Richard H. McKillip, 88, of Madison, and Naples, Florida, passed away peacefully at Branford Hospice on July 21. He was born Oct 30, 1934, in Saranac Lake, New York, to Howard and Mary (Donovan) McKillip.

He graduated from Saranac Lake High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Cornell University, Class of 1955. He was a longtime employee of Unilever (Chesebrough Ponds).

He enjoyed several hobbies, including painting, sculpture, fishing, and cooking. He was also a voracious reader and was often teased about the amount of books that always surrounded him. Another passion was to clip newspaper and magazine articles that he thought would be of interest to friends and relatives. We each had a folder in which he would keep them until he saw us again. Richard also had an incredible memory and was thought of as a human Google. If he did not know the answer to a question, he would simply respond, “It’s magic.” He and Claire wintered in Naples, where they enjoyed meeting new people and playing bocci.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Claire (Brown) McKillip; his daughter Susan McKillip of East Haven; daughter Leslie McKillip of Madison; and son David McKillip; and son-in-law Robert McKillip of Simsbury. He is predeceased by his brother Robert S. McKillip of Saranac Lake, New York.

Calling hours will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 28, at the Swan Funeral Home, 825 Boston Post Road, Madison. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, in St. Margaret Church, 24 Academy Street, Madison, followed by a burial at West Cemetery, Madison. Memorial donations in Richard’s name may be made to; E.C. Scranton Memorial Library, 801 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT 06443, or Von Liebig Art Center, 585 Park Street Naples, Florida 34102. For online condolences, visit swanfuneralhomemadison.com.