Richard J. Villodas

A Graveside Service will be celebrated at 11am on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at St. Peter Cemetery, Danbury, CT.

Rick’s Eulogy

Rick Villodas was an artist and creative spirit. Born at the start of the culturally turbulent 1960’s, he spent his early years growing up in Bethpage and Greenport, New York. This period fueled his developing imagination and artistic sense. These talents were nurtured by our mother, who possessed an artistic nature and had worked in various media up to that point. At the start of the next decade we moved to Danbury where his artistic development flourished. His talent for art and photography continued to increase with trips into New York. He loved to go to Broadway musicals and to explore the cultural centers of New York City. His college education at WCSU was focused on the visual arts of painting, photography and the use of multimedia to create unique designs. Another important experience in his artistic development was his participation in a summer long program in Woodstock, New York; where he fine tuned his abilities and forged lifelong friendships. He loved classical music, and movies, especially ones from the nineteen thirties and forties.

Rick and I were raised in a large extended family. He was influenced by our two grandmothers who lived with or next door to us for many years and he was part of a large group of cousins that were more like our siblings. We would all spend summers together at our family home in Greenport. Many years later when Rick was battling cancer, they all came to his aid to be by his side and help him during this challenging time.

Our father always dreamed of having his own business for him and his sons to work together. During Rick’s time working in the family electronic manufacturing business he quickly realized where his true passion lie and he started working and framing art for several Fairfield County framing companies, while continuing to create his art. Here he was able to use his artistic and meticulous sense of detail to create wonderful surroundings for visual images.

Rick was a long time member of the Richter Arts Center, where he helped showcase other artist’s works as well as his own. His friends and the Center honored him posthumously by mounting a two day showing and sale of his work.

Of course, any discussion of Rick’s talents cannot do them justice. However, you will be able to judge for yourself as some of his work will be able to be viewed at our house after this ceremony. Please join us at our house for refreshment, memories and reflections. If anyone would like to speak they may now or later at our home.

I would like to finish with an excerpt from a poem by John Donne:

Death Be Not proud

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;

For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

One short sleep past, we wake eternally,

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.