Richard Francis Cahill

Richard Francis Cahill, born in 1949 in Coral Gables, Florida, was the beloved first son of Thelma and Frank Cahill. He entered the world filled with spirit and energy from day one. Much to the chagrin of his older sister, Patti, this energy was often expended on her. His pranks and mischief were so common, it is thought his mother may have been the first parent to use a child leash in the 1950s. Not one to be constrained by any sort of limit, his spirit sustained and luckily, in 1957, his younger sister Cathy came along to provide another sibling to focus his energy on. In his younger years, he loved the outdoors and began to develop his soon-to-be famous gardening skills.

In 1971, his son, Richard Cahill Jr. was born and the world braced for not one, but two Richard Cahills let loose. He moved to North Carolina in 1971, where he attended and graduated from North Carolina State University. While sitting in a philosophy seminar, he met the love of his life, Cindy Smith, a beautiful 20 year old, long haired hippie – not unlike himself. What followed can only be described as an epic love story of best friends who shared almost 45 years of marriage and their beloved Scottish terriers. They spent decades in their beautiful Raleigh home, cultivating three of the most scenic acres of Wake County.

He began his career at Coca-Cola and spent almost 30 years working in sales until he retired. He knew no strangers and, due to his work in the restaurant industry, consistently had the inside scoop on the best spots in Raleigh. To everyone’s surprise, he took a job driving a school bus in his retirement years. He spent a decade driving school children to and from school, earning the respect and love of countless kids through his humor, and with his hearty laugh and big white beard even convinced some he was actually Santa.

His true passion was his incredible yard and garden. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of botanicals and once spent an afternoon walking around the Biltmore estate with his niece, Amy, sharing the Latin names for each plant he passed – no need to read any informational placards. He filled his own space with birds, flowers, herbs, and fruits and vegetables every year. On the day he died, a list of garden prep tasks was left on his kitchen counter, along with bags of fresh manure sitting in the driveway, ready to nurture this year’s crop. It was all of our secret hopes that we would simply find him there one day, peacefully taking his final breaths while working the land. We are confident that his brother-in-law and close friend, Joey, knows the next steps for the growing season and will be seen manicuring the yard this spring.

He died following a battle with multiple myeloma, where he outlived his doctors’ expectations, a testament to the wonderful care he received at UNC Rex Oncology and UNC Rex Hospital. His death on Friday afternoon came in just in time for his regularly scheduled High Life (the champagne of beers) and it is our greatest hope he arrived on the other side with a cold one waiting for him to enjoy.

He is survived by his loving wife, Cindy Smith, son, Richard Cahill, Jr. (Janice Cahill), beloved granddaughter Charlotte Cahill, sisters Patti Henke (Joey Lovejoy), Cathy Eckart (David Eckart), nieces Amy Henke (Jason Miles), Jennifer Ford (Kevin Ford), nephew Jeffrey Eckart (Phong Nguyen), great-niece Clementine Cahill Miles, and Jacie, his Scottish terrier, who is no doubt searching for her Pops to sneak her food under the table. He is loved beyond words and our family will never be the same.