Richard F Quimby Jr.

Richard Fielding Quimby, Jr.

Richard Fielding Quimby, Jr., 91, of Windsor, Colorado, passed peacefully in his

sleep surrounded by family on April 22, 2026. Richard had previously lived in

Fruit Heights and Layton, Utah from 1976 to 2024.

He was born in Lowell, Massachusetts on May 1, 1934, to Julia Cameron

(MacKenzie) and Richard Fielding Quimby.

Dick graduated from Pinkerton Academy in Derry New Hampshire in 1952 where

he excelled in both academics and athletics; He graduated from the University of

New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Art/English. He set a

record high score on the Miller Analogies Test and was invited to join MENSA.

He later earned his master’s degree in psychology and counseling from Troy

State University while also completing Air Force Command and Staff College at

Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

He married Catherine Sheila Cassidy on February 18,1956 and they had four

children: Terry, Julia, Tracy, and Keith.

Dick enlisted in the New Hampshire Air National Guard in 1954 as a medic

which helped him pay for college through the GI Bill. Upon graduation in 1959 he

attended the first Air Force Officer Training School class where he received his

commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1960. Dick studied navigation and was

assigned to the 39th Military Air Transport Squadron at Dover AFB, Delaware

where he would become the youngest Standards and Evaluation Flight Examiner

in the Air Force. He was selected and attended Air Command and Staff

College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Major Quimby then served a year in

Southeast Asia - Vietnam and Thailand - as an intelligence officer during which

time he learned the Thai and Vietnamese languages. His leaders noticed his impeccable

writing skills and cross-trained him as a Public Affairs Officer serving at

Loring AFB, Maine where he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and later

transferred to Hill AFB, Utah, until his retirement on October 1, 1979. Dick was a

co-founder of the Hill Aerospace Museum where he served as a board member

for decades. He also worked for the Clearfield Job Corps Center where he created

and directed a Military Training Program for several years, after which he

moved to direct the center’s Safety Program Office, retiring a second time in

1998. He was also the president of the Clearfield Chamber of Commerce for ten

years.

Dick was an avid reader, and collector of all types of books including ancient

civilizations, philosophy, religion, aviation, military history, art, music, golf, and

spy novels. He loved music, especially Big Band, the Rat Pack, and classical

guitar and could often be found in a dimly lit room with a glass of wine with one

of his albums playing on the turntable. He spent countless hours taking photographs

of nature and his family, especially on camping trips and holidays. He

was a kind and generous man who listened more than he spoke. But, when he

spoke, people listened. He was a consummate professional and made friends

easily. He maintained a circle of his closest friends his entire life, despite many

miles of separation. He will be greatly missed, but the effect he had on a multitude

of people will remain a part of his legacy.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Sheila, his brothers Don and John (Jack),

his parents Richard, Sr. and Julia Quimby, mother-in-law Hazel (Conrad) Zoerb,

father-in-law Leonard Cassidy, brother-in-law James Cassidy, nephew Shane

Quimby, and numerous aviators of the 39thMilitary Airlift Squadron.

Richard is survived by his four children: daughters Terry (Craig) Halverson, Julia

(Paul) Quimby-Cohen, Tracy Sanchez, and son Keith (Audra) Quimby;

grandchildren: Christine (Travis) Kearney, Brittany (Chris) Lewis, Alexandria

(Justin) Walton, Cassidy Sanchez, Keilah (Ethan) Kneprath, Rachel Quimby,

Connor Quimby, Nathanael Quimby; great-grandchildren: Justin, Skyler, Kasen,

Paislee, Briggston, Colin, Basin, Oliver, Lucas, Grace, and Cohen; brother-in-law

Leonard (Ginger) Cassidy, sisters-in-law Lillian Cassidy and MaryJane (Richard)

Weber, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Interment with Military Honors will be at 10:00 am on Friday, May 29, 2026, at

the Utah Veterans Cemetery & Memorial Park, Bluffdale, Utah, for family, close

friends, and military. Honorary Pallbearers will be Alan Bowen, Chris Lewis, Paul Cohen,

Craig Halverson, Ethan Kneprath, Connor Quimby, Nathanael Quimby, CMSgt

Keith Quimby, Cassidy Sanchez, LtCol (Ret) Paul Smith, and Justin Walton.

Please join us for a memorial celebration at the Mazer Memorial Chapel on the

Hill Aerospace Museum grounds on May 30, 2026, at 10:00 am.

Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Aerospace Heritage Foundation

of Utah or the American Legion Post 9, Derry New Hampshire.