Richard 'Dick' Smith, Arlington Town Meeting Member, Dies at 83

The following is from Keefe Funeral Home.

Richard (Dick) Earl Smith, a 50 year resident of Arlington, passed away Friday, Dec. 27, after a short fight with cancer at the age of 83.

Dick was born on June 9, 1930, in Worcester. Dick graduated from North High School in 1948, and in 1963, he organized his 15th high school reunion and continued organizing reunions every five years until the 65th reunion in 2013.

After high school Dick joined the Army and served in Germany for eight years. He then stayed in the Army Reserve retiring as a Major after serving 20 years. While in the Army, he married his high school sweetheart, Ann Hillsen, on June 23, 1951.

After leaving active duty in the Army, he earned his BS degree from the University of Alabama in two years. He then attended and graduated from Harvard Law School where he was President of the Harvard Law School Forum. He was a proud member of Phi Beta Kappa and Mensa.

Dick worked at the Bank of Boston for 28 years retiring as Officer of the Bank in 1992. He was active with The Securities Transfer Association and a recognized expert in stock transfer law. He worked for the next 10 years in many former Soviet Bloc countries as a consultant for emerging securities markets as well as consulting and living in Egypt for two years.

Since moving to Arlington in the early 60s, Dick was very active in local politics serving as a Town Meeting Member, a member of the Arlington Democratic Committee and as Secretary of the Arlington Finance Committee (20+ years). He was politically active backing liberal/progressive candidates and issues at all levels of government. For 20+ years, he brought Arlington youth groups to Japan and welcomed Japanese youth to Arlington with the Arlington Youth Visit Exchange Program. He founded the Arlington-Nagaokakyo Sister City Program. He has also been a regular contributor to the Arlington List and has helped organize A-list dinners for many years.

During and following his consulting years, Dick and his best friend and wife Ann traveled to over 90 countries on every continent except Antarctica, traveling by train, plane, automobile, ship, river boat, camel, rickshaw and elephant. During these travels he established friendships throughout the world coming to believe that all people everywhere are equal and the same.

Dick’s life experiences have convinced him that the only approach that can work is peace and to this end he had been very active in various peace groups, especially the Veterans for Peace, protesting and lobbying to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was proudly arrested several times both in Boston and Washington D.C. fighting for these beliefs.

He loved vanilla ice cream, canolis, sushi and more vanilla ice cream.

Dick is survived by his wife, Ann (Hillsen); son David (and wife Toni); daughters: Roslyn Smith and Sharon Tice; granddaughters Maryann Davis and Sara Smith; great grandson Grady Davis; nieces: Sandy Nordstrom, Kathy DiMartino and Sharon Edison Zalcman; nephews: Jerry Edison and Eric Hillsen; cousin: Wayne Hall and many great nephews and nieces.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at the Masonic Lodge, 19 Academy St, Arlington at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, followed by an opportunity to remember him with his family and friends over refreshments at the Lodge.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Veterans for Peace, P.O. Box 1604, Andover, MA 01810, and/or Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202, would be appreciated by the family.