Richard L. Dube, 83 years young, passed away peacefully on February 8th, 2026 at his home in
St. Petersburg, Florida after a fourteen year stubborn battle of wills between him and cancer.
Son of Corrine and Leo Dube of Methuen. Dick is survived by his wife of 56 years Frances, his
daughter Sheryl (Ardizzone) Dion, his sons Keith, Jamie, Bryant and Jason, as well as thirteen
grandchildren, thirteen great grandchildren (not a typo), niece Stacy, nephew Jay, numerous
close friends and many of his children’s friends who sought refuge at the Dube residence. Dick
was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Dennis. The family extends their sincere
gratitude to his healthcare team, especially Dr. Ankur Mehta at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen,
MA and his Vitas Hospice caregivers in St. Petersburg.
Dick graduated from Methuen High School and was a veteran of the United States Air Force,
stationed in Tennessee as an airplane mechanic until his honorable discharge in 1966. He put
his mechanical skills to work at various companies, most recently for Columbo Yogurt in
Lawrence, MA. He retired to St. Petersburg, Florida where he and Fran enjoyed many cruises,
beaches and beautiful Florida golf courses. His favorite pastime of all was waiting ‘patiently’ in
various store parking lots for Fran to finish bargain hunting. He loved Fran so much, he agreed
to drive his children and father-in-law to Florida…in August – who does that?
A fixture at the former Knights of Columbus, in South Lawrence, where he would watch the Sox,
Pats and Bruins. He enjoyed rebuilding and riding his motorcycles and trucks, playing on a
bowling league and most of all, avoiding the household chaos by working on one of several
projects in his shed. Dick was well known for his generosity, telling stories (usually the same five
or six on heavy rotation), busting chops and sarcastic comments that would make any New
Englander proud. He was known for his unique ability to combine curses in new and colorful
ways, so much so that if it were an Olympic sport, he’d be on the Wheaties box. That said, one
of his late life joys was telling some of his doctors exactly where they could go…
If the mark of a great dad is how often they hear, “thanks dad!,” then Dick may have been one of
the all time greats – his kids will attest to this.
A celebration of his life will be held at a future date.
