Richard 'Dick' Cummins

RICHARD "DICK" CUMMINS

Chappaqua, N.Y.

Richard M. "Dick" Cummins, 82, died peacefully on Feb. 21, 2020, after a brief illness, surrounded by his family. He was born Sept. 25, 1937, in New Ulm, Minn., to Dewey Homer and Dorothy Colgan Cummins. Dick was raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Dick met his wife, Jacqueline ("Jackie"), in grade school and they married in 1957. An avid sports fan, Dick attended Creighton University where he played baseball and caught for pitcher and future Hall of Famer, Bob Gibson.

Dick held an undergraduate degree from DePaul University, in addition to degrees from Fordham University (LLB, 1964), and New York University (LLM, 1970). He was an admitted attorney in New York and Arizona, as well as a certified public accountant. Dick was an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of Business from 1984 to 1997. Most of his professional career was spent with Coopers & Lybrand/PwC, where he was a Partner from 1977 until retirement, and served as national director of Personal Financial Services from 1985 to 1998. In 1987, he was appointed by friend and co-owner of the New York Mets, Nelson Doubleday, as special adviser to the team's board of directors, which he proudly served on until 2002.

Known to many as a large, booming presence, Dick was a generous, quick-witted man with an endless gift for storytelling. Dick was fiercely proud of his wife and large family and he leaves an enormous void in their lives.

In addition to his wife of 63 years, Jackie, Dick is survived by four children and their spouses: Daniel (Leslie) Cummins, Tim (Tara) Cummins, Mary (Jeff) Caty and Sarah Cummins; 12 grandchildren, Jake, Sam and Karen Hutchings, Harry and Johnnie Cummins, Evelyn and Jack Caty, Maggie and Patrick Cummins, and Lily, Katie and Luke Umphred; and three great-grandchildren, Mack, Molly and Will.

Dick is predeceased by his oldest daughter, Catherine Hutchings; his parents, Dewey and Dorothy; and his brothers, Bob, Billy, Jim and Jack.

Visitation will be Thursday, Feb. 27, at Beecher Flooks Funeral Home, Pleasantville, N.Y. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, Feb. 28, at St. Aloysius Parish, New Canaan, Conn.