Richard "Dick" W. Clancy

Richard “Dick” Woodbury Clancy, 87, passed away peacefully in Newburyport on September 18. He was born in Salem on October 6, 1937. Dick, as he was known by his family and friends, spent his youth in Peabody. He graduated valedictorian class of 1955 from St. John’s Prep, where he played football and hockey. Dick attended Boston College briefly before finishing his B.A. in Romance Languages at Providence College. He earned his M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College in Vermont, and as part of that program he spent a year at The University of Madrid in Spain. He would revisit those days in Spain by cooking Spanish-style tortillas and paella for his family and friends. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves and on the Peabody School Committee as he was beginning his lengthy teaching career. Dick taught at Governor Dummer Academy and Salem State College before settling into Newburyport High School, where he taught for 23 years. Later, he would spend several years teaching at Newmarket, N.H. High School.

Dick built a home in Georgetown, on the site of an old farm, where he and his family tended large vegetable gardens, and enjoyed small-town country life. He was a little league coach, a cubmaster, and was very active at St. Mary’s of Georgetown Catholic Church, where he taught CCD and served as an Extraordinary Minister for many years. In later years, Dick lived in East Kingston, N.H., Brewster, MA., and Little River, S.C. with his wife Suzy. He had most recently lived in Amesbury. He enjoyed golf, family visits, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, his dogs, and fried clams at the Park Lunch.

He is survived by his wife Suzy (Kelly) and her two sons, Jeffrey and Jonathan; his six children with Carol Fischer—Garrett (Lisa) of Los Angeles, CA; Beth McKinley (Mike) of Port Charlotte, FL.; Lisa Rally (Spero) of Hampton, N.H.; Susan Davis (Matt) of North Conway, N.H.; Neil of Haverhill; and Christi Maglio (Joe) of Newburyport; 13 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren. He was the oldest child of the late Anna (Klemm) and Cornelius “Bud” Clancy. He was preceded in death by his siblings Robert Clancy, Donna Gulezian and Diane Nelson.

Donations in Dick’s memory may be made to Tunnel to Towers or Wounded Warriors.

Funeral services will be private.