He was born in Bucksport, Maine, on May 11, 1935, to Helen and Harold Arnold, one of seven children.
He graduated from Bucksport High School in 1953, joined the Army, and then used the GI Bill to finance his college education at the University of Maine in Orono. After graduation he went into the diplomatic corps, spending some time in Panama and then back to the United States where he worked in the Passport Office in Boston.
Yearning to return to Maine, he got a job at a savings and loan bank in Portland. Realizing this was not his preferred career choice, he enrolled in library school at Southern Connecticut College from which he earned an MLS. He worked in Connecticut libraries for a few years, then returned once and for all to Maine. He got a position at the Maine State Library in Augusta where he worked for 25 years, primarily as Director of Library Development. There he met his wife to be, Cynthia Angelides, to whom he was married for nearly 40 years. After his marriage, he was welcomed into his wife’s extended Greek family, who loved him dearly.
As a couple, Cynthia and Richard moved several times, seeking a new house adventure each time. The most challenging move was to Pemaquid, Maine, where they built their own home by the Pemaquid River. He loved working outdoors and always kept busy with home projects.
He leaves behind his wife, Cynthia, a brother Alden of Bucksport, sister Cidy (Mildred) of Milo, a brother Michael and wife Linda of Brunswick, and a sister Brooke, of Monroeville, Alabama, as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, as well as sisters, Nancy Robinson and Betty Jean Smith.
He was a quiet, gentle man, loved by many and missed by all. Heartfelt thanks go to the staffs of Maine Medical Center and Bodwell House in Brunswick for their caring and support.
There will be no service at his request.
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