Shirley May Richard

Shirley M. (Silver) Richard, 95, currently of Tiverton and formerly of Acushnet, passed away peacefully Friday, November 29, 2019. She was the daughter of the late Percy and Marion (Humphrey) Silver and the beloved wife of the late Conrad P. Richard with whom she shared 66 years of marriage.

Mrs. Richard graduated in 1941 from Fairhaven High School before attending Kinyon-Campbell Business School where she excelled in shorthand and typing. Upon graduation she started her career as an executive secretary at Merchants Bank. After marrying the love of her life, she moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1952 and worked as an executive secretary for the president of General Motors’ Truck and Coach Division. After raising her family in Acushnet, she worked the Acushnet polls during town elections and as a secretary for Standard Duplicating until her retirement.

Friends and family are quick to describe Shirley as a sweet woman. She cherished friends and family and had a love for life and nature, particularly wild birds and animals. Shirley was a gifted quahogger, pointing out their holes on the beach and finding them with her toes in the eel grass. In her younger years, she was known for her gorgeous blonde hair which she joked was a result of rinsing it with quahog juice.

Shirley enjoyed boating and many summers on Cuttyhunk Island where she made many friends and taught her daughters to row a skiff. In later years, she appreciated warm winters in Vieques, PR and Clearwater, FL.

Shirley had many talents; she was a fabulous knitter and gardener and could build the best roaring fire. A dedicated Red Sox fan, she was also an accomplished bowler and member of the Southern Bristol County Women’s Bowling Association (SBCWBA) throwing a score of 270 and earning an American Bowling Congress (ABC) League Champion award 1967-1968.

Shirley’s family will always refer to her as loving mother and grandmother who was kind and patient, and they will cherish the many memories they created with her, including when the Long Plain Acushnet Fire Bell would ring and she’d pack up her girls in the car to chase after the fire trucks.

Her family would like to thank her many caregivers including the Visiting Nurses Home & Hospice Services and especially the staff at Brookdale Sakonnet Bay for the outstanding care, compassion and friendship they provided to both Shirley and her family.

She is survived by three daughters, Susan Amaral and her husband Keith of Fairhaven, Kari Richard and her companion Brian Thomasett of Freetown, and Janet Borges and her husband Fred of Acushnet; grandchildren, Valerie Stanwood and her husband Thomas of Raynham, Bradley Amaral and his wife Mary Beth of Acushnet, Keith Amaral, Jr. and his fiancé Andreia Mendonca of AZ, and Melanie Jarvis of Acushnet; great-grandchildren Evelyn, Graeme and Niall; sisters Barbara Plant of Dartmouth and Nancy Bendiksen of Fairhaven; a sister-in-law Jean Silver of Fairhaven; and several nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late Robert Silver.

Her services are private and under the direction of the WARING-SULLIVAN HOME at FAIRLAWN. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be made to Fairhaven Animal Shelter, 200 Bridge St., Fairhaven, MA 02719. For online tribute www.waring-sullivan.com.