Richard D. Horgan

Richard David Horgan (“Dick”) passed away surrounded by the love of his family on Sunday, March 19 2023. Born May 25, 1935 to Francis Horgan and Irene (Caisse) Horgan, Dick was a proud lifelong resident of Massachusetts.  He leaves his wife Marci (Begnoche) Horgan, who, in Dick’s own words, was his comfort and his love. She truly has been the best of everything in his life. He wants to say good-bye, I love you, and I will see you when you catch up. Dick and Marci have four children, three sons and one daughter. Daniel Horgan lives in Evans, GA with his wife Leah Klein and two children, Jack and Iris. Lucas Horgan and his wife Mallory (Biggins) Horgan and their children Otto, Max, and Sonny, live in Westminster. James Horgan lives in Boston, and daughter Maggie Piro and her husband Leo Piro live in Leominster with baby Leo due to arrive in July. Dick also has a brother, Kenneth, living in Winchendon and a sister, Patricia, living in Dallas, TX.

Dick graduated from Gardner High School in 1952 and from there volunteered for the draft and served two years in the Army Security Agency. While in the Army he served in Taiwan, and besides his normal duties he also ran the officers’ swimming pool. Prior to the military Mr. Horgan worked extensively with the Boy Scouts as a young man, including Directorship roles at Camp Collier and other scout camps throughout Central Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Dick was on the swimming team for four years as a diver at Gardner High School. As a diver he also participated in a comedy diving show at the indoor and outdoor pools in Gardner, Winchendon, throughout Worcester County, and at the YMCA. Dick also worked for years as a swimming and diving instructor at the YMCA.

Shortly after his time spent in the Army, he matriculated at Fitchburg State College (now University) which he attended from 1957-1961. He received his master’s degree at Fitchburg State in 1967, and upon graduating was hired as a mathematics teacher at Oakmont Regional Junior High School in Ashburnham. In 1966 he was hired as the Administrator to the Superintendent of Schools for the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District, and while in that position he participated in the building project of the J.R. Briggs Elementary School in Ashburnham.

In January 1970 he was hired as the Principal at Athol Junior High School. He left this position in 1971, when he was hired as the first principal at the then-new Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School in Fitchburg. He remained in this position for the first fifteen years of Monty Tech’s existence and was recognized as the Assistant Superintendent Director. In August of 1986, he was hired as the Assistant Superintendent Director for Business Affairs, remaining in that position until his retirement in 2004.

Dick always loved the outdoors, and preferred being in water over being out of it. He was an avid boater, pilot, and golfer in his youth and always loved sharing stories of his time at Lake Winnepesaukee. He most enjoyed being in the mountains and going to Disney World with his wife, children, and grandchildren. In his later years, Dick cherished time spent with his wife and their beloved Basset Hounds at their home in Ashburnham. Dick was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and will live on in the stories we all continue to share. We love you, Papa, and our lives will not be the same without you.