Richard O. Chase

West Brookfield - Richard O. "Dick" Chase, 82, of West Brookfield died on Sunday, February 6, 2022 in his home, surrounded by family, after a lengthy illness.

Dick was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the son of Walter Frederick Chase and Helen Olsen Chase, on August 22, 1939.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Susan P. Rowden of West Brookfield.  He is also survived by his son, Marc V. Chase and his wife Louise of West Brookfield, daughters, Dawn C. Chase of Thompson, CT, Emily P. Chase-Sosnoff and her husband Eric of Tampa, FL and Molly P. Chase and her fiance Osaji Arah of Belmont.  He also leaves four grandchildren, Tyler Chase, Calvin Chase, Annika Chase-Sosnoff, and Magnus Chase-Sosnoff.

In addition, Dick is survived by his older brother Robert Chase and his wife Nancy of Bedford, NH, his younger sister Dr. Cynthia Chase of Chelmsford, brother-in-law Peter Rowden and his wife Cathy of Plymouth, and sister-in-law Kristin Lopriore of Leicester, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews. Dick also had a close network of friends and people who cared deeply about him. Recently, one of these people was Janine Brown, his caregiver, and his family thanks her for everything. Throughout his life, Dick always enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, and he was known to bring his instruments and sing-along booklets to any celebration.

Dick grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts.  He was a 1957 graduate of Lowell High School, a 1961 graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and a 1963 graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a Master of Fine Arts in painting.

He was an artist, teacher, musician, and mentor. He exhibited his paintings at one-man-shows at Ward-Nasse Gallery and Pace Gallery in New York City, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and Arlington Street Gallery (U.Mass) in Boston, Paul Schuster Gallery in Cambridge, Winfisky Gallery (Salem State College) in Salem, Art Exhibition Room, (Westfield State College) in Westfield, Hogan Campus Center (Holy Cross College) in Worcester, Tri-Community Arts Center in Southbridge, and group shows throughout New England and New York. Many of his paintings were intelligent commentaries on political and moral issues. His art was bold, funny, edgy, and often controversial - ranging from satirically realistic to grotesquely abstract. His last show, "Speculations on Outer Space" at the New England Science Center, was a series of landscapes inspired by the computer generated images of the Voyager fly-by of Jupiter and Saturn.

He was the curriculum coordinator and art teacher at Tantasqua Regional Junior High School in Sturbridge.  Mr. Chase developed a curriculum that encouraged students to conduct research and write while incorporating math, science, history, and literature into art projects. He created the mural program, which allowed students to design, paint, and display their work throughout the building, resulting in a "Hallway of Blues" and a "Stairway of Historical Figures." Murals from his program were placed in Old Sturbridge Village, Merriam-Gilbert Library in West Brookfield, and the elementary schools in the Tantasqua Regional School District. After school, conducting music lessons and community service learning performances were another passion for Mr. Chase, and he was able to have a lasting impact on students through the arts. He taught at Tantasqua for 38 years.

Dick was the recipient of several grants throughout his career. He received a Massachusetts Arts Lottery Council grant to paint a mural, with students, in Southbridge. The mural was designed to bring people of different ages and ethnic backgrounds into harmony, while at the same time depicting space travel, sports, and music. He also received a grant from The Arts Council of Ennis, which allowed Dick to paint a mural in Ireland. Working with community members and students, they painted a mural of Irish musicians at the Toonagh National School in County Clare, Ireland. Finally, working under an Alternative Energy Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Dick and three colleagues housed a small-scale still in his barn to produce synthetic fuel from agricultural surplus.

Dick began playing string instruments in his twenties, although he had always been interested in music and it was a central part of his childhood; he grew up listening to all genres and styles. When he began playing instruments, he focused on guitar, banjo, mandolin, bouzouki, and fiddle. In his early years, he performed bluegrass and contra dance music as part of local bands Rye Straw and The Rear Guard, and performed Texas swing with Dixie Peach. Mandolin Wind was a Jazz Grass band and The Hill Boys performed Irish music and pub rock in local venues.  Another band Dick was a part of, The Millboys, played in almost every Irish pub and restaurant in the area. For several years, Dick placed at the Annual Banjo and Fiddle Contest in Lowell. A highlight for his musical career was performing on the Clearwater with Pete Seeger, to support efforts to clean the Hudson River.

Dick was dedicated to the community and took advantage of any opportunity to participate in local festivities. For many years, he played at the Apple Country Fair in Brookfield, the Asparagus Festival in West Brookfield, and Apple Fest at Cook's Orchard in Brimfield. He was often part of the entertainment for events at Tantasqua, West Brookfield Elementary School, and parties for friends and colleagues. All of these local events, regardless of size and scale, brought him together with family, former students, community members, and many other familiar faces. In many ways, Dick embodied the "small town" charm that makes rural Massachusetts so special and welcoming.

After he retired from Tantasqua, he remained involved in the arts.  He was an active member of the Jacob Knight Memorial Committee, which was in honor of well-known folk artist and friend Jacob Knight. Also, he taught music in Southbridge and Sturbridge and continued to play music in restaurants, senior centers, and nursing homes. He also continued to paint, a passion he embraced through recent years. A table he painted for the Quaboag Plantation 300th Anniversary is in the Merriam-Gilbert Library and he painted the sign for the West Brookfield Housing Authority. Dick will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

In lieu of flowers or donations, Dick's family encourages you to do as Dick would: be kind to others, surprise a friend or relative with a phone call, or pay it forward to someone you don't know.

Out of concern for the health and safety of his family, a celebration of life will be held privately. Varnum Funeral Home, Inc., 43 East Main St., in West Brookfield is assisting his family with arrangements.

An online guestbook is available at varnumfuneralhome.com