Obituary of Richard S Love

Richard Stephen Love, age 84, of Kingston, passed away on February 3, 2024.

Son of the late Oliver and Mildred (Salie) Love, Richard was born and raised in Revere. He is survived by his adored wife Roberta of Kingston, to whom he was married for more than 58 years. He is also survived by his three children: son Stephen Love (Julie) of Weston, Connecticut, daughter Heather O’Toole (John ‘Jay’) of Norwell, and daughter Katherine Catalogna (John) of Chelmsford. Richard was the proud grandfather of four cherished grandchildren: Emily, Thomas ‘Tommy’, Emma, and Cristina. Richard is also survived by his sisters- and brothers-in-law: John Nichol, John ‘Jack’ MacDonald, Denise Pendergast (Robert ‘Bob’), and Antigone ‘Heggy’ Love; many nieces and nephews; and feisty cat, Itsy. He is predeceased by brother Robert Love and sister-in-law Nancy MacDonald.

Prior to starting his family, Richard attended Revere High School followed by Northeastern University, after which he served honorably in the US Navy for two years, followed by four years in the US Navy reserves. He met his wife, Roberta, at his first place of employment, Spencer Kennedy, after which he was employed at Xerox for more than 30 years until his retirement.  

A devoted husband and father, Richard valued family above all. After the early and sudden passing of Roberta’s mother Doris ‘Dolly’ Nichol at age 50, he and Roberta moved from their first home in Canton on Wardwell Road to “the big yellow house” on Pleasant Street, so that they and their children could be joined by Roberta’s maternal grandmother Nellie (Finneran) O’Connor, her father Robert ‘Bob’ Nichol, and her sister Denise. Later, Richard and Roberta moved to Old Meadow Lane, where they lived for more than 30 years to raise their children, accompanied by Bob, who remained living with Richard and Roberta until his passing at 82. Over their years in Canton, Richard was blessed to have a lively, happy home always filled with family, friends, his children’s friends, an occasional German exchange student, dogs, cats, laughter, and music.

In his retirement, Richard loved relaxing at the lake house in Ossipee, surrounded by its quiet, peaceful beauty—and he equally enjoyed the inevitable chaos that his family and friends and their many dogs, cats, and hedgehogs brought to the cottage when they visited. With their move to Kingston ten years ago, Richard found a fun-loving and caring community that would come to be not only a source of entertainment and friendship, but also of support for both Roberta and him as he bravely battled Parkinson’s Disease.

Always kind, gentle, and quick to laugh, Richard was known for making Roberta endless cups of tea, his folksy sayings, his insatiable sweet tooth, his Waze-like knowledge of the best routes and back roads to get from A to B, his smooth moves on the dancefloor, and a long-standing devotion to the Bruins. He was a master procrastinator—he could dawdle and delay like no other much to the exasperation of his family—but he was also their heart, their caring and strong center, the man that would do anything for family and friends. He was a generous, sweet, and loving person, and loved in turn by all that came to know him. He will be terribly missed.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Richard’s name to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Relatives and friends are invited to the Funeral Mass in honor of Richard on Friday February 16th at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph's Church located at 270 Main St. Kingston, MA.