Richard Henry Eckhouse

The child of Richard Eckhouse, Sr. and Lois Eckhouse Bloch, Dick grew up in Glencoe, IL and attended New Trier High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University; an MS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois; and a Ph.D. in computer science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dick was a professor and lecturer of computer science and electrical engineering at Bucknell University, SUNY Buffalo, UMass Amherst, Temple University, Dartmouth College, Yale University and UMass Boston where he was Emeritus Professor of Computer Science.

He was a scientist at MOCO, inc., a brain research firm that he and Ruth co-founded, and where they worked on projects with NASA, the Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health. His industrial experience included a variety of management positions at Digital Equipment Corporation and an appointment at IBM Research. He also was an author of several books including one of the first on microcontrollers and microcomputing.

Dick had a terrific sense of humor and was beloved by his children and grandchildren for his terrible “dad jokes”, often made more funny because he would be the only one laughing. He earned his pilot’s license in the late 70’s and enjoyed taking friends and family flying in his Cessna. He later developed a passion for boating, adventuring far and wide in his trawler “Afterthought” and was instrumental in the founding of the Scituate Maritime Center, where he served on the board. He was an active member of both the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (Division 12) and the Bare Cove Sail and Power Squadron. Dick was the ultimate tinkerer – starting at the age of 7 by scaring his mother when he took apart the family toaster to see how it worked – and could often be found surrounded by the parts of any type of machine requiring repair. In his later years, he offered help to seniors in understanding their cell phones, computers and iPads. He was a patient and gifted teacher.

Dick never met a dessert he didn’t like, especially if it was made of chocolate. His grandchildren learned early where all the “good stuff” was stored in the house and loved to have “Grumpa” make them waffles and ice cream for breakfast. Dick was a doting grandfather, hosting his grandchildren each summer so that they could learn to sail in Scituate (and learn how to play poker in the afternoons).

Besides his wife Ruth, Dick is survived by his three children with his first wife, Judy Glaser: Noah (Catherine Popper), Rachael (Al Weisz), and Seth (Catherine), his five grandchildren: Michela, Eli, and Henry Eckhouse and Maddox and Chava Weisz, his brother John (Rachel Blau) and numerous nieces and nephews. Dick was predeceased by his sister, Margot Weiss, who died in 2005.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scituate Youth Sailing Program or to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Visitation will be at Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 1st Parish Rd, Scituate, Monday, Feb. 6, from 2-6 pm, with words of remembrance at 5:30.

Funeral mass will be at St. Lawrence O'Toole Church, 494 New Britain Ave, Hartford, CT, Tues., Feb. 7, at 11:00 am. Interment will immediately follow the funeral mass at Mount Saint Benedict Cemetery, 1 Cottage Grove Rd, Bloomfield, CT.