Obituary of Richard E. Dehais

Richard E. Dehais of Wappingers Falls died on Monday, September 21, 2015 at home. He was born in Worcester, MA on March 19, 1932, the second child of Helen King Dehais and Alcide Dehais. Richard's brother Jack Dehais died in 2011 and his sister Eleanor passed away early this year. A lifelong Catholic, Richard was a parishioner at St. Mary's Church in Wappingers Falls. He is survived by his devoted wife of 60 years, Eileen M. (Deamer) Dehais, and his children and their spouses: Diane (Dehais) Morrison and her husband Glenn of LaGrangeville, NY, Richard J. Dehais and his wife Karen of Leawood, KS, John A. Dehais and his wife Myra of Carlsbad, CA, Carol (Dehais) Frech and her husband Brooke of Mohnton, PA, James Dehais and his wife Amy of Yorktown Heights, NY, and Bonney Dehais of NJ, wife of Robert E. Dehais (who passed away in 2006). His beloved grandchildren include Daniel Morrison and his wife Jessica, Matthew Morrison and his wife Kelly, Michelle Morrison, Colleen Dehais, Darcy Dehais, Kaitlyn Dehais, Veronica Dehais, Maggie Dehais, Nicholas Dehais, John Dehais, Isaac Frech, and Declan Dehais, as well as Jackson Morrison, his first great grandchild. He is also fondly remembered by his many nieces and nephews. Richard attended South High in Worcester, MA, where he met his wife Eileen. He was stationed in Germany during his service in the Army and returned home to wed Eileen on February 12, 1955. Richard was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1959 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He soon moved his young family to settle in Wappingers Falls, NY and began a successful 32-year career at IBM. He worked as an engineering manager in Poughkeepsie, Kingston and East Fishkill. Along the way, he earned a masters of science in Engineering at the University of Vermont in 1975. Richard's exceptional skills as a manager were perhaps most evident when the Little League team he led won consecutive championships. Richard retired from IBM in 1991 in order to play with his grandchildren. He enjoyed being a handyman and completed countless projects at his home and others. He loved to play with the kids, and watch them in all their sports and activities. He enjoyed taking photos and making collages of his grandchildren that he proudly displayed all over his home. Calling hours will be held on Friday, September 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Straub, Catalano & Halvey Funeral Home, 55 East Main St., Wappingers Falls. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, September 26 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, Convent Street, Wappingers Falls, NY. Interment will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Wappingers Falls. For directions or to send a personal condolence, please visit our website at www.StraubCatalanoHalvey.com.