Richard D. Sterndale

Ware – Richard D. Sterndale, 78, of Ware, passed away on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, surrounded by his loving family at home.

He leaves the love of his life, his wife, Jane of Ware; his beloved children, April and Jason; his adored grandchildren, Lauren Gay, Alec Gay, Jacob Sterndale, Hailee Sterndale, Emma Sterndale, and Riley Sterndale; his two great-grandchildren, Levi and Nash; as well as his sister, Beverly Greenberg of Boca Raton, Florida. He also leaves his sister-in-law, Donna Cowan, a brother-in-law, James Bulger of Auburn, California, his nephews, Michael and Chris Leeming of Florida, and his nieces, Jennifer Jackson and Suzanne Silverman of California. He was predeceased by his infant daughter Katherine. He was born in Portsmouth, NH, son of the late John W. and Pauline L. (Roeger) Sterndale.

He graduated from Prince Tech Regional Vocational Trade School in Hartford, CT, achieving proficiency in plumbing and heating. Richard enlisted in the United States Navy in 1965 and proudly served through 1969 and was honorably discharged as an Aviation Maintenance Administrationman (AZ-E5). Richard’s working years reflected his vast array of skills and expertise. He loved working with his hands and could fix just about anything. He was a Property Manager in Springfield, built custom vans for Van America, and worked for Hardwick Frame building post and beam homes. But his most rewarding role was serving as Veteran’s Agent for the Town of Ware for 12 years. He was passionate about helping Veterans and their families to receive the benefits they were entitled to.
Richard was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a kind and caring brother, and an incredible friend to many. He enjoyed NASCAR racing, fishing and the outdoors, and being an avid coin collector since his youth, where he found much joy throughout his life in the hunt and collecting. What he loved most of all, aside from working, was the time he spent with his family and friends.

A Calling Hour for Richard will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, from 9:30am to 10:30am in the Charbonneau Funeral Home, 30 Pleasant Street in Ware. A Funeral Service will be held immediately following the calling hour, at 10:30am in the funeral home. His burial will be held in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Monson, MA following the funeral home service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Richard’s memory may be made to either the Wounded Warrior Project, whose mail-in donation form can be found on their website https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org or the Special Olympics whose mail-in donations form can be found on their website https://www.specialolympics.org/get-involved/donate

An online guest book is available at charbonneaufh.com

The Charbonneau Funeral Home is honored to serve the Sterndale family.