Obituaries

Richard Joseph "Dick" Woodcock

Jun 30th, 2017

Richard Joseph
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Richard Joseph “Dick” Woodcock 85 of Cape Cod passed away June 30, 2017. He was the beloved husband of Estelle for 63 years, devoted father of Deborah Virginia Woodcock and her husband, Marc Zimmerman, Heather Stevens Woodcock Ayres and her husband, Dr. Douglas Ayres, and Dr. Richard “Rick” Joseph Woodcock Jr. and his wife, Elizabeth, and loving grandfather of Joseph Cade, Estelle “Ellie” McLoughlin, and Virginia Grace Woodcock.

Dick was born in Montclair/Glen Ridge, NJ to the late Joseph and Virginia (Bullock) Woodcock. Dick graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1953. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict and was honorably discharged in 1955. He then earned his law degree from Columbia University in 1958.

Dick met Estelle at Northwestern in 1952, and they married in 1954. Dick and Estelle lived in Anchorage, AK, Hartsdale, NY, and Scarsdale, NY for 20 years, and in Potomac, MD for 43 years, before relocating to Cape Cod in 2016. Dick loved the Cape, having spent many summers there with family.

Dick was an attorney/advisor in the Office of the Solicitor in the U.S. Department of the Interior. He had come to Washington, DC, in 1972, to represent the government in negotiating the Trans-Atlantic Pipeline. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the highest commendation of the department. He was known for his integrity, constitutional and institutional knowledge.

Following law school, Dick was with the Wall Street firm of Thacher, Proffitt, Prizer, Crawley and Wood and with Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam, and Roberts on Wall Street and at Rockefeller Center.

Generous with his time and talents, Dick served as an Elder and Trustee at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church in Scarsdale. He enjoyed supporting his children’s activities, serving as the CCSDA (Country Club Swimming and Diving Association) representative for Kenwood Golf and Country Club in Bethesda, MD. He and Estelle received the Kenwood Hobelman Award, given to the parents contributing the most to swimming and diving. When one of his children was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2006, Dick began raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He never stopped.

A Civil War buff, Dick delighted in taking his family to every historical site within a day’s drive of Washington, DC – in chronological order. Never was there a better battlefield docent.

Dick discovered magic in his youth and particularly loved sleight of hand. Rarely, without a deck of cards in his pocket, he practiced whenever he had the opportunity. He enjoyed entertaining children and adults alike with his illusions.

When his beloved Dodgers left Brooklyn, Dick became an avid Red Sox fan -- a passion that lives on in his children.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday August 11, 2017 in the Chapel of St. Barnabas Church, on the Village Green, 91 Main St., Falmouth, MA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 3 International Drive, Suite 200, Rye Brook, NY 10573. http://events.lls.org/pages/ma/InMemoryofRichardJosephWoodcock.  

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