Richard Louis Szabo

Richard Louis Szabo, a longtime resident of Needham, MA, passed away on March 2, 2025. He was 78. Richard was born and raised as one of the few Hungarians in the Polish immigrant town of New Britain, Connecticut, in 1946.

He attended New Britain schools, graduating from New Britain High School in 1965. He was active in the Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout and serving as Waterfront Director of Camp Kemosabe in Connecticut for several years. He studied Physical Education at Springfield College, where he swam competitively, and went on to obtain his master’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Oregon.

He began his career as a PE instructor and coach at the University of Vermont, where he met his wife of 52 years, Holly. He proposed to her while sailing on Skaneateles Lake. They were married at Saint Mary’s of the Lake in Skaneateles, NY, on December 29, 1972.

The couple lived in Winooski, VT, for eight years with their Dalmatian, Coach, and their first daughter, Heather.

In 1978, Richard and his family moved to Needham, MA, just before the famous blizzard, where he would reside for the rest of his life. He began working for BC/BS, where he remained for over 25 years until his retirement. There, he spearheaded a team conducting preventative healthcare seminars for organizations across New England.

He was an avid outdoorsman, spending his free time hiking, bicycling, sailing, and canoeing the Charles River. He was also an enthusiastic traveler, visiting cities and sites across the United States and Europe.

He swam non-stop from the shores of Lake Bled all the way to Blejski otok. He took the night train from Budapest to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. He attended Pope John Paul II’s Good Friday Stations of the Cross at the Roman Colosseum in 2003.

He loved sports and never missed his children’s games, cheering them on from the sidelines. He was also present at all of his wife’s gymnastics meets while she was Head Coach at Northeastern University. When they weren’t playing, he rooted for Boston teams, Georgia Tech, and the Oregon Ducks.

He spent summers swimming in Skaneateles Lake and at his beloved home in Sagamore Beach, Cape Cod, walking along the shore and watching ships pass through the canal.

At age 73, he was diagnosed with cancer. At age 75, he had beaten it.

He loved jazz, New England IPAs, amateur meteorology, and wood-paneled station wagons. He moo'd so convincingly that he could move cow herds. He could recite his favorite poem, The Cremation of Sam McGee, by heart.

His sense of humor, curiosity about the world, and dedication to family live on in his wife, Holly; his four children, Heather (husband Victor), Khette (husband Walt), Owen (wife Grace), and Brian (wife Avita); and his six grandchildren: Luca, Miller, Crane, Vincent, Lillian, and Axyll. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Christine, beloved wife of his late brother, Joseph Szabo.

His Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Joseph’s Church in Needham on Tuesday, March 11, at 10 AM, followed by interment in Needham Cemetery. Visiting hours will be at Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave, Needham, on Monday from 4-7 PM.

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