Above: Dick Upjohn with Elaine Beals earlier this year (photo by Chris Vatis)
Southborough has lost one of its most remarkable residents. Dick Upjohn died on Wednesday at the age of 82. From the Metrowest Daily News.
Men in their 70s and 80s break their wrists. It happens.
They don’t usually do so playing basketball.
Such was the life of Richard V. Upjohn, a man friends and relatives say lived an active life on his own terms and had fun doing it.
Upjohn died unexpectedly Wednesday, shortly after the 82-year-old, following his daily routine, rode his bike to work at Fay School from home.
“He loved his bike,” his wife, Sabra, said Thursday. “He loved the outdoors.”
I’ll be working on more remembrances, but in the meantime please feel free to leave your memories, condolences and impressions in the comments below.
Update: An obituary for Dick Upjohn is posted here.
Sad news. I didn’t know him well, but in our conversations, he was informed, curious, and a real gentleman. I’ll miss him.
A big loss to the community… My thoughts are with Sabra and their family.
This is very sad news and a very big loss for our town. Much of my experience with Mr. Upjohn was in my interaction with the Community Preservation Committee. I would describe him as respectful, fair, and very dedicated. He was always a gentleman and his work will be sorely missed. My condolences to his family.
Southborough has lost a great advocate and role model this week. Dick Upjohn served on the CPC since its inspection in 2004 and I can’t remember him missing a meeting. Each year Dick volunteered to read the CPC Warrant Articles at town meeting and wrote the CPC year end report. During meetings Dick always voiced his opinion (popular or not) and supported it with facts, data, a vision for the future and a touch of common sense (which sometimes gets overlooked).
My condolences to his family, he will be greatly missed by all.
The loss of Dick is a huge loss to the community. There certainly will never be anyone to fill his shoes – people like him are few. Dick was also a decades long member of the Southborough Emergency Planning and Management Committee as our conservation advisor. He was vital in helping to protect the environment from hazards and disasters through pre-plans and during responses. He (and his bike) will be a sadly missed site.
My condolences to his family.
What a loss. I have so much respect for his dedication to Southborough, though I did not know him beyond official dealings with the ConCom. A few weeks ago he rode his bike to my house to look at some trees for which we needed ConCom approval to take down. I was inspired by his cycling, by how seriously he took the determination about the tree work, and by his service.
I first met Dick on a summer afternoon when he was traipsing through the brush in the field behind my house checking wetland boundaries for an impending development. I walked with him for about an hour and had a very pleasant time hacking our way through the pucker brush, talking about hiking and learning about wetland delineations. It was very clear to me that he cared deeply both subjects and when it came to wetlands was going to call it as he saw it, favoring neither developer or those that abutted the property.
Dicks tireless service to our town will be hard to replace and he will be missed by many including me.
Mr. Upjohn was a revered institution at Fay School. The depth of his knowledge of history was incomparable. Whether teaching, coaching, advising, or encouraging recyling and conservation, he was always deeply respected, engaging and interesting. And he had quite a sense of humor, happily embracing the school-wide “plaid pants” day in his honor.
Every day that we saw Mr. Upjohn riding his bike, we were reminded that no truer lesson is learned than that which leads by example.
with love, The Cutts Family