passed away Monday, July 2, 2018 at age 70. He was the eldest son of
Richard and Ruth (Flanagan) Dearborn, both of whom predeceased him. He
was also predeceased by his youngest son, Kevin Anthony Dearborn.
Left to mourn his passing and celebrate his life is a very large
extended family - his wife of over 50 years Phyllis Boutwell Dearborn,
sons Eric Jr (Tammie) and Lance (Linda), daughters Cathy (John) Gahres
and Michelle (Chris) Wynn, along with 12 grandchildren - Amanda and
Paul Littlepage, Shelby and Austin Dearborn, Lindsey Dearborn, Robert,
Donald, John Mark, Elizabeth and Jeffery Gahres, David Adorno,
Savannah Wynn and 6 great-grandchildren. He also will be mourned and
celebrated by his siblings Linda (Ken) Anderson, Mark Dearborn, Laurie
Toby, Becky Jackson, Karen Dearborn, Tara (Jim) Howard and Kimberly
Dearborn, along with multiple nieces, nephews and cousins. Along the
years there were also several "adopted" children that were as special
to him as his own - Paul Christian, Richard (Moose) Creighton, Dublyn
Crowe, and Debbie Grey to name only a few.
Rick was born May 5, 1948 in Spokane, WA and at the tender age of 6
months rode from Spokane to Manchester, NH via train with his mother
Ruth, who would always tell about the angst of losing one of his baby
shoes while changing trains in Chicago. He spent his youth in NH and
CT, moving to Tampa, Florida in 1960 after the close of the New
Departure Steel Mills in Meriden, CT.
He attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he met the
love of his life in his freshman physics class, and married her in
August of 1967. He worked in retail for many years, managing Neissner
& McCrory's 5 and dime stores which mandated moving several times
throughout the state of Florida. After settling in Sanford, FL in
1979, he changed career fields and finished his working career as the
Vice-President of Air Traffic Services in Orlando, FL (now FastMile
Inc).
His personal life was always his children and his family. His great
love was managing Little League baseball teams in Sanford and Orlando
for many years as his sons grew up in the sport, and then played/managed
softball for many years after that.
Whatever his children or grandchildren were doing, he was active in,
supporting them in all of their endeavors.
Debbie Grey posted this earlier and it characterizes Pop perfectly -
"I moved to FL, made a fantastic friend (Cathy Dearborn Gahres) and
was instantly part of her family. Pop accepted me (and anyone else)
for who they were. No need to change. Conversations with Pop could
last for hours and never felt forced. His way of giving advice was to
show you a new side or something you hadn't thought of. He wanted you
to think, so that regardless of your end decision, at least you would
have a foundation for your answer. He loved to share his knowledge,
talk with people of all ages and was constantly learning. Pop was
supportive and encouraging of following your dreams, whatever they may
be. He believed in chivalry, loved the Seminoles and was the most
ideal example of what a man, husband, father, and friend should be. I
love you Pop! Thank you for letting me be your adopted daughter.".
His granddaughter Shelby had this to say: "I lost my grandfather last
night. He was one of the toughest, bravest, most inspiring men I’ve
ever known. Even now, using the word “was” just feels wrong. He would
drive an hour to pick me up from school when I was sick and my parents
were working. He would carry me around Disney World when my little
legs just couldn’t take anymore. He would come over and teach me math
that my poor teachers just couldn’t get into my head. He knew
everything about history and just loved to teach others anything he
could about it. There was nothing that a hug from him couldn’t fix. He
was a super hero. He’d already have 5 dogs but rescue another one just
because it looked so sad. He was the epitome of goodness and strength,
and you could not ask for a better role model."
Each of his children and grandchildren could have written the above
and more - they all have their own stories and memories, and that was
Pop's definition of a perfect life.
We welcome everyone to join us in a celebration of his life Saturday, July
7, at noon at Brevard Memorial Funeral Home located at 5475 North
U.S. Highway 1, Cocoa, FL 32927 (Port St John) followed by a luncheon
reception at his
home - 5585 Graham St, Cocoa FL (Port St. John).
If you would like to honor his memory, please donate in his name to
your local SPCA or Humane Society - Pop never met a dog he didn't like
or that didn't like him, and his "puppies" were always very special to
him.
*****GO NOLES!!!!****
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