Richard Anthony Fiske

Richard Anthony “Dick” Fiske of Raleigh, NC passed away on Sunday, March 30, 2025 at the age of 81. He was born on May 5, 1943 in Lynn, MA where he grew up working daily and weekend paper routes and discovered his love of music at a young age.

During high school, he discovered his love for the field of sound, developing his skills as a disc jockey for school socials. He graduated from Lynn English in 1961, before attending Northeast Broadcasting School. While in attendance at Northeast Broadcasting School, he performed as a part time sound engineer at various radio outlets around Boston.

He worked at Union and Saugus General Hospitals for 10 years before spending 5 years wiring cable harnesses and working on reentry heat shields with AVCO at Wilmington and Lowell plants. Ultimately, Richard could not give up on his love of sound and recording and opened Richard’s Sound and Recording service in 1970, leading to his moniker “Mr. Stereo.” Throughout his career as a sound engineer, Richard was the retained sound engineer for the General Electric Company, the 99 Restaurant chain, and the city of Lynn, he also organized the amplification system for President James E. Carter’s visit to Lynn, MA in 1978.

In his later years, Richard continued to live a very full life. He was retained as a sound engineer for the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers, MA managing sound for various orchestras, and the Salem State College Lecture Series in Salem, MA, which featured many prominent speakers. He was also a part of the Big Band Summer Series: starlight dancing under the stars and dining under the tent at The Kings Grant Inn, Danvers, MA. Some of the notable orchestras he worked with during his life include Buddy Rich, Count Basie’s Jazz Concerts, Artie Shaw (Dick Johnson, Director), Gene Krupa, Sammy Kay, Tommy Dorsey, and many others. He also installed Roof Antennas for private households and corporations, installed and rented sound systems and equipment, and used his sound van for music in many town parades.

Richard and Cynthia often enjoyed dancing to the music he played in his studio. Richard was a collector of antique radios and Edison phonographs, amongst others.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph A. Fisk and Alice C. Richards Fiske; and his sister, Judith C. Fiske.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Cynthia (Belluche) Fiske of Raleigh, NC; his daughter, Julie Summers (Dennis) of Raleigh, NC; his brother, Paul J. Fiske (Carol) of Bowie, MD; his nephew, Keith J. Fiske (Mary Ann); and his niece, Catherine Slater (David) of New York.

The family will hold a reception to celebrate Richard’s life on Saturday, April 19, 2025 in the reception room at Mitchell Funeral Home at 3:00 PM.