Richard Kumpel

Richard "Duke" Kumpel, 81, passed away on Sunday July 22, 2012. Cherished dad to his five children and Papa Duke to his grandchildren and first great granddaughter, he remained a steady presence in his children's lives showing his warmth and humor that characterized his life. Duke, born on Christmas Day 1930, was raised in Melrose. He shared many happy childhood experiences with his sister Flo and brother George. It was at Lincoln Elementary School in Melrose where he met his lifelong friend and "partner in crime" Donald "Cookie" Corcoran. He graduated from Melrose High School in1948 where he was a sprinter with the Track and Field Team. After graduating he enlisted in the Navy and served with the Seabees for two years. He met his bride-to-be Martha who was in the nurse-in-training program at Melrose Wakefield Hospital and she immediately caught his eye. He married his beautiful wife Martha in 1952, and soon after the couple moved to Greenwood where they raised five children. Their home in Greenwood was a frequent site of neighborhood pool parties and Christmas caroling get-togethers.

Duke worked for the Local 537 as a union pipefitter for over forty years working on many large scale commercial projects. While working and helping Martha raise the children, he attended Northeastern University at night for eight years finally earning his B.S. in Civil Engineering.

He touched many lives through his associations as a player agent for Wakefield Little League for more than ten years. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors of both Little League and Wakefield Youth Hockey. Duke will be especially remembered for his tireless work leading to the growth of Massachusetts Hockey. In 1974, he became a charter member of Massachusetts Hockey and later served as a member of Mass Hockey's Executive Board. In addition, he served as USA Hockey Director-at Large for nineteen years and was proudly elected USA Hockey Director Emeritus. He received numerous accolades and awards for his work and was inducted
in to the Massachusetts Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

He moved to Reading in 1996 and served on the Condo Board for Summit Towers for many years. An avid snowbird for the past sixteen years, Duke enjoyed winters at his condo in Fort Lauderdale where he enjoyed shared dinners, reminiscing with old friends and sitting in the sunshine with his Sudoku puzzles. Oftentimes, he was joined by his companion, Mary Cail of Melrose. She was his constant and loving friend and they shared the last nineteen years together going to countless hockey games, rooting for the Red Sox together and enjoying time with family and mutual friends.

Duke never met a stranger and he had a joy for life and for helping others. He had an uncanny ability to fix things and always had a smile for others. He will be remembered and sorely missed by his five children and their spouses including Bill and his wife Pat, Linda Lomas and her husband Howie, Judy and her husband Tom Gonnella of Gettysburg Pennsylvania, Mark and his wife Helene Van Neste of Scarborough, Maine, and Kristen and her husband John Abbondante. He is also survived by ten grandchildren and one great granddaughter. He was predeceased by his loving wife Martha who died in 1989.

A visitation for relatives and friends will be held at McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave, Wakefield on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. A memorial service will be held at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be given online to Joslin Diabetes Research at https://events.joslin.org/givenow/sponsor/giftinfo.asp or
Mailing Address:
Development Office
Joslin Diabetes Center
One Joslin Place
Boston, MA 02215



Read Richard Kumpel 's Obituary and Guestbook on www.mcdonaldfs.com.

Visitation

McDonald Funeral Home
19 Yale Ave.
Wakefield , MA US 01880
Wednesday, July 25, 2012, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Service

Private