Obituaries
Richard A. Hassett
January 16, 1951 - January 8, 2010
Richard A. Hassett. 58, of Brighton formerly of Boston, died January 8th, beloved son of Rita Y. (Calandrini) Hassett of Plymouth and the late Robert A. Hassett. Beloved brother of Cecily Hassett-Salley of Plymouth and Linda Veracka of Kingston and Robert Hassett Jr. of Arizona. Uncle of John C. Veracka III of Kingston,, Leta Veracka Areski of Plympton, Matthews Roberts of Cambridge, Daniel Hassett Salley and Juliana Hassett Salley. Of Plymouth and two brothers in law, John C. Veracka Jr. of Kingston and timothy J. Hassett Salley of Plymouth. He was also the uncle of the late David A. Veracka of Kingston. Richard grew up in Dorchester and was educated at St. Margaret's School , Boston Technical High School and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Civil Engineering. He served in the Army and fought in the Vietnam War, earning both bronze and silver stars for valor and other commendations. Following graduation he embarked on a brilliant career in engineering, working in Saudi Arabia as part of a team that built a de-Stalinization plant on the Persian Gulf and other projects of similar scope in Egypt, Brazil and Amman, Jordan. In recents years he was an active member of of the National council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, a council that, among other activities, decides the questions for the professional engineering exam. He also enjoyed teaching homeless veterans math and engineering skills and for several years had served them Thanksgiving meals at the Veterans Shelter in Boston He was an avid scuba diver and had had dived in may places world- wide. He was committed to the cause of homeless veterans and was an enthusiastic campaigner during Senator John Kerry's 2004 campaign for president as part of a group called Veterans for John Kerry, traveling to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina with fellow vets. He has also campaigned for the late Senator Ted Kennedy and many other local candidates'. Funeral from the Cartmell Funeral Home 150 Court St. Plymouth on Tuesday January 19th at 9:00 am followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Mary Church Plymouth at 10:00 am. Visiting prior to the mass. Burial in the MA. National Cemetery in Bourne. More info and online guestbook visit www.cartmellfuneralhome.com Memorial donations may be made to New England Homeless Veterans 17 Court St. Boston, MA 02108