Richard Hittle

Richard Howard Hittle of Dorset, VT, died peacefully on March 25th in Rutland Hospital, VT, with his family at his side. He lived a healthy, successful and exciting life of nearly 99 years. He was born in Columbus, Nebraska on April 30th, 1923 to Frieda (Poppe) and Arthur Hittle. During the Depression, the family moved to Denver and Dick graduated from South High School in 1941. He matriculated at the University of Colorado and enlisted in the Army Reserves. In May 1943, Dick was called to active duty and was assigned to the 409th Regiment of the 103rd Division of the 7th Army; which fought in the Vosges Mountains in northeastern France and Germany from October 1944 until the armistice. As a combat medic, he saw the unimaginable but did his job with professionalism and valor. Upon the end of the war, he attended Cambridge University for a semester; after which he returned to the United States and earned B.S. and L.L.B. degrees at the University of Denver. While in Denver, Dick met his first wife, Kitty (Catherine) Hittle (Dethlefsen) from South Dakota and they married in 1951, just in time for Dick to be called to active duty for the Korean War from the Air Force Reserves. After two years as a Captain, he was honorably discharged and went on to earn an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1955. He joined Continental Oil Company (today's ConocoPhillips) and in 1960 he and five others moved from Houston to the NYC area to create Conoco International Oil Company. He and Kitty made their home in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Dick led the effort to acquire exploration leases around the world and in 1969 he was appointed President of Continental Overseas Oil Company. He went on to become Vice President of International Government Affairs for Conoco, retiring in 1987. Dick was a member of a number of international organizations including President of the Arab-American Chamber of Commerce, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Middle East Institute and the International Advisory Board of Columbia University Business School. Dick belonged to the Metropolitan Club of Washington, D.C., the Harvard Club of New York, the Stanwich Club of Greenwich, Connecticut and the Dorset Field Club in Vermont. In retirement, Dick served as President of the Dorset Historical Society and as a member of the board of the Visiting Nurse Association based in Rutland, Vermont. Dick was an active parent and loved being with his family. He was an avid sportsman who skied, played tennis and golf, and was a Stratton Mountain Ski Guide well into his 80s. He and Kitty devotedly drove their family to Vermont almost every weekend during the ski season, and they were known to enjoy hosting a party or two, either in their beloved home in Vermont or in their famous party room in Old Greenwich. Dick always had a smile on his face and he never had a bad word to say about anyone. Having endured the Depression and war, he chose not to look back and was the epitome of optimism. Dick lost his wife, Kitty, in 2009 but he found a new love when he met Suzanne Billo in Dorset, formerly of Bronxville, NY. They married in 2011 and spent nearly twelve wonderful years traveling, attending the opera, and enjoying church activities in Dorset. Dick is survived by his wife, Suzanne, and his children, Ann-Louise Hittle (Tim Constable) of Watertown, MA, Thomas (Woody) Hittle of East Haven, CT, and Bradley Hittle (Renee Noto) of Greenwich, CT. Also surviving are his grandson, Henry Hittle; his two granddaughters Catherine and Poppe Constable; and his stepchildren Kate Kaiser and Tom Marinos of Katonah, NY; and their children, Maxwell and Theodore. A memorial service will be held at the United Church of Dorset at 2pm on June 4th. Donations in Richard's memory may be made to the United Church of Dorset, 143 Church Street, Dorset, VT 05251; the Dorset Historical Society, P.O. Box 52, Dorset, VT 05251, or the VNA and Hospice of the Southwest Region, 7 Albert Cree Drive, Rutland, VT 05701.