On Dec. 20, 2023, Richard J. “Dick” Beatty, a longtime resident of Guilford, more recently of Brownsville, Vermont, and most recently of Chester, passed away surrounded by family members at Middlesex Shoreline Clinic after a brief illness. He was the devoted husband of Laura D. Page of Chester; the loving father of Jeffrey T. Beatty (Lee) of Guilford, Christopher M. Beatty of Denver, Colorado, Matthew J. Beatty (Tara Dowdell-Gullace) of Stewart Manor, New York, David D. Beatty of Woodlawn, New York, and Jonathan A. Beatty (Tara) of Chester. He was the loving stepfather of Claudia H. Page (John Howard) of Alameda, California, Katharine W. Page (Matthew Pedone) of New York City, and Brian L. Page of Columbia Heights, Minnesota. He was also the loving grandfather of Jackson Pedone, Hannah Beatty, Caroline Beatty, Wesley Pedone, Charlotte Beatty, Elijah Beatty, Grace Beatty, Melissa Beatty, Asher Beatty, M. Hogan Beatty, Declan Howard, Mary Beatty, Annabel Beatty, Joshua Howard and Nathan Beatty.

Dick was born on March 9, 1938, in New Haven, the son of the late James H. Beatty and Rose (Garvey) Beatty. A precocious student, he was a member of the first graduating class of North Haven High School in 1955. He graduated from Holy Cross College in 1959 and received his master’s degree in English from Fairfield University in 1960. He graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1966. Dick practiced law for over 50 years, during which time he was a member of the New Haven County Bar Association.

Before retiring, Dick was a partner with Clark, Hall, and Peck, The Pellegrino Law Firm, and, most recently, Beatty & Beatty, LLC, in Guilford. He served as a member of the Connecticut Standards of Title and taught real estate law classes at Quinnipiac College for many years. He enjoyed the practice of law and working with colleagues to solve challenging problems. His willingness to spend time explaining the intricacies of the law and how to practice helped the careers of many attorneys working today.

Dick and his first wife, Eileen, moved to Guilford in 1966, where they raised their five boys. Dick believed in giving back to the community and was a member of the Guilford Jaycees, the treasurer of the Guilford Republican Town Committee, and served on the boards of the Guilford Community Fund and the Guilford Free Library. Dick was appointed and subsequently re-elected to the Guilford Board of Education, which he served from 1993 through 2005. He served as the chair for two Charter Revision Committees for the Town of Guilford and was the Town Attorney for Guilford, Madison, and Westbrook. He served many years as a Trustee of The Guilford Savings Bank. After retiring to Vermont, Dick was elected Chair of the West Windsor Select Board and served on the West Windsor Development Review Board and the board of the Mary L. Blood Library in Brownsville, Vermont.

Dick married Laura in 1990, and the two of them spent the next 33 years enjoying their family and careers, traveling, and spending time with their friends and colleagues. Dick and Laura built a beautiful home in Brownsville, Vermont, where Dick had fun using his tractors and other equipment to work on projects and help out friends and neighbors. Dick enjoyed rooting for the Boston Red Sox and Green Bay Packers and against the New York Yankees and New England Patriots. Dick’s greatest joy was spending time with his family. He was sure to be present at concerts, recitals, games, graduations, and the countless other events that occurred each year. He never missed a birthday. He was a great source of advice, support, comfort, and guidance and was not afraid to tell you what you needed to hear, not what you wanted to hear. He was a beloved member of the two communities in which he spent most of his life, the profession in which he practiced, and the family that he loved so much.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Stanley H. Page Fund with the Guilford Foundation, P.O. Box 35, Guilford, CT 06437, or to the Mary L. Blood Library, P.O. Box 468, Brownsville, VT 05037. Burial services and a celebration of Dick’s life will take place at the Sheddsville Cemetery in Brownsville, VT, in the warmer weather of 2024. Arrangements in the care of the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church Street, Guilford. To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com.