Richard A. Monteiro
Groton — It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Richard Arthur Monteiro of Groton (affectionately known as Dick), who died unexpectedly Feb. 9, 2021. He was born June 22, 1940, in New Bedford, Mass., to the late Antonio F. and Mary Vieira Monteiro. Richard is survived by his wife of 29 years, Deborah (Bresnyan) Monteiro, and three beloved cats.
Dick attended the New England Conservatory in Boston before entering the U.S. Coast Guard on Dec. 7, 1961. He retired in 1981 after serving in the Coast Guard Band, where he played clarinet. Following his retirement, Dick owned a residential and commercial construction business, later honing his fine carpentry skills and working contractually on specialized building projects primarily with Rodgers Development and Mt. Kineo. In his spare time, Dick created beautiful furniture pieces for friends and family.
In 1996, Dick was a founding member of Groton Regional Theatre (GRT) and was involved with many community theater groups. He was well-known for his incredible set-building skills, earning Best Set Design awards for “Little Shop of Horrors” with Stonington Players and “I Hate Hamlet” with GRT.
A seasoned traveler, Dick visited many countries with his wife, Deb, including Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain and France. One of Dick’s unsung talents was as a photographer; he routinely captured his travels in postcard-perfect pictures.
For the last 14 years, Dick’s pride and joy was his 36-foot Albin Trawler named Odyssea, which provided hours of entertainment with friends and family, as well as dearly loved summer trips to Greenport, Long Island.
Following cremation, Dick’s remains will be spread at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. A celebration of life will be held at a later date, when weather and social distancing guidelines permit.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Dick’s memory can be made to the Coast Guard Foundation at https://coastguardfoundation.salsalabs.org/donate or the Connecticut Humane Society at https:// give.cthumane.org.