Gun 33 1/3, and Liar Liar. He only sat in the first five rows at concerts, drank Mountain Dew, ate pizza and Twizzlers, stayed up late, played poker, and bested thousands of crossword puzzles. Sometime in the mid-90s, Rick invented Rest Stop Boogie, which involves pulling over the car when a good song comes on to get out and dance. He did this with his teenaged daughters in front of their friends, and somehow they were never embarrassed, only proud.

Known for his enormous generosity, Rick took great pleasure in celebrating occasions, milestones, and accomplishments to the fullest. His wife, Tracy, got the most spectacular Valentine’s Day bouquets, growing in size and beauty each year, in step with his love. And no important event was complete without a limo and a hilarious handwritten poem. He made everything possible for his daughters, encouraging and supporting their passions and talents. He traveled to Canada with Katie to find her perfect horse, and accompanied Danielle to Kentucky so she could perform in a play there. Rick would give the shirt off his back to those he cared about, but it would be covered in spaghetti sauce stains. Appearances were not of much concern.

Rick Mindess had a will of steel and could find a way to make anything happen. Perhaps it was this quality that allowed him to remain with his loved ones for ten years after his initial diagnosis, against every odd. In that time, he danced with both of his daughters at their weddings and held all four of his grandchildren. Her “soft rock,” Rick smoothed every road and opened every door for his beloved wife, Tracy, for half a century. He spoke to his mother, Mary, every night for the past ten years and always kept her wellbeing top of mind, even on his hardest days. He was a devoted brother to Karen, who gave him his second life by donating her own bone marrow. Rick lost his father, David, at a young age, but carried forth his sharp sense of humor and dedication to family. Rick gave the greatest advice, always finding the angle that no one else had considered. He loved a late night chat, especially a political debate, and seemed to know a little something about everything. He had a way with words, and wrote and spoke beautifully when he wanted to convey the contents of his heart, which he was not shy to do. He taught his daughters to hug like you mean it, treat every person like the most important person in the room, and never to turn off a good song in the middle, even if you’re in the car and have reached your destination, even if you have somewhere to be. Rick Mindess worked hard, played hard, and loved hard. He was totally and completely adored.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in Rick's name to www.CancerCare.org via the website below.

A Memorial Service for Dr. Richard ("Rick") Mindess will be held Saturday, July 16th at 2 p.m.

In the Backyard* at the home of Katie and Danny Badger

14 Shedd Lane, Chelmsford, MA

*Seating available dependent on number of attendees, but feel free to bring a lawn chair just in case.