Richard Dick Heffering

April 30, 1954 – June 17, 2011

Richard P. Heffering, 57, passed away Friday, June 17th, after suffering a brain aneurism on Tuesday night at his home in Greenwich. He was surrounded by his loving family and many dear friends.

Richard was born in Auburn, NY, the son of R. Peter Heffering, currently of Port Perry, Ontario and Boca Raton, FL, and the late Constance Egliskis Heffering, previously of Sharon, CT. Richard attended the University of Denver, obtaining an MBA. He and his wife, Marcia, moved to Greenwich in 1982, and Richard went to work at Citibank in Manhattan, as an investment banker. He moved briefly to E.F.Hutton, then founded Eastbridge Capital with six partners.

Richard had always had a goal to retire at the age of 40, and he did it. Already an accomplished sailboat racer, he captured many trophies over the years with his remarkable crew. The culmination was winning The Northern Ocean Racing Trophy.

He had already created the Specie Mesa Ranch in Telluride, CO prior to retiring from Wall Street. He then went on to purchase property on Marshall Island, off the coast of Maine. Marshall Island is the largest unpopulated island on the eastern seaboard, and Richard made it possible for the Maine Coast Heritage Trust to obtain the entire island to preserve it in perpetuity.

Richard also had a lifelong love of cars, and over the years owned several classic Ferraris, including historic race cars. He spent years training to drive his beloved Porsches on several tracks around the eastern U.S.

Richard’s passions were numerous, but none was more important than his love of animals. He and Marcia raised 17 Labs over the past nearly-40 years, and Richard joined his father and brother, David, in the Standardbred racehorse business in 1994. Having grown up on his father’s renowned dairy farms, Richard was very proud of the many awards he won as a kid in the 4H Club and at cattle shows. He was brilliant at studying pedigrees, and subsequently put together what is generally viewed as one of the best broodmare bands in the Standardbred business.

Richard is survived by his adoring wife, Marcia, his father, Peter, and his stepmother, Apryll; his brother, David, and his wife Nora and their two daughters, Taylor and Abbie, of Port Perry, Ontario; his father-in-law, Frederick J. Mancheski, and his wife, Didi, of North Haven, CT; his sisters-in-law, Mary Lou Mancheski, Laura Mancheski-May of Newburyport, MA; Amy Mancheski-Franco and her husband, Phil, of Wallingford, CT; Michele Evans and her husband, John, of South Jordan, UT; his brother-in-law, Bruce Mancheski, and his wife, Patti, of Wolcott, CT; his former sister-in-law, Linda Mancheski of Branford, CT, and many, many nieces and nephews.

A gravesite ceremony will be held at 2:00 on Thursday, June 23rd at Ellsworth Cemetery in Sharon, CT, followed by a reception at the Ragamont Inn in Salisbury, CT (http://www.ragamont.com/) to celebrate Richard’s life.

Richard wanted to request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the CT Hospice in Branford, CT (www.hospice.com), where his dear mother, Connie, passed away. Donations may be made in Richard’s and Connie’s names. To leave online condolences, please visit www.leopgallagherstamford.com